The Karajan-Akademie offers talented young musicians the opportunity to perfect their skills with a scholarship from the Berlin Philharmonic.

The two-year course, available for players of all orchestral instruments, is at the same time a postgraduate course and an internship.  In addition to individual lessons with members of the Berlin Philharmonic, Akademie members gain valuable experience fron rehearsals with the Berlin Philharmonic and playing with it in concerts under leading conductors from around the world. About a third of the current members of the Berlin Philharmonic came to it from the Akademie.

On Friday of this week, the University Musical Society is presenting the Karajan-Akademie in concert at Rackham Auditorium. Three persons affiliated it will present at our meeting this Wednesday. Simon Rössler is one of the Berlin Philharmonic’s percussionists; when he applied for an Akademie scholarship, his playing was so impressive that the Philharmonic immediately engaged him. Josephine Chung is a violin scholar at the Akademie, and Constantin Heise is a cello scholar.

After a “round robin” discussion among the three of them, Chung and Heise will present a short recital on their respective instruments.