by Saar Berger
The School
Black Forest, Baar, and Heuberg—these three names are synonymous with breathtaking landscapes, a flourishing economy, down-to-earth culture, and high art. And right in the center, almost as a heart, is the Trossingen State School of Music, the only German university of music in a non-urban area. Additionally, as the only German music school in the Euregio Bodensee (in southwest Germany near several international borders), the State School of Music enjoys an international reputation, manifest in numerous cross-border partnerships. The geographically diverse region provides a vital network for artistic activities and educational experiences. With more than 400 events annually, the School of Music assumes responsibility for a wide range of performances at its location and, in partnership with local organizers, in the greater Euregio Bodensee.
Tradition and Innovation
Courses at the Trossingen State School are characterized by intensive practical relevance and individual opportunities for professional preparation. The School of Music offers traditional instrumental training while cutting-edge applications bridge the gap to the digital age.
During the Second World War, training courses from various German music colleges were relocated to Trossingen. The town proved to be attractive, and the State School of Music finally emerged from the provisional arrangements. The school has given hundreds of students the tools for a career in major symphony orchestras, choirs, or as soloists, music teachers, or conductors.
Around 450 students are enrolled at the School. The traditional subjects of a music college are offered with a special focus on orchestral instruments. The brass and percussion section, with its Positively Brass & Percussion Institute, is particularly strong, and the aim of the institute is to provide chamber music and orchestral training of the highest quality.
The Horn Studio
The Trossingen Horn Class is a group from around the world. Between 12 to 15 students per semester—from the United States, Spain, Italy, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Israel, China, Slovenia, Finland, Japan, Malaysia, and Germany—study with Prof. Saar Berger in a variety of degree programs. They participate in weekly horn lessons, natural and baroque horn lessons; studies in the chamber music, orchestral, and solo repertoire; audition preparation, horn ensembles, and workshops and masterclasses with various guest artists and orchestra players. A large number of Prof. Berger's recent graduates have won positions in orchestras across Germany.
Enjoy the Trossingen Horn Class 2021 performances of the Scherzo movement of Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 10, arranged for them by Bruce Richards, and Fanfare for Barcs, by Kerry Turner.
Professor Berger
Saar Berger has been Professor of Horn at the Trossingen State School of Music since 2019. Born in 1980, he studied horn at the Rubin Music Academy in Tel Aviv before joining the Israel Opera and Symphony Orchestra. He has been a member of the international soloists’ group Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt since 2007. Thanks to scholarships and awards from the Zvi and Ofra Meitar Family Fund and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, he completed his studies in Berlin with Prof. Marie-Luise Neunecker and in Frankfurt with Prof. Erich Penzel and Prof. Esa Tapani. Prof. Berger works closely with many young and internationally established composers and has been able to enrich the already extensive horn literature by performing many world premieres of concerti and solo pieces. He has been part of the teaching team at the Lucerne Festival Academy since 2017, and he teaches at the International Ensemble Modern Academy and at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt. He is regularly invited to present masterclasses and performances around the world. During the pandemic, when live concerts were prohibited, Prof. Berger engaged twelve composer friends to create a new video production cycle of 12 World Premieres for Horn Solo. You will find many of Saar Berger’s recordings on his YouTube channel.
