Suite Mixtur

This suite  is a joint creative venture between students from Vienna (MUK music university and Uni Wien academic university) and China (Zhenjiang Conservatory of Music), lead by Prof. Beers from Vienna and Prof. Zhang from Zhejiang. It is a curated work, a piece of music, which can be presented and performed in individual suite movements or as a whole in a 1-hour long concert.

In suite mixtur, we are working on an eclectic mixture of music that presents a different genre in each movement:  new compositions by students from Vienna and students from Zhejiang, improvisations based on musical concepts by Jean Beers, and existing arias from Mozart’s Zauberflöte, Berg’s Wozzeck and vocal music from China.

Through this intensive artistic cooperation, students from Vienna’s Music and Arts University MUK, Vienna’s main academic University Uni Wien and from Zhejian’s Conservatory of Music will regularly connect with each other in online meetings to discuss progress made during the artistic Labs in Vienna and Zhejiang. While in Zhejiang students will be composing new works for voice and piano, inspired by sound collages sent from Vienna’s Lab 1, other students from Vienna will also be composing new works for voice and piano, inspired by sound collages sent from Zhejiang students, in Lab 2. Furthermore, Lab 3 in Vienna has singers and pianists working on interpretations of the new works composed by students in Zhejiang and in Vienna, as well as arias from Mozart’s Zauberflöte, Berg’s Wozzeck and vocal music from China. Currently, there is an active collaboration in progress between students from Zhejiang, led by Prof. Zhang (composition department) with Lab 1, 2 and 3 in Vienna, beginning work with Lab 1 in October. Pendants for a parallel Lab 3 happening in Zhejiang is currently also being discussed.

We hope that these interactions will further cultural exchange, creativity and empathy for all participants, bringing them joy in their artistic experiments over the next months.

How it works?

• Regular online meetings with participants located in Vienna and Zhejiang will be scheduled and  lead by both Prof. Beers and Prof. Zhang.
• Between online meetings, practical artistic work takes place independently in both locations, in Vienna in Lab 1, 2, 3, in Zhejiang planned according to Prof. Zhang’s leadership.
• Presentation 1: Work-in-progress results will be presented by Prof. Beers on Dec. 17th at Uni Wien in the online hybrid conference (future lecture hall).
• Presentation 2: Final results will be  presented as a short lecture in the Symposium at Nanjing University on April 10th-14th 2025.
• Presentation 3: A concert at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music is planned for the final evening of the conference. It will showcase the final results of this project in form of a complete or partial  musical performance of Suite Mixtur in a 1 hour concert at Zhejiang Conservatory, led by Prof. Zhang and Prof. Beers, featuring students from both locations. Vienna will bring 3 students and Prof. Beers from Lab 1,2,3, sponsored fully by the Interuniversitärer Forschungsverbund Elfriede Jelinek (Wien) and 1-2 additional students from Lab 1, sponsored partially by ÖH MUK, student organisation.
• Presentation 4: Although Presentation 2 and 3 complete this project, a additional performance of Suite Mixtur in Vienna is planned for May 2025, presented by Prof. Beers and her Vienna colleagues in May 2025 in Vienna with a live stream online viewing link for participants from China to watch.
   

Lab 1, 2, 3 in Vienna are on-going for practical artistic work, online meetings take place regularly to interact with Zhejiang and work on text choices, interpretation ideas and composition plans.
Lab 1 ‘Improvisation with text and dramaturgy’ - Jean Beers’ practical artistic University course at MUK Vienna
Summary: Experimental, free improvisation, working on text excerpts from Mozart’s Zauberflöte, Alban Berg’s Wozzeck and text fragments and sounds from China (audio recordings provided by Zhejiang conservatory students).
Appointments: Tuesday 17:00-18:00 CET, MUK, 1st floor, conducting room (1.04.03)
Students participating in Vienna: 7 Uni Wien “Germanistik” students, 10 MUK instrumental students
Going to China in April: 1 Uni Wien “Germanistik” student, 1-2 MUK instrumental students with ÖH sponsorship
Students participating in Zhejiang: ?

Lab 2 ‘Music dramaturgical composition with text’ – Jean Beers with composition professor Sam Penderbayne (MUK)
Summary: 2 New compositions written by Vienna students, 1 for Duo (piano/voice), 1 for electronics (tape, not live). To be performed by a Vienna Duo (pianist/singer) and if possible by a Zhejiang duo (pianist/singer).
Appointments: Still in planning. Start from November.
Students participating in Vienna: 2 MUK students: Duoer Su (BA composition, 2nd year) – instrumental composition, NN – electronic composition
Going to China in April: no.
Students participating in Zhejiang: 2 Zhejiang students: NN + NN

Lab 3 ‘Opera repertoire’ – Jean Beers with opera professor Bartolo Musil (MUK)
Summary: Arias are selected from Mozart’s Zauberflöte, Alban Berg’s Wozzeck and from Chinese vocal music inspired by birds or nature. Both in Vienna and in Zhejiang a duo (singer/pianist) is chosen to learn and perform these works, as well as the 2 new duo compositions from Lab 2 from Vienna and Zhejiang composers.
Appointments: Still in planning. Start from November.
Students participating in Vienna: 2 MUK students: Karin Blom – singer (MA Opera), NN – piano (MA Korrepetition)
Going to China in April: 2 MUK students: duo (singer + pianist)
Students participating in Zhejiang: 2 Zhejiang students: duo (singer + pianist) ?

For questions, please feel free to contact Prof. Beers: j.beers@muk.ac.at