von Kathrin Ebenhoch
18 August 2023
Musiktage - Night of Classics
A life for music
Franziska Ude from Seefeld is living her dream today as a professional violinist thanks to the Musiktage Seefeld
One could say that Franziska Ude had a very classic childhood in Seefeld, spent a lot of time outdoors, and skied down every steep slope with her grandfather. Yet, by the age of five, she already knew exactly that her passion was music, particularly the violin. Playing it is now her profession - which she owes to a lot of hard work, some coincidences, and Rudens Turku.
Good to know! The Musik Days Seefeld with violinist Rudens Turku always take place in August in Seefeld. In addition to master classes in violin, courses in viola, cello, flute, oboe, and clarinet are also offered. Rudens also organizes academies in Starnberg (Bavaria, April) and Flims (Switzerland, October).
Musical Path to the Violinist
“There is no musician in my family,” Ude laughs as she recounts. “No one knew why I suddenly wanted to play the violin at five years old.” But her parents didn’t ask for long why; instead, they enrolled their daughter at the Seefeld Music School. There she met Toshio Oishi. The outstanding Japanese violinist taught for exactly one year in Seefeld before he began working as a lecturer at the Mozarteum in Innsbruck and Salzburg and became the concertmaster of the Innsbruck Symphony Orchestra. He immediately recognized Ude's talent, and so she stood on the big stage in the Olympic Hall of the SKZ during her very first year. “He was an incredible inspiration for me,” remembers the now 26-year-old. “And solidified my wish to be a violinist.”
From there, the little violinist always wanted to perform. "I played for my mother in the mornings before school, at noon before and after lunch, and in the evenings before going to bed." The passion was clearly noticeable, or rather, unmistakable. And so, the Ude family set to work, looking for every opportunity for Franziska to play, learn, and meet other musicians. In 2010, at the age of 12, she attended the second Music Days of Seefeld. The path to the chapter hall was not far from home, but the step it triggered was enormous. "I entered the world of music, learned that the violin could become my profession, and found a unique teacher in Rudens." Such a meeting cannot be planned, nor even wished for. Turku also immediately noticed the talent and passion of the young violinist standing before him: "I told her right at the beginning - 'Someday you will train and inspire the children here in the village.'" Today, as her teacher, he is incredibly proud that she has actually followed this predicted path.
Ude went after the elementary school in Seefeld to Innsbruck to attend high school. In upper secondary school, she switched, not least thanks to Turku, to the music high school, later to the music academy in Feldkirch, where she graduated with a Bachelor in Violin and Education, as well as a concert diploma (Master). “Rudens has always accompanied me, helping me with exam preparations. Without him, I certainly wouldn't be here,” says Ude. “He is an excellent violinist but above all a born educator full of heart and passion.” You fight for every note with him; he is often strict, but because he is so passionate about his work, students gladly take this sometimes hard path with him.
Not everyone makes it - “my sister found the struggle for every note too much at some point; she then followed her other talents.” But for Ude, after the music days in her hometown opened the door to the great music world, no minute of practice was too much.
Today, she is a music teacher in Vorarlberg, plays in numerous orchestras around Lake Constance, is currently in the founding phase of her own trio with cellist Diego Lesmes and pianist Bernadett Bagyinszki, and participates in countless other music projects. At home in Seefeld, she was heard in 2023 at the Night of Classics together with other former scholarship holders of the music days, playing the Pachelbel Canon. A few days later, she performed elsewhere with a rock cover band. “I try to express myself with my violin in all styles,” she says. “Even though the romantic classical ultimately suits me best.”
The 26-year-old can only recommend her path to all music-loving people in Seefeld. "It is a unique opportunity to have the music days right at your doorstep." Getting inspired by the concerts there, applying for a place in the masterclasses, and then coming back again and again is the best thing a young musician can do.
More information can be found at: www.musiktage-seefeld.at
Sneakers, notepad and pencil are Kathrin's most loyal companions, because the mother of two has always been particularly at home in sports and writing. Always on the lookout for new stories, she can often be seen whizzing around with her kids and a piece of sports equipment or two. While she is often on the road at action-packed competitions as a freelance sports journalist, she likes to discover the quiet sides of Tyrol's high plateau for us. She especially loves to tell us about the little peculiarities of her adopted home, which you only recognize at second glance.
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