Kurt Maas Jazz Scholarship 2023: Report from André Kusmitsch

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Kurt Maas Jazz Award, our university, supported by the entrepreneur and jazz enthusiast Camilo Dornier, awarded the Kurt Maas Jazz Scholarship for the first time in 2023. The scholarship is a part of the HMTM Jazz Institute’s global network and promotes young international talent by inviting them to Munich.

Brazilian André Kusmitsch was one of the two scholarship holders who were invited to Munich as guest students from 17 June to 17 July 2023. He worked with the students of the Jazz Institute in various workshops and performed at the Kurt Maas Jazz Award winners’ concert on 12 July 2023 at the Isarphilharmonie in Gasteig HP8.

André Kusmitsch on the experience and his stay in Munich:

»This exchange was an incredible experience for me. I learnt so much, both in terms of music, culture and life experience. It was very important for me to get to know new horizons and perspectives on music outside my country, such as discovering the importance of Brazilian music beyond Brazil. About the university: It is an incredible environment, with incredible support and equipment. For me as a pianist it is extremely important to be able to study on a tuned and high quality instrument, which was the case at the university, where all the pianos and rooms were excellent for studying. I was able to see several concerts from different international artists that were incredible, and the best of course was Ivan Lins, as I said the day of the concert with him, I could never have imagined playing, rehearsing and being on the same stage with Ivan, I could never have imagined having several conversations with him about music and about life, that’s the part I’m most grateful for the exchange. That time in Germany was incredible, something I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I hope that I can come back and that other people like me and Feldeman, who come from a Brazilian background where there is no access for music students, can have this experience that gives us the chance to dream and do what we love the most, which is music. I would like to thank all the teachers, students and staff at the university for being so helpful and assisting us with any questions we had. I hope that this partnership will continue for many years to come and continue to bear fruit.«