#Research & Development

2021-09-23

Collegium Musicum of RWTH Aachen is ENUO Orchestra of the Month

The Collegium Musicum performing Verdi's Requiem, source: Benedikt Dannbeck

The European Network of University Orchestras (ENUO) has presented the Collegium Musicum of RWTH Aachen University as Orchestra of the Month in June 2021.

The Collegium Musicum is the official music ensemble of RWTH Aachen University. It consists of an orchestra and a choir made up of students, staff and teachers from the entire Aachen student body. The orchestra currently has 60 members.

As a rule, rehearsals take place once a week in one of the large RWTH lecture halls. Two concerts take place towards the end of each lecture period, and every second semester a joint work by choir and orchestra. In addition, the Collegium Musicum performs at industry and university events as well as at cultural events in Germany and abroad.

Great works such as Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and Verdi's Requiem require not only dedicated musicians but also good organisation and direction. The main organisation is done by the student members. Tobias Haussig is the musical director, and Professor Thomas Gries, the head of the Institut für Textiltechnik, is the academic director of the Collegium Musicum.

For some years now, the Collegium Musicum has included the RWTH's own Carbon Quintet, made up of members of the orchestra, which plays music on instruments made of carbon fibres and thus impressively represents a combination of music and science.

In addition to making music together, the social interaction in the orchestra creates a great strengthening of cohesion and thus contributes to the great success of the Collegium Musicum.

Further information: European Network of University Orchestras:

https://enuo.eu/for-archestras/orchestra-of-the-month/

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