From Percussion Rooms of the World Vol.23｜Airi Kitamura, Linz, Austria

●Life in Austria

It's been 10 years since I came to Austria. I currently live in Linz, Upper Austria. In terms of location, it would be easier to describe the city as being somewhere between Vienna and Salzburg.

The Danube River flows through the center of Linz and is one of the city's symbols. There are concert halls, museums, and media art facilities along the Danube River, and the view from the bridge is beautiful both during the day and at night.

It also has one of the best trams in Japan that climbs the mountain, and is crowded with tourists on holidays. The Anton Bruckner University of Music (hereinafter referred to as Bruckner University), where I studied, is located right in the middle of the tram line, and students commute to the university while being squeezed in by the crowd of tourists on weekends.

Bruckner University is a performing arts university, so in addition to music, we also have dance and theater departments. I entered graduate school in the percussion department in the fall of 2014, and after graduating, I studied in the music education department, and now I'm also studying in the harpsichord department, and I've been working with them for eight years now. Fortunately, university tuition fees in Austria are very low, so if you want to study something, you can do it as much as you want.

Linz is not a particularly large town, but in addition to Bruckner University, there are also comprehensive universities and art universities, so there are many students living there. There is also a state theater where opera, ballet, musicals and operetta performances are held almost every night. Music and art festivals are popular from summer to fall. Although it is not a famous tourist city like Vienna, I really like it because art and music are very close to my daily life.

●About music school work

There are state music schools in each region of Upper Austria.
I currently teach at four state music schools and the Linz Municipal School of Music, and in total about 30 students come to study.
The people who come to learn range from children to adults, but most of the students have school classes in the morning, so my work lasts from afternoon until night. In the morning, I have time to practice, do some work around the house, and just relax.

JapanIt seems that there are many classes in Austria where you only learn marimba or drum set, but at music schools in Austria you can learn all percussion instruments. Therefore, teachers must of course teach all instruments. The state music school also has a promotion exam, and if you want to take the exam, you must also take a music theory course at the same time. However, the timing of promotion is different for each individual, with some students quitting after a few years without advancing at all, and some students taking two promotion exams and a graduation exam.

To become a teacher at a state music school, you basically need a master's degree in performance or a bachelor's degree in music education. First, there is a document screening, and if you receive an invitation, you can participate in the recruitment exam. The exam consists of a practical performance exam and an actual teaching exam (hearing), and if you pass these, you will be invited to a final interview. (I was finally hired after taking the exam 3 times!)

●About performance activities

In Austria, students have many opportunities to perform as part of their work, whether it's in church or in corporate settings.REMOThere are a variety of performance situations, such as knee concerts, art projects, music festivals, chamber opera projects at opera houses, and children's concerts sponsored by music halls.

I amJapanWhen I return to Japan, I sometimes give a recital at a music hall, but here it is quite rare for an individual to rent a music hall and hold a recital. In my case, my main job is to attend a music school five days a week, and I am considered a civil servant, so I have to apply for permission from the school even if I want to change my lesson schedule to accommodate a concert. It's a bit difficult when concerts coincide, as I have to practice and prepare in between school work, but I still enjoy performing.

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Ayari Kitamura profile

28thJapanWon first place at the Wind and Percussion Competition, the 8th Italian International Percussion Competition, and the 15th KOBE International Music Competition. Received 3rd place and special jury award at the Linz International Marimba Competition (Austria). Graduated from Aichi University of Arts at the top of his class. He has performed at the university's graduation concert and regular concerts, and has received numerous awards from other universities. After graduating, he studied under marimba player Bogdan Bakanu and percussionist Leonhard Schmidinger at the Anton Bruckner University of Music in Linz, Austria, where he graduated with the highest honors. In 2015, he was awarded as one of the 10 best students out of a total of 870 participants at the Mozarteum Music University Summer Academy in Salzburg, and performed at the Salzburg Festival concert, which was well received.JapanHe was the first marimba player to win this award, and was highly praised by Salzburg Art Information Magazine. Currently, he teaches percussion instruments as a teacher at the Austrian Upper State Music School, and also performs in Austria and Germany.