Welcome to the Lucerne School of Music
The history and importance of the Lucerne School of Music are closely connected with the city of Lucerne, which hosts one of the world’s most important festivals for classical music, the Lucerne Festival. In 1999 the conservatory, which evolved 60 years ago from the master courses of the festival, merged with the Academy for school and church music and the Jazz School to create the Lucerne School of Music. Consequently the Lucerne School of Music now offers a uniquely comprehensive study programme in the areas of classical music and jazz.
The Lucerne School of Music offers degree courses specialising either in teaching or in interpretation and performance. Co-operation with Lucerne’s key cultural institutions (Lucerne Theatre and Symphony Orchestra) provides those studying for the orchestra diploma, or a degree in singing or conducting, with opportunities to gain practical experience in an orchestra or theatre choir. The teaching staff at Lucerne includes wellknown personalities and a large number of visiting lecturers. In this respect, the master courses of the festival play an important role, in particular the Pierre Boulez Academy, where students work together with musicians of the Ensemble Intercontemporain creating and performing contemporary music. Jazz workshops promote stylistic individuality and openness, a characteristic that sets Lucerne apart from other jazz schools. The spectrum encompasses free improvisation and composed avantgarde music, as well as comprising a number of joint courses with the faculties for classical music.
The Lucerne School of Music offers degree courses specialising either in teaching or in interpretation and performance. Co-operation with Lucerne’s key cultural institutions (Lucerne Theatre and Symphony Orchestra) provides those studying for the orchestra diploma, or a degree in singing or conducting, with opportunities to gain practical experience in an orchestra or theatre choir. The teaching staff at Lucerne includes wellknown personalities and a large number of visiting lecturers. In this respect, the master courses of the festival play an important role, in particular the Pierre Boulez Academy, where students work together with musicians of the Ensemble Intercontemporain creating and performing contemporary music. Jazz workshops promote stylistic individuality and openness, a characteristic that sets Lucerne apart from other jazz schools. The spectrum encompasses free improvisation and composed avantgarde music, as well as comprising a number of joint courses with the faculties for classical music.
The courses at the Lucerne School of Music generally focus heavily on preparation for future careers. This includes degree courses in music education, church music, movement and eurhythmics, theory and composition, post-graduate courses as well as opportunities for the students to perform in public throughout their course of study.
The links with other higher education institutions in Central Switzerland, as well as with the University of Lucerne offer students at the Lucerne School of Music additional opportunities for study and higher education. Incidentally, the libraries and resource centres of the Lucerne School of Music share their facilities with the library of the University of Lucerne. Furthermore the small city of Lucerne offers great conditions for everyday life – from a healthy housing market to a varied cultural and leisure programme in the old town through to excursions in the nearby mountains.
