Call for Proposals: Ideas Contest 2026

On December 8, the final round of the HMDK’s 6th “Ideas in the Tower” Ideas Competition took place.

Out of 11 entries, 6 teams presented their exciting ideas to the jury.

 

First prize, worth €4,000, goes to:

Jasper Seibert for the idea: “Publication of a sonification of Bluetooth Low Energy signals”

Publication of “splitting/drift”

"Bluetooth Low Energy allows our electronic devices to communicate with one another without our knowledge, which, among other things, made the Corona-Warn-App technically possible. In my work ‘splitting/drift,’ the information received in this way controls a synthesized soundscape that immerses the listener in a sonic environment that sometimes corresponds to and sometimes contradicts the visually perceived surroundings. This sonification is now available as a mobile app—allowing topics such as digital society and privacy to be explored on one’s own device and thus precisely at our everyday interface with the digital environment.

I now want to take the next steps toward a release. This will require, among other things, the visual design of the screen content and an icon, a review of my code by professionals, and the production of a documentary video. In the long term, I also plan to develop an installation.” (Text: Jasper Seibert)

 

The 2nd prize of €2,000 goes to:

Clara Schneider, Lilia Rubin, Marite Männi, and Rebecca Goodman for their idea: “Funky Brain”

“Funky Brain” is an interdisciplinary, theatrical concert format about living with ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder). We take the audience on a colorful journey through the world of thoughts and emotions of Luna (a person with ADHD—vocals), in interplay with Dopamina (Luna’s ADHD—viola) and Clessidra (time—piano). Different forms of expression (soundscapes, interviews, acting, music) come together in the scenes. With a rotating cast, we perform a diverse program ranging from Robert Schumann to Claude Debussy and Frank Bridge to Philip Glass. The audience plays a central role in all of this: Not only do they proactively help shape the concert (with Post-its, soap bubbles, and crafts), but flexible seating arrangements and sensory options (including earplugs and fidget toys) also give them more freedom to experience the concert according to their own preferences. An almost classical concert—but with a dash of ADHD!” (Text: Clara Schneider)

 

Denis Makram and Valentin Koch for their idea: “Green Room Sessions”

“Green Room Sessions is an online video series from Stuttgart that offers local musicians a professional yet affordable platform. Many young acts urgently need high-quality video material for bookings, festivals, or their artist profiles, but lack both the budget and access to elaborate productions. This is exactly where our project comes in.

We transform the studio or living room into a “Green Room”: a warm, intimate space with carefully arranged lighting, high-quality sound recording, and an analog, cinematic aesthetic. The invited artists perform a few songs in a live session. It’s not just about the shoot—it’s about a shared experience: arriving, doing a soundcheck, recording, and hanging out together.

Each session results in a high-quality YouTube video plus accompanying short-form content for social media.

In the long term, the Green Room Sessions are intended to become a household name in the regional music scene—a familiar, lovingly curated digital stage for artists from Stuttgart and Baden-Württemberg.” (Text: Denis Makram)

 

The winners of the 2025 Ideas Contest present their ideas themselves: 

1st Prize: Almar Martinez Londono with his idea: SONIC BLANKET (3,000 €): 

"The SONIC BLANKET is an artistic research and exploration of sound vibrations, through a workshop, an experimental immersive concert, and an interactive exhibition.

For the majority of us in today's Western society, our relation to sound is limited by understanding data analyzed, filtered and processed by our eardrums - in other words, to hearing. However we know that these vibrations that we understand as “sounds” go much further than that. How should a concert be framed to change the focus, push us to feel the sound beyond our simple auditory perception, and highlighting the sensitive and artistic quality of it?

With this project we want to offer the participants new sensory experiences, encourage them to question their environment, and look further than what they consider like the “normal way” or “only way” of perceiving sound. We also want to explore how this questioning and experiences can lead them to reconnect with their bodies and senses.

Finally, by doing this project  in collaboration with deaf and/or hard of hearing people we want to reflect deeply about exclusion and accessibility, and our responsibilities as artists and art events programmers". (Almar Martinez Londono)

The 2nd prize amounting to 2,000 € goes to Flavia Martins, Sine Winther, and Inger Narvesen (majoring in Chamber Music) with the idea: FUSE 

"FUSE is an innovative concert series in Stuttgart that brings together artists from various art fields. In four unique performances, classical and performative art blend with contemporary pop and electronic music to create an interdisciplinary experience. The series serves as a platform that inspires creativity, promotes talents, and creates networks between artists. 

Actively involved are students from HMDK Stuttgart in the fields of music, experimental performance, acting, speech art, and puppet theater. 

In 2025, FUSE is dedicated to the Palestrina anniversary: under the motto POP-ASTRINA, works of the Renaissance composer will be reinterpreted in modern arrangements and performances. Different artistic disciplines merge to create a unique, contemporary listening experience. 

FUSE targets a broad audience and opens up a space for creativity, exchange, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The concert series drives forward innovative ideas and impresses with its connection of tradition and modernity." (Flavia Martins) 

And the additional 2nd prize of 2,000 € goes to Ronja Rienecker (majoring in Puppet Theater) with her idea: BEDTIME STORIES 

"Our society is getting older, and many people become lonely in nursing homes. The care staff is often understaffed and underpaid, so there is not much time left for storytelling in daily care. The project ‘Bedtime Stories’ aims to bring miniature puppet theater to people who can no longer participate in cultural life. I want to build a mobile theater with which short stories can be performed directly at the bedside of seniors. 

The performances should last about 5 to 10 minutes and require little setup and dismantling time. Consequently, if desired, I can stay a moment with the seniors after the performance to listen to their thoughts and memories. The special feature is the one-on-one format, which makes the pieces a very personal experience." (Ronja Rienecker)

The Winners of the Ideas Contest 2023

The first prize of 4,000 € was awarded to the oboist Dennis Brenner for his idea "3D-animation-supported video learning offer for making an oboe mouthpiece".

"For making oboe mouthpieces, there are numerous teaching materials and video tutorials. However, after watching such videos, learners are often left with countless questions that seem to only be clarified in a face-to-face situation. Due to different playing experiences, physiological conditions, as well as personal taste, one way of making oboe mouthpieces may be better or worse for each individual. Presenting various construction options should open up the path for the recipients to find the suitable mouthpiece for themselves.
How can a digital reed-making learning offer now be created that comprehensively perceives the problems and needs of the learners – even considering that an increasing number of learners use not only the screen of a PC but also smartphones or iPads for learning or information retrieval? What tone and forms of presentation are suitable for illustrating processing steps in the 1/100 millimeter range in an understandable and comprehensible way?" (Dennis Brenner)

The 2nd prize of 2,000 € went to the two drama students Annalisa Weyel and Nico Voigtmann with the idea: "Diversity in Art - On the way to an inclusive HMDK".

"The need for inclusion in the cultural sector is immense. This also applies to the 19 German-speaking state drama schools, which hardly welcome people with disabilities in admissions exams, let alone allow them to study. An inclusive acting training is a crucial lever for a more diverse, inclusive theater landscape and society.
Even at the HMDK, there are no students with disabilities in the drama department. Inclusion is a topic, but there is still a lack of concrete practical implementations. This is exactly where we want to start. Due to already existing expertise, we initially focus on deaf/hearing-impaired individuals to promote barrier-free participation in acting training. By engaging in direct exchange, not only talking ABOUT but also WITH people with disabilities and jointly developing concepts and methods for barrier-free access/network formation, problem areas become more tangible, easier to solve, and structurally easier to implement." (Nico Voigtmann)

The 3rd prize of 1,000 € was awarded to the performance student Sophie Arbeiter for her idea: "Eurydike belonging".

"I am no longer there, I am" — In Elfriede Jelinek's play "Schatten - Eurydike sagt", the titular heroine rejects the supposedly saving hand of her husband and thus frees herself. And alone, in the underworld. I wonder: What happens now? After her death, her detachment? Her way to freedom? Does she achieve rebirth and if so, how? And what does this look like for a woman who has been identified throughout her entire life through her relationship with a man? What does Eurydice's heroine's journey look like?

As a six-year-old child, I started playing the violin, became a junior student at the university at the age of ten, played and won national and international competitions. My life was externally determined by the pressures of the classical music world. After I put down the instrument overnight, my journey began: Through detours to drama school, into a permanent engagement at the theater. After external successes in this field as well, I was still in search of internal belonging, asking myself: What is the connection of these two worlds within me? How can I creatively express, beyond conventions, bring together the violin, acting, and body?

In my performative project "Eurydike belonging," I want to connect, interweave, and push to the limits all these levels in an unusual and extraordinary way — and thus narrate and explore Eurydice's story, which I internally connect so much with my own. (Sophie Arbeiter)

CONGRATULATIONS!

All texts were written by the prize winners themselves and translated by us.

The Winners of the 2022 Ideas Contest

The first 1st Prize (2,500 €) goes to:
Darja Springer (Student in Piano Studies)
with the idea
PIANO-APP

"My name is Daria Springer, I am a pianist. I enjoy performing, but I am also very interested in helping others, that is the pedagogical aspect of my profession.
My idea is to develop a piano app. A format that keeps up with the times and gets as close as possible to the modern lifestyle of people. The app is affordable, you don't have to adjust your schedule to it, you don't have to find a common language with it, it doesn't push or rush you. I want to create a product that stands out from the current products in terms of seriousness of approach. My app will consistently teach people to play the piano. I use a specially developed methodology that is results-oriented and leads to the goal faster than traditional methods. The innovation of the method lies in the active use of exercises for the "athletic" component of piano playing right from the early learning phases. This includes coordination, diversity of hand movements, simultaneous rhythm organization, and muscular exertion. I suspect that proper and timely muscle training allows people to play faster and easier, something they may have dreamed of their whole life. This reduces the likelihood of losing motivation in the initial learning phase. Meanwhile, the importance of motivation can hardly be overstated; it is the essential component needed to continue practicing and evolving!"

The second 1st Prize (2,500 €) goes to:
Jakob Spiegler (Student in Acting)
with the idea
PILL POP

"Why are hormonal contraceptives only available on the market for women*? What would be a male* equivalent? What happens in a trans*-feminist appropriation of the birth control pill by a male* identified body? 'PILL POP' is a performative research on hormonal contraceptives, raising questions about contraceptive (in)justice, scientific objectivity, and gender norms. Starting from a collection of materials on hormonal contraception and the birth control pill, a website will be created to serve as a platform for a "digital diary." Several times a week, small entries, photos, or video clips will document the research and seek new connections between bodies and hormone pills in exchange with participants. The digital format will then transform into a prototype performance at the end of the research, creating texts and gestures and an analog encounter in space to enable new insights. 'PILL POP' cuts across popular science and norms, queer and pop combine previously unknown things and make newly composed bodies popular."

The first 3rd Prize (1,000 €) goes to:
Anna-Maria Wilke and Robert Rülke (Students in Musicology and Violin Studies)
with the idea
KULTURSCHEUER WEILHEIM/TECK

"The unusual event venue in the middle of orchards is ideal for an artistic exploration of current social issues. Originally built in 1965 as an agricultural barn for storing hay, it is now to be revived and repurposed as a place for exchange and for innovative artistic projects. The first kickoff will be given to the charity concert 'Leaving to Die' on September 17, 2023. This concert project deals with the inexorable progression of coral reef die-offs. The goal of the project is to add an artistic and emotional dimension to this discourse. This is made possible through the surprising parallel of the inner action of Winterreise by Franz Schubert. On his journey, he repeatedly enters surreal worlds in the 24 songs of the cycle that resemble the living and dead coral forests in a distant yet fascinating way. The slow death of various corals will be shown with images such as those from the Great Barrier Reef Image Collection. The Kulturscheuer Weilheim/Teck will become a permanent part of the Weilheim cultural scene and the Album country. The charity concert aims to promote such use of the barn and raise awareness of urgent societal issues such as dealing with climate change."

Another 3rd Prize (1,000 €) goes to:
Milena Šolcová (Student in Guitar Studies)
with the idea
THE DONKEY JOURNEY WITH GUITAR THROUGH THE VILLAGE

"A one-week guitar concert tour on foot through the village in the company of the donkey... This is my idea of how a musician can develop their career in times of consumption and climate change while respecting the environment and life.
Before that, many questions came to my mind: What is success? What is reality? Why do I play music and many other questions that I still have to answer for myself. In this project, however, I focused on three spheres. In the sphere of the environment, I advocate for a life without motor vehicles, which is why our donkey is here to help with transportation and embodies the role of harmony between people and nature. In the second sphere, which presents culture, I focus on two competences: one is to bring classical music to the village and the other is to communicate and constantly adapt the concerts during my journey. Exciting stories of my previous donkey travels will also be integrated into the concerts. The third sphere highlights the social aspect: the discovery of nature close to us, not thousands of kilometers away. Connecting with other people and, as a final message to you...: not fighting against each other, but giving everyone a chance. Because this project is for every person. We don't always have to fight for the best prizes and the biggest successes. If we slow down and take the time, only then can we focus on the most important things in life and experience happiness."

All texts were written by the prize winners themselves and translated by us.

Congratulations!

The Winners of the 2021 Ideas Contest

The first prize (4,000 €) goes to:
Marie-Helene Leohnhardi and Aida Maldonado-Diaz (students in the violin & piano program: Trio Lepor)
with the idea
SNEAK-PEEK CONCERTS

"We are Marie and Aida and have been studying concert exams in chamber music as a piano trio, Trio Lepor, for two semesters. We have performed many concerts and wondered how we could engage more young people in classical music. With our idea of Sneak Peek Concerts, we let the concertgoers decide beforehand which piece we will play on that evening through a survey on our website. The piece with the most votes will be performed. Therefore, it remains a surprise until the start of the concert which program we will play, and the listener can actively participate in our concert. The exciting and surprising aspect is that we only describe the pieces that are up for selection and do not mention the composers. In the survey, we write briefly about the character of the pieces, their origins or our own thoughts about the trio. It is important to us that the concerts take place in a relaxed and casual atmosphere, which is why we will hold the concert in a bar. We aim to break the possible prejudice that classical concerts are stiff and old-fashioned, and we believe that by incorporating the idea of actively shaping our concerts, we can create a new concert format."

The second prize (2,000 €) goes to:
Stefanie Lukassek and Tim Strohmeier (major: jazz)
with the idea
CONGENIALE

"The Congeniale is a monthly micro-festival where an interdisciplinary team of artists opens a co-creative space for participatory artistic and social activities. We envision the framework of a concert as a communal, social space that can be shaped on an equal footing by all present. Contributions from all art media and the interdisciplinary field, as well as the participation of the 'visitors', have a place here. The hierarchy of frontal concerts or gallery exhibitions gives way to the uninhibited nature of an open stage. Additionally, a considerate and mindful interaction with fellow human beings and the emerging art will be practiced at the event. The performance space becomes an urban space for communal creative practice and social encounter."

The third prize (1,000 €) goes to:
Lotta Dewenter, Ulrike Schulze, Nora Holinski, and Benedikt Breidenbach (students and alumni of the program in speech art and media speaking)
with the idea
VILLAGES THAT BEGIN WITH R – AN AUDIOVISUAL RADIO PLAY INSTALLATION

"'Villages that begin with R' is not an ordinary radio play. In collaboration between an author (Pauline van Gemmern) and a sound designer (Philip Schillhahn), four speech artists (Lotta Dewenter, Nora Holinski, Benedikt Reidenbach, and Ulrike Schulze) are developing an audio piece that goes beyond the purely auditory level. The arrangement of text, sound, and music provides listeners with a large projection surface for their interpretations between sense and alienation. This creates an atmospherically dense space where visitors have the opportunity to influence their auditory experience through their position in space. Some elements are experienced up close, while others only reveal themselves from a distance. The project makes the familiar genre of radio plays experiential in a new way; visitors can immerse themselves in the story and become part of the events.
 
Congratulations!

The winners of the 2020 Ideas Contest

The 1st prize of €2.000 was awarded to two recipients:
Brandon Lincoln Snyder
with the idea
Browser: A commissioned project for the digital age

Browser is a commissioned project that annually supports twelve composer-web developer collaborations for the development of web-based music. Our long-term vision is to create a new repertoire that further connects the contemporary music scene with the digital space. There is a significant interest in web-based sound art, but it is often hindered by the barrier to entry posed by programming knowledge, which many artists do not have. Similar to the collaboration between musicians and composers in creating new instrumental pieces, composers work here with web developers to create standalone website pieces as well as web-based modules for larger multimedia works.
(Text: Brandon Lincoln Snyder)

The second 1st prize goes to:
Valentin Koch and Isabella Braunreuther
with the idea
Mainstreet Concerts

Hello, we are Valentin and Isabella - with "Mainstreet Concerts," we want to connect the young culture of the city and give Stuttgart itself a stage.
The idea originated from a concert we organized for friends in our front yard to allow the neighborhood and friends to experience live music despite the Corona situation.
Our idea evolved further, and now we will turn concerts with local musicians, visual artists, and other partners from the surrounding area into events that are not just concerts but an intersectional event that becomes an acoustic and visual experience with a mix of live music, art, and design. Above all, we want to give the beautiful places of Stuttgart a stage and rediscover the entire city. Since living in Stuttgart through our studies, we have been personally inspired by the diversity and sometimes hidden beauty of Stuttgart. Everyone knows how beautiful it feels to rediscover your own hometown.
(Text: Valentin Koch and Isabella Braunreuther)

The 2nd prize of 2000 € goes to:
Pascal Blenke
with the idea
Pascal Blenke Workshop Tour

Together with his band, Pascal goes on tour and combines each concert with workshops in nearby (music) schools. Participants get an insight into the life of a full-time musician and learn about songwriting, improvisation, lyric writing, band arranging, circlesongs, etc., things that there is not enough time for in regular music lessons. The workshops are practical, adapted to the musical level of the students and cater to the music they like to hear and play. Afterwards, the participants attend the concert and experience Pascal live with his band and his own music.
(Text: Pascal Blenke)

The 3rd prize of 1,000 € goes to:
Steffen Reichelt
with the idea
SchauMusik

At Schlossplatz. A shop window. Behind it, the concert: instrumental music meets live-programmed music. Piano and laptop. The composition is visualized in real-time on a screen. Speakers transmit the sound into the city, and a livestream goes on the internet. From the shop window, the music meets people, and people meet music. The composition becomes SchauMusik.
(Text: Steffen Reichelt)

THANK YOU TO ALL STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE CONTEST AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FINALISTS!