Arnulf Herrmann appointed Professor of Composition at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin
The composer Arnulf Herrmann is to be appointed Professor of Composition at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin for the 2026/27 winter semester. Prof. Arnulf Herrmann is an alumnus of the Eisler School and has held a professorship in composition at the Saarbrücken University of Music (HfM Saar) since 2014.
Arnulf Herrmann initially studied piano in Munich and subsequently composition and music theory in Dresden, Paris and Berlin, studying under Friedrich Goldmann, Gérard Grisey and Emmanuel Nunes, amongst others. At the Hanns Eisler School of Music, he completed his studies as a master student under Prof. Hanspeter Kyburz, whose position he is now taking over. He has received numerous prizes and awards, including a fellowship at the Villa Massimo in Rome (2008) and the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation’s Composition Prize (2010). He maintains close collaborative relationships with leading orchestras and ensembles specialising in contemporary music. His catalogue of works ranges from solo pieces to chamber music, ensemble works, dance, orchestral works and opera.
“Rhythms that have lost their beat, microtonal disruptions, melodic distortions – Arnulf Herrmann, born in 1968, is a master at crafting damaged and fluctuating textures. In his music, he often devises processes of transformation for previously established patterns, which can be vividly followed. This is particularly striking in works that explore fears and extreme psychological experiences, such as the music theatre piece *Wasser*, which premiered in 2012 as part of the Munich Biennale, and the opera *Der Mieter* (Frankfurt Opera, 2017), based on a novel by Roland Topor. But laconic humour and grotesque soundscapes are no strangers to this music either,” writes musicologist Markus Böggemann about the composer.