Music to the ears

Music offers at the FAU

Do you have music in your veins? FAU offers plenty of opportunities for the musically inclined. You could, for example, join the University orchestra in Erlangen – like Sophia.

‘We all wait in the wings, then we’re allowed to go up on the stage. You can feel the atmosphere intensify as we take our seats. Before playing the first note we whisper ‘have fun’ to each other. There’s a great sense of community. At this moment in time, we all have the same goal, we are all together in one place. Then the conductor comes in, lifts his baton, everyone raises their instrument, and the music starts.’

The last few seconds before the concert begins are always very intense, and Sophia savors the special atmosphere. Sophia is studying Theatre and Media Studies and Education at FAU, and plays the violin in the University orchestra. Twice a semester, Sophia takes to the stage with the University orchestra and plays for an audience of several hundred people. In Erlangen, performances are held in the Heinrich-Lades-Halle. This is a major success for the students, who previously only played in smaller venues such as churches.

A shared passion

The University orchestra was launched in the 1960s, and currently has roughly 75 members, the majority of whom are students. It is a good way for first year students to meet new people: ‘I have met lots of people who share my passion for music,’ explains Sophia, who has been part of the orchestra for two and a half years. They meet to practice once a week, as well as at special rehearsals and the rehearsal weekend. After the weekend, if not before, the orchestra members are a close-knit team: ‘We spend the whole weekend together, from Friday until Sunday. When we’re free in the evenings, we meet up and have a good time. The rehearsal weekends are definitely one of the highlights, as well as the concerts, of course,’ says Sophia.

Open to all

If you are a talented musician you can join in, no matter what you study and no matter whether you are based in Erlangen, Fürth or Nuremberg. Anyone who is interested just has to attend an audition. But don’t panic: the audition is very relaxed. It only takes between three and five minutes, and you can even choose what you want to play. It is certainly worth joining in, if only because playing music is such a good way to switch off whilst studying. ‘I often have several different things on my mind. But when I play, I have to concentrate on what I am doing and can’t afford to think of anything else. Being able to switch off and focus on something else is extremely valuable,’ according to Sophia.