How can big ideas be developed and implemented across universities at the intersections of arts, science, technology, and health? Maryam Blumenthal, Hamburg’s Senator for Science, Research and Gender Equality, admired these possibilities at the ligeti Center during her visit, together with Philine Sturzenbecher, science and research policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group in Hamburg, and Dr. Selina Storm, spokesperson for science policy and public enterprises for the Green parliamentary group. The hosts and director of the ligeti Center, Prof. Georg Hajdu, as well as project leader and university representative, Prof. Thorsten Kern from Hamburg University of Technology, provided the guests with insights into the establishment and development of the center to date. The ligeti team then demonstrated what ideal interdisciplinary collaboration looks like by presenting the current structure, outlining ongoing research priorities, and plans for future development. They also guided the guests through the various labs and facilities.
Securing Funding Opportunities for the Long Term
The resulting projects are diverse – ranging from Healing Soundscapes and the specially developed “Healing Soundscaper”, a patent-pending system for the creation and spatial playback of adaptive sound environments in the healthcare sector, to novel human-machine interactions and hybrid instruments played in mixed reality. The subsequent discussions focused on the center’s prospects beyond the current funding period ending in 2027. “The long-term securing of the center is of central importance so that the internationally networked expertise established here at the interface of music, science, technology, and society can be preserved and further developed,” emphasizes Prof. Georg Hajdu. Together, they explored possible ways to create short-term transitional solutions and a sustainable long-term perspective for the center.
György Ligeti and the Pursuit of a Hamburg Institute for Computer Music
The question of sustainable institutional anchoring also connects to the history of the Hamburg University of Music and Drama. Already in 1973, following his appointment at the HfMT, György Ligeti advocated for the establishment of a studio for computer music. Despite involving internationally renowned experts such as John Chowning and James “Andy” Moorer, his plans at the time could not be realized. Reflecting on this history underscores the importance of reliable structures so that innovative, interdisciplinary research can have a lasting impact.
