Friends
Friends of the International Music Institute Darmstadt
The Friends of the International Music Institute Darmstadt association has been in existence since 2007. Since then, its members have supported the work of the IMD through their annual contributions and donations, regularly attend events, and organize their own formats such as roundtable discussions during the Darmstadt Summer Course. The awarding of scholarships and project-related funds is also part of their support program.
Another focus is the Reinhard Schulz Prize for contemporary music journalism, the award ceremony for which is organized by the Friends of IMD.
General Meeting 2026
We cordially invite you to the General Meeting on 11 November 2026 at 6:00 p.m.! The meeting will take place in person at the IMD, Nieder-Ramstädter Str. 190. Online participation is available. Please register with the association’s office at info@imd-friends.org.
WHAT WE DO
Scholarships
Since 2021, the Friends of IMD have been providing targeted support to participants of the Darmstadt Summer Course in the form of scholarships covering the full cost of the registration fee. We would like to offer scholarships again for the 2027 edition of the Summer Course. To make this possible, we need your donation!
Events
Contemporary music requires a dialogue that involves more than just the creators. Those who listen to it are also seeking a platform for exchange. In addition to supporting the International Music Institute Darmstadt and the Darmstadt Summer Course, we – as a supporting association – aim to foster open discussion about contemporary music through concerts and lectures.
Reinhard Schulz Prize
The Reinhard Schulz Prize for Contemporary Music Journalism has become an integral part of the activities of the Friends of the IMD. On 23 July 2025, it was awarded for the seventh time, on this occasion to Patrick Becker. The website reinhardschulz-kritikerpreis.de provides detailed information about the prize, its namesake Reinhard Schulz (1950–2009) and past recipients.
WO WE ARE
Prof. Lucas Fels
1. Chairman
Cellist and member of the Arditti Quartet, tutor at the Darmstadt Summer Course and holder of the endowed chair in “Performance Practice and Education in Contemporary Music” at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts.
Dr. Juana Zimmermann
Treasurer
Juana Zimmermann studied cultural studies and aesthetic practice in Hildesheim and musicology and music education in Hanover. She earned her doctorate at the University of Paderborn with a dissertation titled “Women at the International Summer Courses for New Music, 1946–1961”. She has been an editor at the Lübecker Nachrichten since 2024. She also works as a freelance writer on New Music.
Prof. Stefan Fricke
2. Chairman
Born in 1966 in Unna. After completing his alternative military service, Stefan Fricke studied musicology and German language and literature at Saarland University in Saarbrücken (M.A. 1994). In 1989, he co-founded Pfau-Verlag, a publishing house specializing in literature on contemporary music. Numerous publications on New Music and Fluxus; (co-)editor of the writings of, among others, Gottfried Michael Koenig, Hans G. Helms, Konrad Boehmer, Wolfgang Hufschmidt, York Höller, Theo Brandmüller, Robert HP Platz and Günther Becker. He has served on multiple occasions as a tutor at the Darmstadt Summer Course, among other engagements. In 2007, he headed the Studio for Acoustic Art at Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR 3) in Cologne. Since 2008, he has been an editor for New Music and sound art at Hessischer Rundfunk (hr2-kultur) in Frankfurt am Main, and since 2017, he has taught as an honorary professor at the Mainz University of Music, part of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. He is a co-editor of “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik” and “MusikTexte.online”.
Gerardo Scheige
Administration
Born in 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Studied musicology, theater/film/television studies as well as German language and literature at the University of Cologne. From 2013 to 2024, he coordinated the funding projects “Edition Zeitgenössische Musik” and “European Workshop for Contemporary Music” (Deutscher Musikrat gGmbH); from 2021 to 2024, he served as a project assistant for the ensemble Kollektiv3:6Koeln. In addition, he earned his doctorate from the University of Cologne with a dissertation on compositional reflections on death in New Music after 1945 and works as a writer on contemporary music. From 2016 to 2023, he served as an editor for the Darmstadt Summer Course; since October 2024, he has been part of the team at the International Music Institute Darmstadt as a project manager.
How you can support us:
- by becoming a member of the association
- by sponsoring a participant in the Darmstadt Summer Course
- by making a donation
Become a friend and member! You decide how you would like to support the practice and discourse of contemporary music. If you’d like to become a member of the Friends of the International Music Institute Darmstadt association, please fill out the PDF form and send it to us by email or mail. You will then receive written confirmation.
Do you have any questions?
If you would like to learn more about our work, membership in the association or how you can support us, please write to us!
Contact
Freunde und Förderer des Internationalen Musikinstituts Darmstadt e. V.
Gerardo Scheige (Administration)
Nieder-Ramstädter Str. 190
D-64285 Darmstadt
T +49 6151 13 3093
info@imd-friends.org
Donation Account
Freunde und Förderer des Internationalen Musikinstituts Darmstadt e. V.
IBAN: DE66 5085 0150 0000 7196 68
BIC: HELADEF1DAS
Sparkasse Darmstadt