Academy Centre for Music

The Academy Centre for Music brings together research, digital infrastructure and outreach.

The Academy Centre for Music (AM) provides the framework for a key focus area of the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz. It brings together the Academy’s diverse activities in research, practice and music education under five pillars: musicological research projects, digital initiatives, the Literature and Music Class, sound art, and musical events.

– Publications, conferences and lectures in 2025 –

Musikwissenschaftliche Akademievorhaben Grundlagenforschung als Basis des Zentrums
Digitaler Schwerpunkt Der Beitrag des Zentrums zur Transformation ins Digitale
Klasse der Literatur und Musik Die Bedeutung einer eigenen Klasse für das Zentrum
Musikalische Veranstaltungen Das Zentrum als Forum musikwissenschaftlicher Praxis

The Academy Centre brings together research, digital infrastructure, institutional support and musical practice. It creates a stable framework for interdisciplinary exchange, innovative projects and the long-term development of musicology and music education.

Excellent music research with a long-term perspective and international impact
Reflecting on and developing the cultural heritage through the interplay of leading figures from the arts, literature and music
Bringing music from all eras and styles to life at the highest level in a unique setting
Shaping the digital transformation of music research through innovative methods and sustainable infrastructure

Musicological Research Projects

The Mainz Academy currently coordinates 13 edition and documentation projects, including complete works of major composers such as Brahms, Handel, Schubert, Weber and Zimmermann, as well as musicological collections and source collections of historical significance, such as the *Corpus monodicum* and RISM. This fundamental research, unique on a global scale, lends the centre a high-profile, internationally relevant academic standing. At the same time, the AM promotes interdisciplinary exchange, theoretical reflection and methodological innovation through conferences and workshops.

Research Projects

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Laufende Vorhaben

Digital Focus

Since 2021, the Centre for Digital Music Documentation (CDMD) has been developing digital infrastructures for musicological research. In collaboration with NFDI4Culture, ZenMEM, SLUB and other institutions, research data is processed, preserved for the long term and made available in digital form. The link to the Digital Academy and nationwide initiatives supports the digital transformation of musicology.

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Class of Literature and Music

As the only German academy with its own class, Mainz combines music-related research with academic reflection and support. This includes the awarding of the Robert Schumann Prize for Poetry and Music (€15,000, every two years), funded by the Strecker Foundation.

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Music Events

Opened in 2023, the Kalkhof-Rose-Concert Hall– Germany’s only chamber music hall built from wood – hosts concerts, music education programmes and discussion events. The AM thus provides a forum that brings together research, practice and the audience experience.

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Concerts

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