Volkmar Fritsche studied conducting and composition at the Musikhochschulen Stuttgart and Freiburg, where he received his degrees in conducting and composition. With a Fulbright Award, combined with the "Wien International Scholarship" he studied music at Brandeis University, Waltham, Mass. (USA) and received the Koussevitzky Tanglewood Composition Prize. He further studied in master classes with Lutoslawski, Fortner, Franco Ferrara (Siena, Italy), Igor Markevitch (Monte Carlo) and others.

He has held professional positions as opera conductor at several German opera houses, where he has conducted the standard opera - repertoire as well as symphony concerts. He was conductor of the world-premiere of Stockhausen's "Fresco für 4 Orchestergruppen" in Bonn and made recordings at Radio Bremen and the Norddeutscher Rundfunk Hannover.

Volkmar Fritsche taught for many years at the Folkwang Hochschule für Musik in Essen, where he taught opera class, conducting and theory.
From 1980 to 2002 he has been teaching at the Musikhochschule in Trossingen and held the position of municipal director of music of the City of Balingen.
In recent years Volkmar Fritsche has conducted several German and international orchestras and has been guest conductor in the USA, Russia, Japan and Australia.

Membership:

"Deutscher Komponistenverband"

GEMA

Honours: Besides the Fulbright Award and Koussevitzky/Composition Prize the "Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande", Federal Republic of Germany.

Volkmar Fritsche
Höhenringweg 24
70619 Stuttgart-Sillenbuch

Webmaster:
Holger Grams
Schramberger Str. 17
72336 Balingen
Germany