FOR RESPECTFUL COEXISTENCE
Funded by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+)
This project is funded as part of the program “ESF Plus – Investments in Education, Research, and Innovation” by the European Social Fund Plus and the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture, and Tourism.
A SIGN AGAINST DISCRIMINATION AND ABUSE OF POWER
On November 27, 2025, all 24 state music colleges will participate in the nationwide day of action “ART. POWER. HUMANITY.” The HMT Leipzig is also sending a clear signal against discrimination and abuse of power.
The day of action, initiated by the Rectors' Conference of German Music Colleges (RKM), also makes it clear to us: abuse of power has no place at the HMT. We create space for information, exchange, and reflection—and strengthen a common attitude based on respect, responsibility, and humanity.
All members of the university are invited to participate: as listeners, discussants, and co-creators.
From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., you can expect a diverse range of lectures, workshops, discussions, and information formats.
The rector announced back in July that there would be no classes or projects on this day to enable everyone to participate in the action day.
AT A GLANCE
- Date: Thursday, November 27, 2025
- Time: 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
- Location: HMT Leipzig – Grassistraße 8
- Target audience: Students, teachers, staff, guests
- Hashtag: #KunstMachtMenschlichkeit
Programme & Registration
Programm/Ablauf des Tages
| 10:00 am | Welcome by the Rector, Prof. Gerald Fauth | Grassistraße 8, Großer Saal |
| 10:15 am | Keynote: ‘Art, Power, Responsibility – Ways out of an Authoritarian Understanding of Art’ Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt (HfMDK Frankfurt)
| Grassistraße 8, Großer Saal |
| 10:45 am | Move to the workshop rooms | |
| 11:00 - 12:30 | Workshop (teaching staff only) Between stage and relationship: power, responsibility and professional closeness in teaching practice. Workshop leader: Maria Melms, in person, max. 20 participants | Grassistraße 8, Raum 302 (2nd floor) |
| 11:00 - 12:30 | Workshop (students only) Empowerment: Recognising and articulating boundaries Workshop leader: Adam Kropidlowski, in person, max. 20 participants | Grassistraße 8, Kammermusiksaal (1st floor) |
| 11:00 - 12:30 | Workshop (open for public) Does art really make us human? Workshop leader: Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt, hybrid (via Zoom + in person, no limit on participants) | Grassistraße 8, Großer Saal |
| 11:00 - 12:30 | Workshop (open for public) Does art really make us human? Workshop leader: Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt, hybrid (via Zoom + in person, no limit on participants) | Grassistraße 8, Probesaal (2nd floor) |
| 11:00 - 12:30 | only for students and teachers in the field of klassischer Gesang/Musiktheater Intimacy coordination in musical theatre – rehearsal for ‘Der Waffenschmied’ Accompaniment: Eleonora Marguerre | ATTENTION! Different university building! Dittrichring 21, Black Box (basement) |
| 12:30 pm | Switch back to the Große Saal | |
| 12:45 - 1:00 pm | Presentation of workshop results | Grassistraße 8, Großer Saal |
| 1:15 - 2:00 pm | Exchange over soup, snacks and drinks | Grassistraße 8, Foyer 1st floor |
| 2:00 - 3:00 pm | Presentation of the art project ‘We will never hear all voices’ followed by a discussion | Grassistraße 8, Großer Saal |
| 3:00 - 3:15 pm | Survey on first impressions of the day (online tool) | Grassistraße 8, Großer Saal |
| 3:15 - 3:30 pm | Conclusion and outlook by the Vice-Rector for Teaching, Studies & International Affairs, Dr Ute Fries | Grassistraße 8, Großer Saal |
| 3:30 - 4:00 pm | AnsprechBAR: Introduction to counsellors and the Vertrauensteam (with translation for international students) | Grassistraße 8, Großer Saal |
| 4:00 pm | End of the day |
Registration
Events until 2 p.m. are reserved for students, lecturers and staff of the HMT.
Registration is via Moodle. Detailed descriptions of the content, target groups and locations can be found there.
PLEASE NOTE: Registration FOR HMT students, teachers and staff must be done via Moodle!
Please first register for the action day as a whole (first link) and then select a workshop you would like to attend.
Between stage and relationship: power, responsibility and professional closeness in teaching practice, Maria Melms (for teaching staff only)
Power and empowerment: recognising and articulating boundaries, Adam Kropidlowski (for students only)
Does art really make us human, Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt (open for public)
The power of communication: confident conflict resolution, Dorothea Sorge-Werres (open for public)
Itimacy coordination in musical theatre, Eleonore Marguerre
(only for students and teachers in the field of klassischer Gesang/Musiktheater)
From 2 p.m. onwards, participation is also open to the public.
Please register at vertrauensteam@hmt-leipzig.de.
At 2 p.m., an audiovisual performance entitled ‘We will never hear all voices’ (concept: Carmen M. Thiel) awaits you, followed by a moderated discussion. The aim is to ensure that real experiences of abuse of power are not kept hidden or dismissed as isolated cases, but are brought to the attention of the university community and recognised, discussed and tackled together as structural challenges.
This will be followed by a short online survey to visualise the first impressions of the day, and a brief summary and outlook will then be provided by Dr Ute Fries, Vice-Rector for Teaching, Studies & International Affairs.
From 3:30 p.m., the HMT trust team will introduce itself and provide information on how we can support and reach university members, especially international students.