FRIENDS OF THE FORUM ARTIUM

The FORUM artium support group is made up of music lovers who want to support and thus secure the music education of our masterclasses and the organisation of the MUSICA VIVA festival.

Around 500 musicians from all over the world travel to the Academy’s 45 masterclasses every year to be taught by high-calibre lecturers from all over Europe and to prepare for a career as a musician. These advanced training courses are of existential importance for the mostly young people, who are usually just before, in the middle of or just after studying music. However, these masterclasses represent a considerable financial burden – not least due to the sometimes very high travelling costs – which is often difficult to bear even with occasional concerts, music lessons and support from the family. The Forum Artium always endeavours to keep the costs for lessons, accommodation and full board in the Am Kasinopark building as low as possible so that a musical education is not elitist and possibly deprives the stars of tomorrow of the chance of such an education.

The MUSICA VIVA music festival forms the bridge between the FORUM artium and the professional music business. At the end of the 1980s, initiator and artistic director Herbert Vieth was the first to bring historically informed performance practice to the region around Osnabrück. With specialists such as Gustav Leonhardt, Ton Koopman, Jordi Savall, Emma Kirkby, René Jacobs and many, many others, he has since shown how music sounded to composers at the time of its creation. Many artists from the past 30 years have also been involved in masterclasses at the academy, either as participants or lecturers. Podium concerts specifically for young musicians have been held regularly, and since 2023 the new MUSICA VIVA Auslese series has been a permanent format in which a course participant performs an evening concert every year.

Broad support is very important to maintain the FORUM artium and its work – in times of declining cultural funding from public budgets, private funding is more necessary than ever.

It would be great if you could help us to realise these great and beautiful tasks in the future by joining the Sponsors’ Association. In this way, you can secure the long-term existence of the academy and the festival. You support young musicians on their way to being able to play concerts for you in the future and promote regional musical life in the Osnabrück region.