Dear colleagues and friends,
In times of rapid change, AEC is taking important steps to ensure that the organisation and its members remain well equipped to continue delivering high-quality music education and to contribute meaningfully to the future of musical life.
The AEC Council recently met in Hamburg – for the first time together with all AEC Working Group Chairs – to strengthen collaboration across the organisation and further advance AEC’s strategic priorities. I am deeply impressed by the tremendous work carried out within the working groups and encouraged to see how closely their efforts align with the work of the Council. This shared commitment and sense of direction make AEC stronger and better prepared to meet the challenges ahead.
At the same time, AEC continues to work actively with its partners to ensure the strongest possible position for music and music education within the evolving political and economic frameworks of the European Union. Some first successes can already be noted, but hard work and many discussions still lie ahead before the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028–2034 is finalised in a way that fully recognises the essential contribution that the arts and artistic education make to European values and to society at a human level.
In this newsletter you will also find a wide range of updates on initiatives and projects initiated and driven by AEC members. These activities truly reflect the heart and spirit of the AEC community. It is both a pleasure and a privilege to witness the creativity, commitment and determination they represent.
I wish you an inspiring read of this March newsletter and a spring filled with renewed energy and optimism.
Finn Schumacker
AEC Executive Director
March has been an active month for AEC’s advocacy work across Europe. From discussions on the future of Higher Music Education in Italy to debates on Europe’s cultural strategy, EU funding and UK–EU cultural cooperation, AEC has engaged with policymakers and partners to strengthen the position of Higher Music Education in European cultural and education policy.
Hosted by the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, the AEC Council met on 10-11 March and was joined for updates and strategic discussions by the AEC Working Group Chairs. This collaborative meeting focused on enhancing member dialogue, preparing for the 2026 Congress, and launching a nine-month review to better align AEC’s future decisions with its core values.
Sixteen teachers from across Europe came together for the latest edition of the AEC Artist as Teacher seminars, exploring new approaches to feedback, student relationships, and inclusive learning environments. The programme once again proved the power of reflection and peer exchange in strengthening teaching practices in higher music education.
At the beginning of March, students and professors from 16 conservatoires across Europe gathered at the Musikhochschule Lübeck for the annual METRIC Intensive Programme (IP): a week dedicated to musical exchange, experimentation, and dialogue around improvisation in higher music education.
The AEC IRC Working Group invites International Relations Coordinators to contribute examples, priorities, and suggestions on AI, Blended Intensive Programmes, and international cooperation.
The AEC Comms Exchange recently explored how internal alignment is essential for effective external advocacy. Through candid institutional deep dives, members shared practical solutions for balancing diverse artistic voices with a coherent brand identity.
We are pleased to invite you to a new series of METRIC Online Sessions: a set of free online events created as a shared space for inspiration, exchange, and critical reflection on the evolving role of improvisation in higher music education and contemporary artistic practice.
While the HarMA HUB project concludes this year, the community lives on with upcoming 2026 and 2027 events in Budapest and Ljubljana. Mark your calendars for these essential gatherings of music theory educators and students.
MusiQuE is off to a dynamic start in 2026, advancing quality enhancement through diverse global site visits, institutional partnerships, and the successful accreditation of world-class music programs.
The CALOHEx Qualifications and Assessment Reference Framework updates the AEC Learning Outcomes for higher music education. It supports curriculum development, transparency and international recognition across Europe.
On 4 March 2026, the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa National Theatre in Colombo, Sri Lanka, became the stage for FURIOSO – Digital Opera, dall’Orlando di Ludovico Ariosto, a landmark event marking one of the most ambitious international dissemination actions of the Italian PNRR-funded project MUSIC4D.
The film-opera Exchanges, reimagines Mozart’s Così fan tutte through a contemporary lens, blending reality and fiction in an international collaboration between the Conservatorio di Padova, AEC, and other European partners.
Leadership News
- As of April 2025, Prof. Dr. Markus Hilgert is President of the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin).
- Émilie Delorme has been reappointed as Director of the Paris National Conservatoire of Music and Dance (CNSMDP), from 1 January 2026.
- Robert Höldrich, Vice Rector for Teaching, International Affairs, and Quality Management at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz, will be the deputy to Rector Georg Schulz from 1 January, 2026.
- AEC Council member Barbara Maria Willi is the new Rector of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno for the period 2026-2030.
- Univ.-Prof. Dr. Constanze Wimmer is the new Rector of Mozarteum University Salzburg for the term 1st April 2026 – 31st March 2030.
AEC Events
9-11 April 2026
Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo
European Platform for Artistic Research in Music (EPARM) 2026
FULL CAPACITY REACHED
2-5 September 2026
Conservatorio “F. Bonporti” in Trento
AEC International Relations Coordinators Meeting
15-17 October 2026
Gustav Mahler Private University of Music
d@rts International Conference
and Artistic Reunion
AEC Vacancy Platform
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
