Following last year’s successful premiere, the collaboration between the Cultural Foundation Schloss Wiepersdorf and the international initiative Musethica enters its second round: From September 5 to 11, the Maastricht Society of Music String Quartet (MSM Quartet) will perform at various social institutions in Jüterbog, Herzberg (Elster), Luckau, and the surrounding areas. Throughout the week, the young musicians will be coached and mentored by violinist Sebastian Schmidt.

The Musethica session provides a major learning environment for music students, with the primary goal of the training method being to strengthen their performance practice. The musicians perform up to three concerts a day - mostly far away from traditional concert halls and in front of audiences who often have little to no prior exposure to classical music. Performances will take place at venues including the Luckau/Duben correctional facility, the AWO residential facility "Schloss Glienig," a temporary housing facility, and a special education school. The post-concert discussions with the audience, an integral part of the Musethica experience, often open up new perspectives for the musicians - both on individual pieces and on their roles as professional artists.

To wrap up the week, everyone is warmly invited to attend the public closing concert at Schloss Wiepersdorf on September 11 at 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. The program features works by Fanny Hensel Mendelssohn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Béla Bartók, and Joseph Haydn. Further details about the program can be found here.

The Maastricht Society of Music String Quartet (MSM Quartet) was founded by violinist Nikita Akulov. Since its inception, the MSM Quartet has given over 200 concerts in the Netherlands and numerous other European countries. In 2022, the MSM Quartet was awarded the Grand Prix du Public at the Maastricht Awards of Music. The ensemble achieved another major milestone in 2024 by winning the First Great Award at the Vienna International Competition.

Sebastian Schmidt has been a violin professor at the University of Music and Theatre Hamburg since 2013. Chamber music has been the focus of his musical career for over 30 years. As leader of the Mandelring Quartet, he has won international competitions in Munich (ARD), Evian (France), and the Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy over the years. Since then, his intensive concert career has taken him to major music hubs worldwide.

Friday, September 11, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
Free Admission
Wiepersdorf - Bettina-von-Arnim-Straße 13, 14913 Niederer Fläming

By attending the event, you agree that the recordings made there may be used for public relations purposes.