A Unique Concept at World Level

The Carl Flesch Academy is much more than just another master-class:

• Living, making music and working together in the Lichtenthal monastery creates a special atmosphere and plenty of space for creativity, inspiration and exchange
• Solo-performances with the philharmonic orchestra, in rehearsals and concerts, will help you to gain valuable stage experience
• In addition to the booked master classes, chamber music projects offer you space for further practicing, learning and making music together
• Additional workshops and coaching sessions with experienced industry professionals will provide you with useful knowledge and strategies for your career path
• Performances with the philharmonic orchestra will help you to gain valuable stage experience
• The free videos of your public performance with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic will help you with future festival and competition entries
• Through the overall musical concept, your lessons do not remain isolated, but become part of a whole
• Nowhere else will you have the opportunity to have a professional video made of your public performance with orchestra at such a low price
• Generous awards and scholarships help the winners on their career path as musicians

These factors as well as the high level of the international instructors and participants make the concept of the Carl Flesch Academy unique worldwide!

The Features of the Carl Flesch Academy in Detail

Master-Classes

This year, five master-classes are offered for four instruments — violin, viola, cello and double bass. The international instructors are not only successful solo and orchestra musicians themselves, but also experienced music educators with many years of teaching experience.

The Carl Flesch Academy places special emphasis on effective training — on the easy-to-understand and intuitive teaching of techniques and methods that are individually adapted to your needs and bring you a big step forward within the short time of a master-class.

More information about the respective instructors can be found on the page about this year's academy

Evening Program with Orchestra

In addition to the usual final concerts of the master-classes, in which you will play with piano accompaniment, the Carl Flesch Academy will organize two public concerts in which selected soloists from the master classes will perform with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic — probably three participants from each master-class.

For these master concerts, the jury of the academy compiles a coherent overall program from your submitted repertoire proposals. In this way, works that are otherwise rehearsed without connection to one another become part of a solemn whole.

Chamber Music Projects & Concerts

Chamber music means with and for each other! For generations, chamber music has served as a connecting element between cultures, countries, continents and religions. Carl Flesch was also an enthusiastic chamber musician and often performed with the famous Curtis Quartet from the USA. This inspired us to include chamber music groups and concerts in the academy week.

At the beginning of the Academy week, all participants are assigned to a chamber music group, in which they study a work of chamber music together with the instructors. On the last day of the course week, there will be two final concerts with all chamber music groups in the Weinbrennersaal of the Kurhaus Baden-Baden.

Workshops & Coaching

During the Academy week, in addition to the instructors, musicians of the philharmonic orchestra, principal conductor Heiko Mathias Förster and orchestra manager Arndt Joosten will give workshops and coaching sessions on topics relevant to aspiring musicians in a changed industry, such as career management and self-marketing in the age of the Internet. The workshops and coaching sessions will shed light on the careers and lives of both soloists and orchestral musicians.

Details will be announced during the academy week.

Video Production

As essential as they are for one's own career management, professional videos are often prohibitively expensive, especially for young talents. The generous sponsorship of the Carl Flesch Academy offers all soloists, who perform publicly with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, the unique opportunity to have a professional video with several camera perspectives made at low cost, in addition to the free application video.

You can find detailed information on this extensive topic on this page

Awards & Scholarships

Thanks to the generous support from various sources and the seamless interweaving of the Carl Flesch Academy with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, the best participants can look forward to prizes and scholarships totaling more than 20,000 €. Some awards also include solo performances with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic in special concerts.

Awards not only create incentives for the participants, but also support the winners in general and noticeably advance their careers.

A detailed list of the awards and scholarships awarded by the Carl Flesch Academy can be found on this page

Living and Making Music in One Place

Your personal network is crucial for a successful career.

At the Carl Flesch Academy you don't just stay isolated in a hotel. In addition to making music together in the chamber music groups, a central element of the academy week is that all participants live together in the same place where they learn and work.

The historic Cloister Lichtenthal offers the ideal place for exchange with other international participants — for mutual inspiration, for more fun and enrichment in the general togetherness and for forging long-term bonds.

You can find more detailed information about living in the monastery and the accommodation costs on this page