The Folkwang University of the Arts is a German university for music, theater, dance, design and academic studies. Its traditional main location since 1927 is in the former Werden Abbey in Essen in the Ruhr Area, with additional facilities in Duisburg, Bochum and Dortmund and since 2010 at the Zeche Zollverein, a World Heritage Site.^[1] The Folkwang University is the home of the international dance company Folkwang Tanz Studio (FTS). Founded as Folkwangschule, its name was Folkwang Hochschule (Folkwang Academy) from 1963 until 2009.

Main building of the Folkwang University in Essen-Werden

History[link]

The university shares its unusual name with the Museum Folkwang founded in 1902 by arts patron Karl Ernst Osthaus. The term Folkwang derives from the Old Norse name of the afterlife meadow of the dead, Fólkvangr, presided over by the Norse goddess Freyja.^[2] It stands for a view of the arts as a whole, not split in unconnected divisions. This in mind, opera director Rudolf Schulz-Dornburg and choreographer Kurt Jooss founded in 1927 the Folkwangschule für Musik, Tanz und Sprechen (Folkwang School for Music, Dance, and Speech) in Essen. In 1928 a previously established school of design joined the Folkwang institution, which received status and name Hochschule (Academy) in 1963, University in 2010, named Folkwang-Hochschule. In 2010 the institution was named Folkwang University of the Arts, reflecting the broader scientific approach. This coincided with RUHR.2010, the Ruhr being European Capital of Culture.

Activities[link]

The Folkwang University unites training in music, theatre, dance, design and scholarship, in order to encourage collaboration among the arts.^[3] Public events take place at the Folkwang University on its six in-house stages and in collaboration with cultural institutions of the region, such as the Philharmonie in Essen, the Schauspielhaus Bochum, Musiktheater im Revier, the Duisburg Philharmonic, the theatres in Wuppertal and the Ruhrfestspiele.

Undergraduate courses:

• Instrumental training for different musical instruments (accordion, bassoon, cello, clarinet, double bass, flute, guitar, harp, harpsichord, horn, oboe, organ, percussion, piano, recorder, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, tuba, viola, violin)
• Jazz / Performing Artist
• Integrative composition (instrumental composition, electronic composition, jazz composition, pop composition, composition and visualisation)
• Church music
• Voice (concert performance, Lieder, oratorio and music theatre)
• School Music
• Music pedagogy
• Musicology in combination with an artistic subject
• Musicals
• Acting
• Physical Theatre
• Directing
• Dance
• Industrial Design
• Communication Design
• Photography

Advanced programs:

• Orchestral playing
• Conducting (orchestral/choir)
• Vocal Ensemble Direction
• Musicology in combination with an artistic discipline
• Chamber music
• Composition (electronic composition, instrumental composition, instrumental/electronic composition)
• Concert Performance
• Solo Dance
• Choreography
• Labanotation
• Dance Pedagogy

Staff[link]

Staff have included

• Hermann Baumann
• Young-Chang Cho
• Chris Houlding
• Nicolaus A. Huber
• Ifor James
• Kurt Jooss
• Uwe Köller
• Scott Lawton
• Fritz Lehmann
• Frank Lloyd
• Lore Lorentz
• Lauren Newton
• Walter Nicks
• Krzysztof Penderecki (1966 to 1968), composer
• Gerhard Stäbler
• Rita Streich (1920–1987), opera soprano
• Paul Tortelier

Alumni[link]

Alumni have included

• Pina Bausch (1940–2009), choreographer
• Max Burchartz
• Andreas Deja
• Vladimir Djambazov
• Tommy Finke
• Agnes Giebel, (1920–), soprano
• Reinhild Hoffmann, (1943–), choreographer
• Theo Jörgensmann
• Salome Kammer, cellist, vocalist
• David Kamp
• Heinz Kiwitz
• Susanne Linke
• Gerd Ludwig
• Ann Mandrella
• John McGuire (composer)
• Carlos Orta
• Jürgen Prochnow (1941–), actor
• Andreas Pruys, bass
• Karl Ridderbusch
• Thomas Ruff
• Stefanie Schneider
• Anton Stankowski
• Günther Strupp
• Raphael Thoene
• Graham Waterhouse, composer and cellist
• Dirk Weiler

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Folkwang University of the Arts

• Folkwang University
• Folkwang Tanz-Studio
• ICEM Institute For Computer Music and Electronic Media (in German)

Further Reading[link]

• Neuhaus, Thomas. “[Institutions] Folkwang University: Development of Electronic Music and the ICEM – Institut für Computermusik und Elektronische Medien (Essen, Germany).” eContact! 12.4 – Perspectives on the Electroacoustic Work / Perspectives sur l’œuvre électroacoustique (August 2010). Montréal: CEC.

Coordinates: 51°23′15″N 7°00′16″E / 51.3875°N 7.00444°E / 51.3875; 7.00444

This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the German Wikipedia. (January 2011) Don't speak German? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the German article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating. Google's machine translation is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. After translating, {{Translated|de|Tommy Finke}} must be added to the talk page to ensure copyright compliance. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

Tommy Finke (b. February 4, 1981 in Bochum, Germany) is a singer-songwriter of Indie, German rock and pop music, and a composer of electronic and computer music.

Tommy Finke
Background information
Birth name	Thomas David Finke
Born	(1981-02-04) February 4, 1981 (age 31) Bochum, Germany
Origin	Bochum, Hamburg
Genres	Singer-Songwriter Power pop Emo Punkrock (early)
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Vocalist, Guitarist, Composer
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Harmonica, Synthesizer
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Retter des Rock Records ROOF Music
Associated acts	Tommy Finke, Hummelgesicht
Website	Official website
Notable instruments
Duesenberg Guitars

Bio[link]

Tommy Finke Unplugged in Duisburg, 2004

Tommy Finke & Band bei Bochum Total, 2009

Tommy Finke & Band live, 2004

Tommy Finke was born Thomas David Finke in Bochum, Germany. Since 1998 he has been on stage, first playing cover versions of Oasis songs, and later his own material. Bands like The Beatles, The Cure, Rio Reiser and The Police are the main influences in his work, as well as German Indie bands like Tocotronic and Die Sterne.

Finke was the lead singer of different project bands before he finally started his own band, called "Stromgitarre", in 1999. However, since he wrote all the music and lyrics, the band was renamed "Tommy Finke & Stromgitarre" in 2003. The band was later renamed again and became "Tommy Finke & Band".

Tommy Finke studied "Elektronische Komposition" at the renowned Folkwang Hochschule in Essen from 2003 on. In 2008 he graduated^[1] but decided to continue his studies in order to learn more about modern music.

In 2007, Tommy Finke founded his own record label, "Retter des Rock Records", in order to release his debut album "Repariert, was Euch kaputt macht!", which was released as a vinyl record in 2007 and re-released as a CD Version in 2008.

Tommy Finke and his band took second place at the nationwide German "Jugend kulturell Förderpreis 2008" on the 11th of November.^[2]

In August 2009, Tommy Finke announced there will be a new record entitled "Poet der Affen / Poet of the Apes" in early 2010 due to a record deal with German label Roof Music.^[3] The recording sessions for this album started in October 2008.^[4]

"Poet der Affen / Poet of the Apes" was released as a double album on January 29, 2010. It contains 13 songs, each recorded in German and English. This is unique for a German singer/songwriter. On the title track of the album, well-known skeptic James Randi is heard speaking an introduction.^[5]

Releases[link]

Discography[link]

• 2008 Repariert, was Euch kaputt macht! (10 Songs, Retter des Rock Records, Vinyl, CD^[6] and online)
• 2010 Poet der Affen / Poet of the Apes (13 songs (26 tracks in German and English), ROOF Music, Indigo)

Singles/EPs[link]

• 2004 1000 Meilen (8-Track-EP, 5 Lieder, Baukau Media/Rough Trade)^[7]
• 2007 Repariert, was Euch kaputt macht! - Single (2-track online release, Retter des Rock Records)
• 2010 Halt' alle Uhren an / Stop the Clocks (digital release, ROOF Music)

As "Tommy Finke & Miniband":

• 2011 Robert Smith in meiner Kneipe (digital release, Retter des Rock Records)

Remixes for other artists[link]

• 2006 R.M.X. 3000 Tommy Finke Remix of the song O.S.T. 3000 of German band Helter Skelter (Band)
• 2007 Fieber (Discofox Remix) Tommy Finke Remix of the song "Fieber" of German band Tele (Band)
• 2007 Monkey Fingers (Tommy Finke Remix) Remix of the song of the same name by German band Atomic
• 2007 The Shelter (Tommy Finke Remix) Remix of the song of the same name by German band Atomic
• 2008 "Mausen (Tommy Finke and the cat in the hat Remix)" Remix of the song "Mausen" by German Band MIA. ^[8]
• 2009 The Bomb Song (Tommy Finke Didn't Start The Fire Remix) Remix of the song of the same name by German band Verlen^[9]
• 2009 Become (Tommy Finke Near The Dunes Of Neverland Remix) Remix of the song of the same name by German band Verlen^[10]
• 2009 I Sold My Heart Today (Tommy Finke Wake Up Mix) Remix of the song of the same name by German band Morning Boy^[11]
• 2009 Oh Suzanne (Tommy Finke Put Your Make Up On Remix) Remix of the song of the same name by German band Atomic as a free download^[12]

Soundtracks[link]

• 2004 Wer braucht schon ein Sektfrühstück bei Real Madrid? (Filmsoundtrack, Baukau Media/Rough Trade)^[13]

Released on compilations[link]

• Rock'n'Roll - Leben on 1Live Zukunftsmusik, 2005
• 1000 Meilen on Aufnahmezustand Vol. 4, Zyx Music, 2005
• 1000 Meilen (Live) and Um den Schlaf gebracht (Live) on HypoVereinsbank - Jugend kulturell Förderpreis 2008 "Popmusik", HypoVereinsbank, 2008

Film scores[link]

• Lemmingsfrühling, 2001. Director: Daniel Nipshagen
• Bar Las Jornadas, 2003. Director: Martin Brand
• Lurie, 2003. Szenenmusik. Director: Martin Brand
• Wer braucht schon ein Sektfrühstück bei Real Madrid?, 2004. Director: Ben Redelings
• 100 Stunden nonstop, 2005. Director: Ben Redelings
• Unterholz, 2005. Director: Jan Kretschmer
• Nordstadt, 2005. Szenenmusik. Director: Michael Kupczyk
• Die 11 des VFL, 2007. Director: Ben Redelings

Installation art / Musical compositions[link]

• Meine kleine Nachtmusik, 2005. 4-channel electronic piece, based on samples of a recording of Mozarts Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Produced at the ICEM of the Folkwang Hochschule, Essen-Werden.
• Driver, 2005. Cooperation with video artist Martin Brand.^[14]
• Attack, 2006. Cooperation with video artist Martin Brand.^[15]
• Bleach, 2006. Cooperation with video artist Martin Brand.^[16]
• light emitting idiot, 2007. Cooperation with Florian Mattil, Jan Rusch and Christof Schnelle.
• Swell, 2007. Cooperation with artist Ulrich Ostgathe. Looping Installation.
• Was Es Nicht Ist 1 (Aura-Varianten), 2008. 7-channel electronic piece for 4 loudspeakers and 3 guitar amplifiers, with light composition.
• Wenn ein Werk die Form einer Birne hat, ist es nicht mehr formlos!, 2008. 2-channel tape music, dealing with certain aspects of the music of Erik Satie.^[17]

Coverversions[link]

• Du erkennst mich nicht wieder originally performed by Wir sind Helden and Judith Holofernes, 2006
• Ohne dich originally performed by Rammstein, 2007

Released as producer / audio engineer[link]

• Hosenkrebs Etüde by Hummelgesicht, recorded, produced, and mixed, 2002
• Ich verstehe mein Leben by Sandrakete, mixed and partly recorded, 2007
• Demo by Johannes Zaster Band, recorded, produced, and mixed, 2007

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official web site
• Tommy Finke on Myspace
• Tommy Finke at Youtube.com
• Interview with Popconnection.de (German)