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The Curtis Institute of Music Master Classes
The Curtis Institute of Music returns to the American Academy in Berlin for their traditional spring concert on May 20 (invitation only), followed by a day of Master Classes led by Curtis faculty at the Universität der Künste Berlin and the Berliner Philharmonie. All classes are open to music students and interested public and are made possible through the generous support of Nina Freifrau von Maltzahn, a trustee of the American Academy in Berlin.
Classes are as follows:
2:00 to 3:30 p.m.: Viola Master Class with Roberto Díaz, Curtis President and Violist. Location: Hermann-Wolff-Saal, Berliner Philharmonie, Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1
4:30 to 6:00 p.m.: Violin Master Class with Pamela Frank, Curtis Faculty and Violinist. Location: Hermann-Wolff-Saal, Berliner Philharmonie, Herbert-von-Karajan-Str. 1
2:00 to 6:30 p.m.: Voice Master Class with Mikael Eliasen, Artistic Director of Vocal Studies and the Curtis Opera Theater. Location. Universität der Kunste Berlin
Gerechtikeit in der DDR: Auf der Suche nach der sozialistischen Gesetzlichkeit
Inga Markovits's Lisa and Heinrich Arnhold Lecture at the Technische Universität Dresden will address the history of the law faculty of Berlin’s Humboldt University during the years of East German Socialism. Socialist governments always had an ambivalent relationship with the law; the Party used it as a handy tool to achieve its goals but rejected its authority over the state’s own behavior. Legal professionals under Socialism, accordingly, had to walk a precarious line between the law’s insistence on regularity and order and the Party’s arbitrary usurpations of the law. They could (and did) respond to the political pressures on their work in various ways: surrender to the Party, define themselves as guns for hire who served whatever client chose to hire them, stick to the letter of the law wherever possible, or push for law reform. By studying the history of one discrete and manageable group of highly articulate and influential lawyers (Humboldt law professors), Markovits hopes to gain insight into the tensions between law and political power while at the same time tracing the ups and downs of East German legal history.
Introduction by Hans Vorländer, Professor of Political Science, Technische Universität Dresden
Honoring George P. Shultz
The American Academy in Berlin is proud to announce the recipient of the 2012 Henry A. Kissinger Prize: George P. Shultz, US Secretary of State (1982–1989), Secretary of the Treasury (1972-1974), and Secretary of Labor (1969-1970).
Secretary Shultz’s career exemplifies the ideal of a statesman who seamlessly combines an academic background and business acumen to fulfill the demands of public office. Having served in three Cabinet positions as well as a variety of consulting and advisory roles, Secretary Shultz’s skilled diplomacy shaped the transatlantic political landscape and economy during the historic era leading to the end of the Cold War.
Among Secretary Shultz’s many notable achievements were his deft navigation of the global economy as it broke with the Bretton Woods system in the 1970s. His initiative in founding the Library Group developed into the creation of the G-8 summits, which continue until this day. As Secretary of State he presided over the decisive period of East-West confrontation, which culminated in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 and to a restoration of trust between the two superpowers, which laid the foundation for a peaceful end to the Cold War. Since leaving office, in 1989, Secretary Shultz has remained an important force in the formulation of public and foreign policy in the United States and across the globe. The 2012 Kissinger Prize is bestowed to George P. Shultz in recognition of these singular and important contributions to a strong and lasting transatlantic relationship.
Laudations by the Honorable Helmut Schmidt, Co-Publisher, Die Zeit, and former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1974–1982); and the Honorable Henry A. Kissinger, Founder, Kissinger Associates; Founding Chairman, American Academy in Berlin; and US Secretary of State (1973-1977)
Greeting by Guido Westerwelle, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany
Introduction by A. Michael Hoffman, Chairman and President, American Academy in Berlin
In cooperation with Federal Foreign Office
Invitation Only
The Curtis Institute of Music Lunchtime Concert
During their fifth Berlin tour, students and faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and members of the Berliner Philharmoniker perform a chamber music program, including works by Franz Schubert, Vaughn Williams, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Gioachino Rossini. The ensemble features Roberto Díaz (Curtis President and Violist), Pamela Frank (Curtis Faculty and Violinist), Mikael Eliasen (Artistic Director of Vocal Studies and the Curtis Opera Theater), Curtis students, and Philharmoniker members Philipp Bohnen (Violinist), and Nikolaus Römisch (Cellist).
The concert takes place at 1pm in the foyer of the Berliner Philharmonie.
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Generously supported by Nina Freifrau von Maltzahn
The Curtis Institute of Music Evening Concert
Students and faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music perform a chamber music program at the American Academy, including works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vaughn Williams, Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Gioachino Rossini, and the German première of “Plainsong” by Daniel Kellogg.
Generously supported by Nina Freifrau von Maltzahn
Return of the Exiles: Samuel Adler
Samuel Adler, born in Mannheim, Germany, in 1928, is the composer of over 400 published works, including five operas, six symphonies, twelve concerti, eight string quartets, four oratorios and many other orchestral, band, chamber and choral works and songs. His Jewish family emigrated to the United States in 1939, where Adler went on to study music at Boston University and Harvard, with some of the most influential composers of the twentieth century, including Aaron Copland and Paul Hindemith. After a stint in the US Army, Adler took a job in Dallas, Texas, as the music director of a Jewish Temple, Emanu-El, and then, from 1957-1966 was a professor of composition at the University of North Texas College of Music. From 1966-1995 he taught composition at the Eastman School of Music, and since 1997 has been a member of the composition faculty at The Juilliard School of Music, where for the academic year 2009-2010, he was awarded the William Schuman Scholars Chair. In addition, Adler has taught composition in workshops and universities throughout the world and has received numerous honorary doctorates, awards, and prizes, including a Guggenheim Fellowhship, the Charles Ives Award, and Aaron Copland Award. In 2008 he was elected in the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. This evening celebrates this outstanding German-American composer and teacher with a lecture-recital featuing a selection of Adler's works, moderated by Pamela Rosenberg, Dean of Fellows and Programs, American Academy in Berlin, and performed by Melinda Parsons (Soprano), Egor Egorkin (Flutist), and Philip Mayers (Pianist).
America in Europe: The Erosion of American Presence in Europe and Its Consequences
Two tendencies determine the current transatlantic relationship, says the year's Fritz Stern lecturer, Janus Reiter, president of the Center for International Relations in Warsaw: On the American side there is a major shift in preferences and priorities from the traditional transatlantic commitment to a new Pacific engagement; on the European side, the current euro zone crisis contributes to even more introspective attitudes. Both tendencies, if not managed by political leaders and elites, Reiter argues, may result in unintentional alienation of transatlantic allies. The implications on the European order must not be underestimated: the European crisis makes the EU member states follow the traditional national instincts more than ever. Should these tendencies impact the European security policy, the very core of the European order would be affected. Though preventing the re-nationalization of security policy is widely recognized as a priority, there is no consensus however about how the US might help prevent this from happening. Reiter argues that US presence in Europe helped make Europe a better place. So what will happen to Europe if there is less US presence? Join the discussion at this year's Fritz Stern Lecture on June 5 at the Hans Arnhold Center.
Janusz Reiter, a former Ambassador of Poland to both Germany and the United States and the former Special Envoy for Climate Change, is the President and Founder of the Center for International Relations, based in Warsaw. Reiter has been awarded the Great Federal Cross with Star and Ribbon by the Federal President of Germany and has received the Honorary Award of the European University Viadrina, and an honorary degree from the College of the Atlantic in the United States.
How to Build Respect for Human Rights: Human Rights Courts in Europe and Africa
The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECCJ or the Court) is an increasingly active and bold international sounding board for human rights violations in West Africa. Since acquiring jurisdiction over human rights complaints, in 2005, the ECCJ has issued more than fifty decisions against member states. One might expect a fledgling international court, operating in a region with scant history of judicial independence, to be overly cautious. But in the first five years the ECCJ has issued several pioneering judgments, including against The Gambia for the torture and disappearance of journalists, against Niger for condoning modern slavery, and against Nigeria for failing to provide free education to children. The Court has also enabled individuals, nongovernmental organizations, and other private actors to bypass national courts and file suits directly with the ECCJ. This talk describes how the ECCJ obtained its human rights jurisdiction and the challenges it has faced along the way.
Karen J. Alter, Professor of Political Science and Law, Northwestern University; and Angelika Nußberger, Judge, European Court of Human Rights, and Director of the Institute of Eastern European Law, Universität zu Köln
Moderated by Pamela Rosenberg, Dean of Fellows and Programs, American Academy in Berlin
Tickets (€ 9): info@literaturhaus-stuttgart.de or 01805 70 07 33
In cooperation with the Literaturhaus Stuttgart
Generously supported by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, Daimler AG, Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck GmbH, and Berthold Leibinger Stiftung GmbH