Hochschule für Kirchenmusik der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Landeskirche Sachsens
Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
- Founded
- 1949
- Students
- 22
- International
- 0%
About Hochschule für Kirchenmusik der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Lan
State-recognised Protestant church music academy (Musikhochschule) sponsored by the Evangelisch-Lutherische Landeskirche Sachsens. Founded in 1949 by Martin Flaemig as the provisional state church music school, renamed Hochschule fuer Kirchenmusik in 1992, it celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024. It trains full-time church musicians in the Diplom programme Kirchenmusik B (8 semesters, from winter semester 2026/27 also with a Jazz/Rock/Pop profile) and the advanced Kirchenmusik A, plus artistic postgraduate courses (organ literature, choral conducting, harpsichord). Cooperative degrees include the double-subject teacher-training programme Musik/Kirchenmusik with the Hochschule fuer Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden (Bachelor/Master) and Evangelische Religions- und Gemeindepädagogik with musical profile (Bachelor with integrated C qualification) with the Campus Moritzburg of the Evangelische Hochschule Dresden. Non-degree offerings: part-time C-Ausbildung (on-site and by distance learning), continuing education 'Popularmusik in der Kirche', and a foundational church music course for foreigners. Admission runs through entrance examinations.
Founded 1949; church music academy of the Ev.-Luth. Landeskirche Sachsens since 1992; 75th anniversary celebrated 2024
Diplom Kirchenmusik B with new Jazz/Rock/Pop profile from winter semester 2026/27
Cooperative teacher training (Lehramt Musik/Kirchenmusik) with the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden
Distance-learning C-Ausbildung and a foundational church music course for foreigners
Semester contribution WS 2026/27: 289.18 EUR including Deutschlandticket
Campus on the Elbe opposite the Albrechtsschlösser; houses A-C with organs, library and concert practice
Rector: Prof. Stephan Lennig; new organ professor Lukas Euler takes office September 2026
Key facts
- Founded
- 1949
- Students
- 22
- International
- 0% - Destatis reports no international students among the 20 students enrolled in summer semester 2023.
Admissions & fees
What it costs
No tuition fees for the regular programmes; all direct-study students pay a semester contribution (winter semester 2026/27: 289.18 EUR, comprising 234.18 EUR Deutschland-Semesterticket incl. MOBIbike and 55 EUR administration fee). Distance-learning Kirchenmusik C costs 330-510 EUR per semester depending on variant; the Popularmusik continuing education costs 15 EUR per study day for members of the Saxon regional church (about 500 EUR/year) and 1,000 EUR per year for members of other churches.
Admission requirements
Applicants need solid prior training in piano and organ plus basics in music theory and ear training including sight-singing, membership of a church affiliated with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Deutschland (or partner church abroad), and for the Diplom B a higher education entrance qualification under Saxon law (exceptional talent may substitute, then with an additional written aptitude test); C-Ausbildung requires Mittlere Reife. Documents include CV, photo, church membership proof, references from pastor and church musician, and registration form. Entrance exams take place end of May/early June, with an extra March date for programmes A and B.
Application deadlines
Kirchenmusik A/B: 28 February (for the March entrance examination) or 30 April (for the May/June examination); studies normally start only in the winter semester. Weiterbildende Studiengänge: 30 April (winter start) / 30 November (summer start). Kirchenmusik C: 30 April. Teacher-training programmes apply partly via the Hochschule fuer Musik Carl Maria von Weber (31 March); Religionspädagogik applies at Campus Moritzburg by 15 May.
How international applicants apply
Direct application: candidates register with the academy using its registration form plus CV, photo, proof of church membership and references, and qualify through the in-house entrance examination (end of May/early June, extra March date for Kirchenmusik A/B). No uni-assist, no VPD, no hochschulstart. Applicants need membership of a church affiliated with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Christlicher Kirchen in Deutschland (or a partner church abroad) and German at CEFR B2 or above.
Languages of instruction
German is the teaching language; non-native applicants need German at CEFR level B2 or above (certificate required). A special 'Kirchenmusikalische Grundausbildung für Ausländer' exists for international participants.
Student accommodation
What Hochschule für Kirchenmusik der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Lan publishes about housing. German universities do not allocate rooms themselves, so the links below are where applications actually go.
The university's housing page
Deadlines and application forms are published here, and they change every intake.
Open housing pageFrom the university
Housing guidance is provided via the website's Wohnen section, scholarships via the Förderverein, and prevention/safeguarding structures are in place.
Campuses & locations
Single campus (houses A-C) on the Elbe riverside opposite the Albrechtsschlösser palaces, 01309 Dresden
Living in Dresden
Dresden, capital of Saxony, sits on the Elbe with a baroque skyline and one of Germany's richest traditions of sacred music, from the Kreuzkirche and Frauenkirche to the Staatskapelle. The campus lies directly on the Elbe meadows opposite the Albrechtsschlösser palaces, within easy reach of the city centre. Saxony's dense church landscape with historic Silbermann organs offers students exceptional practice opportunities.
Student life & support
A small academy with a high-calibre teaching team, own university choir and regular public concerts (including annual performances such as the Johannespassion in the Annenkirche); open day and preparatory courses in music theory and ear training help prospective students. Housing guidance is provided via the website's Wohnen section, scholarships via the Förderverein, and prevention/safeguarding structures are in place. Practice rooms, library and instruments are concentrated on the compact campus.
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