Prof. Dr. Günther Weiß was the first Artistic Director (1982 to 2007) of the International Music Centre Haus Marteau.
His desired successor Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Peter Sadlo contributed significantly to the further development of the institution from 2007 until his early death in 2016.
Since 2017, Prof. Christoph Adt has been assisting the Bezirk Oberfranken with advice and support.
In 2017, Christoph Adt took over as artistic director of Haus Marteau and was directly involved in the renovation work that had begun at the International Music Centre.
In doing so, he brought his many years of experience in planning and supervising construction projects as Vice President of the University of Music and Theatre Munich to bear. While course operations were relocated to Bad Steben due to the renovation work, he was able to recruit Christian Wetzel, Clara Dent-Bogányi, Benjamin Appl and Hannes Läubin as new lecturers.
Christoph Adt was born in Stuttgart in 1956 and initially studied chemistry and biology there before switching to musicology and school music. This was followed by chapel studies with Thomas Ungar in Stuttgart and Ferdinand Leitner in Salzburg. Since then, Adt has taken on teaching assignments for violin and conducted various renowned choirs and orchestras, such as the Romanian Radio Orchestra in Bucharest and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in Tokyo. He has received several awards as a conductor, including first prize at the International Conducting Competition in Lugano. In 1998, he was appointed professor at the University of Music and Theatre Munich and in 2017 was elected president of the Nuremberg University of Music. He held this position until 2021.
With his determination and drive, Peter Sadlo made a significant contribution to the further development of the institution. In 2010, for example, he initiated the concert series “Haus Marteau auf Reisen“, which brings the work of the International Music Centre to life at venues throughout Upper Franconia. Together with the label solo musica, he brought the compositional work of Henri Marteau increasingly to the public with CD recordings. The history of Haus Marteau and the compositional legacy of Henri Marteau were just as important to Peter Sadlo as the artistic-pedagogical work, which showed itself in numerous master classes and moving concerts. Through his mediation, Christian Altenburger, Daniel Gaede, Bernd Glemser, Dag Jensen, Wolfgang Manz, Andreas Schablas, Ingolf Turban and Markus Wolf, among others, came to Haus Marteau as lecturers. He was convinced that Haus Marteau would only be well equipped for the future with a new concert hall and additional practice rooms. He initiated the reconstruction of the basement and the construction of the concert hall.
Peter Sadlo was born in Zirndorf in 1962. His extraordinary musical talent became apparent at the age of three, when he converted his mother’s cooking pots into a drum set. At the age of twelve, he was already taking lessons at the former Meistersinger Conservatory in Nuremberg. He later studied at the Würzburg Conservatory and became principal timpanist of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 20. He taught both at the Salzburg Mozarteum and at the University of Music and Theatre Munich as a professor. International concerts, award ceremonies and master classes are an expression of his success and cosmopolitanism. He has always remained close to his Franconian homeland – he gave his first master class at Haus Marteau as early as 1989.
His enthusiasm for music and Haus Marteau had an infectious effect and brought the artistic work of the music centre closer to numerous people throughout Upper Franconia until his early death in 2016.
Günther Weiß, spiritus rector of Haus Marteau, was instrumental in the acquisition of the artist’s villa by the Bezirk Oberfranken.
In close cooperation with the then District President Wolfgang Winkler and with great support from the Oberfrankenstiftung (Upper Franconia Foundation), it was possible to preserve Haus Marteau for music educational work. During the development of the utilization concept, Weiß stood behind the idea of the International Music Centre with full conviction – despite all the doubts that were expressed at the beginning, especially due to the isolated location of the house. Thanks to his commitment and farsightedness, Haus Marteau gained international reputation and attracted renowned lecturers such as Brigitte Fassbaender, Detlef Kraus, Edda Moser, Walter Nothas, Igor Ozim, Ulf Rodenhäuser, Peter Sadlo and Hariolf Schlichtig.
Günther Weiß was born in Coburg in 1933 and studied music and musicology in Munich, Erlangen and Chicago. After building up the music department of the then College of Education in Bayreuth in the 1960s, he taught as a professor in Freiburg and Munich, where he was vice president from 1978 to 1986. As a conductor, he led, among others, the Philharmonic Orchestra Isartal for many years.
For a quarter of a century, from 1982 until his death in 2007, he left his mark on the music venue and made it a permanent fixture in the music world. His extensively researched biography “The Great Violinist Henri Marteau” as well as the series of publications “Mitteilungen des Hauses Marteau”, which he initiated, established the scientific reappraisal of Marteau’s life and work.
As the founder and long-time director of the Jugendsymphonieorchester Oberfranken (Upper Franconia Youth Symphony Orchestra), he also enriched the cultural life of the region and launched many a musical career. In 1992, he received the cultural award of the Oberfrankenstiftung (Upper Franconia Foundation) for his multifaceted commitment.