Music school has new first violin

Created: 09/28/2022, 13:02

The new director of the Gauting music school: Denise Krischke courageously follows in the footsteps of Christian Hiesel-Schill, who moved to the cultural center in Milbersthofen.

© Dagmar Rutt

There is a spirit of optimism at the Gauting-Stockdorf music school: after the surprising farewell of the long-standing director Christian Hiesel-Schill, Denise Kirschke has just succeeded him.

Gauting

– Denise Kirschke is a university graduate and violin teacher and comes from the cultural capital of Weimar.

She plays first viola in the Gauting Orchestra Association and has been teaching at the music school since 2011.

Now the 41-year-old has taken over the management.

She is already firmly rooted in Gauting, emphasizes the mother of two children of primary school age.

"Nothing is as bad as when a professional holds his violin bow wrong in front of the camera," explains Denise Kirschke with an amused laugh.

In the conversation, the director, who was unanimously chosen by the board of trustees and three teachers, is still a bit wary.

Because she still has to get used to her new role as head of the music school with 740 children and young people and 36 employed teachers, including organization, budget management and planning.

Petra Piele actively supports Kirschke.

The Gauting native has been the secretary since 1996 and is therefore the soul of the music school.

"I've already experienced three conductors," she remembers - of the first era with the flutist Petra Fischer-Dieskau, who died in 2002, and 19 years together with Christian Hiesel-Schill.

The trumpeter, who also led the big band at the Gauting Music School, has tripled the number of students in Gauting, as he wrote in his farewell letter.

He is now the managing director of the cultural center in Munich's Milbertshofen district.

"I love classical music," admits Kirschke.

Especially the romance.

That's why she decided to become a violin teacher at the age of 16.

Born in Weimar, she went her own way with determination.

After graduating from high school, she graduated from the vocational school for music in Kronach, Franconia.

After studying at a university in Lausitz with a triple diploma in viola, violin and elementary music education, she began working as a music teacher in Berlin-Reinickendorf.

"But I also gave concerts with the Humboldt University Orchestra in China, England and in the Vatican in Rome," says the violist.

Kirschke has been teaching in Gauting since 2011, where she directs the string ensemble.

She has known her husband since they took violin lessons together in Weimar.

She lives in Gauting with him and their two children.

"We are firmly rooted." And the whole family plays the violin, reveals the 41-year-old.

For example, there was a family serenade for the 70th of the father-in-law.

"I'm looking forward to the new task and want to make the music school in Gauting more visible - also with an open day," reveals Denise Kirschke.

She made her first public appearance as head of the music school at the Christmas concert on December 4th in the foyer of the town hall.

She's looking forward to it, as her radiant smile reveals.

Christine Cless-Wesle