Composition / TheoryComposition / Theory

Music studies at the ZHdK take place at one of the largest integrated art colleges in Europe. Students receive dedicated support from highly qualified lecturers and benefit from state-of-the-art infrastructure. The flexible and permeable study programme, the networking on the Toni-Areal campus and with the professional world offer optimal conditions for the start of professional and artistic careers.

• Prof. Felix Baumann, teaches Theory and Composition
• Prof. Andreas Brenner, teaches Theory
• Andreas Brüll, teaches Sound Engineering (Jazz and Pop)
• Kaspar Ewald, teaches Composition for Film and Theatre
• Manu Gerber, teaches Sound Design (linear)
• Daniella Gerszt, teaches Theory
• Rama Gottfried, teaches Electroacoustic Composition
• Lars Heusser, teaches Theory
• Daniel Hug, teaches Sound Design (interactive)
• Prof. Burkhard Kinzler, teaches Theory
• Prof. Dr. Philippe Kocher, teaches Electroacoustic Composition and Theory
• Olav Lervik, teaches Media Composition
• Till Löffler, teaches Composition for Theatre
• Prof. Isabel Mundry, teaches Composition
• Prof. Felix Profos, teaches Komposition
• Niki Reiser, teaches Composition for Film
• Prof. Johannes Schild, teaches Theory and Composition for Film
• Cedric Spindler, teaches Sound Design (interactive)
• Christian Strinning, teaches Theory
• Prof. Germán Toro Pérez, teaches Elektroakustische Komposition
• Prof. Andreas Werner, teaches Sound Engineering (Classical Music)
• Kurt Widorski, teaches Composition and Composition for Film and Theatre

Students at the ZHdK Musik benefit from an excellent infrastructure, live electronics and multimedia, audio productions with in-house sound engineers, historical instrument collections, an extensive equipment pool for loan and an excellent library.

Campus tour

The Career Center Music offers ZHdK music students a whole host of career-related content, enabling them to embark upon their professional life with success. It acts as the interface between study and career. 

From 15 to 17 April 2025, the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart were guests at Zurich University of the Arts for a workshop on composition for voices with Isabel Mundry's class.
In the concert on 17 April 2025, they performed works that ZHdK composition students had created especially for this occasion and reflected on in several joint sessions. The videos presented here show a few of the works:

For around fifty years, the Arditti Quartet has been known for premiering new string quartets, while avant-garde music has been known for around a hundred years for throwing tradition overboard. The tension between historical resources and radical contemporary relevance also characterizes the music of our time.
From 28 February to 2 March 2024, the Arditti Quartet was a visiting ensemble at ZHdK. Works by composition students were premiered on Friday, 1 March, at 19:30 h in Concert Hall 3; workshops and courses provided insight into the interpretation of new and contemporary music from various present-day contexts. The videos presented here document the quartet's visit to ZHdK.