SAVE THE DATE

In April 2025, internationally renowned violist Sara Kim took up her professorship for viola and chamber music at the University of the Arts Bremen. With her impressive international career and commitment to teaching, she brings with her exceptional expertise, which she has contributed to the establishment of a new viola/chamber music class at the HfK in recent months. To kick off 2026, she has now initiated the very first viola festival for Bremen in conjunction with her own inaugural concert. From 9 January to 1 February 2026, the HfK Bremen invites you to concerts, workshops, masterclasses, audition training, discussions and after-show parties all about the viola at Dechanatstraße. Outstanding artists such as Borsch4Breakfast, Garth Knox, Prof. Nils Mönkemeyer, Sander Stuart, Ionel Ungureanu, pianist and composer Sandro Nebieridze and the Vision String Quartet will be performing in the Hanseatic city as part of ‘Viola. Finally.’ Admission is free on all four weekends. The programme for the Viola Festival can be found in the PDF attachment. 

More information about the festival, the individual musicians and events will follow shortly. 

Further information: Viola Festival | HfK Bremen

‘Viola. Finally.’ from 9 January to 1 February 2026

Friday, 9 January 2026 | 6 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Gallery
Viola Festival: Voice of the Viola
Inaugural concert by Prof. Sara Kim
Original works for solo viola, including pieces by G. Ligeti, I. Stravinsky and P. Hindemith

Saturday, 10 January 2026 | 12 noon–6 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, concert hall
Viola Festival: The viola as prima donna
Master class with Prof. Nils Mönkemeyer

Saturday, 10 January 2026 | 8:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Concert Hall
Viola Festival: Viola as Prima Donna
Final concert of the master class with Prof. Nils Mönkemeyer

Saturday, 10 January 2026 | 9:30 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Music Cellar / Cafeteria 13
After-show party

Saturday, 17 January 2026 | 3:00–6:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Concert Hall
Viola Festival: Make It Your Own
Improvisation and arrangement workshop with Ionel Ungureanu and Sandro Nebieridze (pianist and composer)

Saturday, 17 January 2026 | 7:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Concert Hall
Viola Festival: Make It Your Own
Concert with Ionel Ungureanu, Sandro Nebieridze (pianist and composer) and students from the HfK Bremen  

Sunday, 18 January 2026 | 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Concert Hall
Public audition training

Saturday, 24 January 2026 | 8:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Gallery
Concert Borsch4Breakfast

Saturday, 24 January 2026 | 10:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Music Cellar / Cafeteria 13
After-Show Party

Sunday, 25 January 2026 | 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, various rooms
Viola Festival: Between Valley and Mountains
Master class with Vision String Quartet

Sunday, 25 January 2026 | 5:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Concert Hall
Viola Festival: Between Valley and Mountains
Interview and discussion with Sander Stuart

Sunday, 25 January 2026 | 7:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, concert hall
Viola Festival: Between Valley and Mountains
Concert by Vision String Quartet

Sunday, 25 January 2026 | 9:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, music cellar / cafeteria 13
After-show party

Saturday, 31 January 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Concert Hall
Viola Festival: The Contemporary
Master class with Garth Knox

Sunday, 1 February 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Concert Hall
Viola Festival: The Contemporary
Master class with Garth Knox

Sunday, 1 February 2026 | 4:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Gallery
Viola Festival: Children's Concert – ‘Viola Astronauts Wanted!’
A participatory concert for young and old (ages 4 and up)

Sunday, 1 February 2026 | 6:00 p.m. | Dechanatstraße, Concert Hall
Viola Festival: The Contemporary
Master Class Final Concert
Garth Knox plays his own works with Sara Kim and students from the HfK Bremen  

Sara Kim, born in Daejeon (South Korea) in 1988, completed her musical training at the Gnessin Special School in Moscow and at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin, where she studied violin and later viola. Sara is also a graduate of the Berlin University of the Arts, where she received top marks in the instrumental soloist programme. Her artistic development was further shaped by studies in the chamber music class of the Artemis Quartet and a master class at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Sara Kim has performed at major festivals, including the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and the Gstaad Menuhin Festival. She has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Staatsorchester Braunschweig and the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra. One of the highlights of her career was her performance at Bellevue Palace in 2012, where she played before Federal President Joachim Gauck at the invitation of the German Music Foundation.

Her extensive orchestral experience includes positions as principal violist with the Braunschweig State Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. She has also made guest appearances with leading orchestras such as the Deutsche Oper Berlin and the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig. She gained her pedagogical expertise as a lecturer at the music academies in Berlin, Munich and Leipzig.

Around 1,000 students from 70 countries, 65 professors, 89 administrative staff and more than 150 lecturers make the University of the Arts Bremen a lively place.

The HfK Bremen is a university of apparent contrasts. It is regionally anchored and at the same time strongly internationally oriented. It spans several locations across the city, which are very different, ranging from classical to floating and contemporary. It is both an art and music university. This context, which defines the university, is of a special quality and forms a framework that enables both collective and individual artistic development to be strengthened.

The HfK Bremen is a university of apparent contradictions. It is regionally anchored and at the same time strongly internationally oriented. It spans several locations across the city, which are very different, ranging from classical to floating and contemporary. It is both an art and music university. This context, which defines the university, is of a special quality and forms a framework that enables both collective and individual artistic development to be strengthened.

The range of courses on offer includes fine art, integrated design, digital media and artistic and artistic-pedagogical training in music. Since 2020, the HfK has also offered the opportunity to obtain a doctorate as part of the artistic-scientific PhD programme, particularly in the focus areas of integrated design and digital media. Dialogue and cooperation are specifically promoted through open courses and joint examination supervision, as well as through workshops, studios and thematic projects. With around 400 events per year, the HfK is a cultural and social pillar of the city of Bremen.

The relationship between the members of the university community, their diverse collaborations, the close supervision and the various regional and international collaborations contribute to the students developing strong individual characters. This results in work that is highly relevant to society.