Start of the new academic year at HfK Bremen

The 2025/26 winter semester at the University of the Arts (HfK) Bremen was officially opened with a ceremony at Speicher XI A on 6 October. 281 new students were welcomed, around a third of whom are studying at the Faculty of Music, while two thirds are enrolled at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design. A total of more than 1,000 musicians and artists from 70 countries are now enrolled at HfK Bremen. 235 lecturers teach during the winter semester, including 65 professors. 

Openness, equal opportunities and lived diversity are fundamental values of the HfK Bremen, which are more important today than ever, as Rector Prof. Dr. Mirjam Boggasch emphasised in her welcome speech: "The HfK Bremen is an open place of encounter and stands for diversity, intercultural dialogue, inclusion and equal opportunities. With its international university community, HfK Bremen is once again sending a strong and necessary signal for lived diversity. A culture of togetherness, driven by art, innovation, research and interdisciplinary work, strengthens the creative potential of our university and also opens up space for new perspectives and ideas."

Three new professors were also welcomed, who took up their positions at the HfK Bremen on 1 October 2025: Prof. Katharina Andres (Historical Oboe Instruments), Prof. René Gulikers (Ensemble Conducting New Music) and Prof. Lea Letzel (Performance and New Musical Presentation Forms) will enrich the HfK with their multifaceted experience and expertise, particularly with regard to interdisciplinary collaboration.

At the semester opening, Prof. Katharina Andres played the baroque oboe together with HfK student Hans Fröhlich (baroque bassoon) from “Partita 1” from “Kleine Kammermusik” by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767).

Another point on the programme of the event, which was hosted by HfK students Lola Atkinson (historical harp) and Fred Palupski (jazz percussion), was the presentation of the DAAD Prize and the STIBET honours to international students for outstanding academic achievements and remarkable social and intercultural commitment. The STIBET awards went to Pei-Chen Chao, Ivan Emelianov, Rebecca Bottari, Fuka Ishikawa and Polet Silva Lorca from the Music Department, and Rafael Soto Acebal, Aditi Chauhan, Salma 'Elkafrawy, Haram Choi and Aysen Kocakabak from the Art and Design Department. 

The DAAD Prize was awarded to Ziyi Li from the Digital Media programme. She presented her master's project ‘Vocal Tectonics’, a simulation and reconstruction of the mechanisms of vocal cords and resonance cavities. Prof. Ralf Baecker in his laudatory speech: “What makes Ziyi Li's research-oriented practice so extraordinary is her ability to combine profound scientific insights and technology with poetic imagination.”

Representatives of the student body, such as the General Student Committee (AStA) and the Student Council (StuRa) and the initiative Stipa also presented their wide range of activities, in particular their support for students in matters relating to scholarships, applications, co-determination, financial affairs and everyday university life in general.

The official semester welcome marked the start of Welcome Week, during which first-year students in their respective degree programmes – Fine Arts, Integrated Design, Digital Media and Music – attend further introductory events and get to know the university and their fellow students. The AStA also organises numerous events such as an international brunch, city tour and opening party to encourage students to meet and exchange ideas.

Further information in the press release