Organisation

Non-profit association “A.MUS.E”
As a legal entity and organiser of the project, the non profit association A.MUS.E – Austrian Music Encounter was founded and registered in Graz, Austria, in February 2006 (ZVR register number: 241314821).
The goals of this non profit association, directed by Erich Oskar Huetter, are:

• To use and promote music as a possibility to create open meeting places for a vivid cultural exchange and an intercultural dialogue
• To plan and implement intercultural music projects for young people
• To give access and support the musical education of children living in conflict zones and/or an economically weak environment

The Austrian cellist Erich Oskar Huetter has established a successful worldwide career as a soloist and chamber music performer. He is member of the “Hyperion Ensemble” as well as the “Arcus Ensemble Vienna” and performs as a soloist with major orchestras. Erich Oskar Huetter founded the Styrian Chamber Music Festival in Stift Rein, Austria, which under his management developed to an extent of 45 concerts per year. He gives masterclasses at several international universities. For three years he has led the cello class of the Barenboim-Said-Foundation project in Ramallah directed by the Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim, creating a Palestinian youth orchestra.

Christina Beck has worked intensively with Erich Oskar Huetter for the past four years. She worked in various functions for the Styrian Chamber Music Festival, a festival presenting approximately 45 concerts per year. Besides her present engagement in a law firm specialised in culture and arts law as well as copyrights, she was in charge of the artistic administration office organising the mascerclasses of the International Summer Academy in Stift Admont and the International Days of Music in Bad Leonfelden. In 2004 Christina Beck spent a year in Ramallah, participating in the creation and development of a Music Kindergarten Project on behalf of the Barenboim-Said-Foundation.

Petra R. Klose studied Drama and German Literature in Vienna and was also trained in ballet, harp and elocution. She assembled first experiences at the Wiener Burgtheater and the Volksoper Vienna and followed courses in Public Relations and projectorganisation at the Institute for Cultural Concepts and the University Vienna, where she currently writes her thesis on Edward Said’s theories focused on the example of Beethoven’s Fidelio. Petra R. Klose was active as dramaturge, assistant-director and production manager a.o. for the Wiener Festwochen, Bregenz Festival, Landestheater Bregenz, Triangel-Festival, Opéra National de Lyon, Feldkirch Festival and Laurent Delage Artists Management.

Born in Jerusalem in 1987, Nadia Arouri is a Graduate of the Ramallah Friends Schools and the National Conservatory of Music. She studied cello at the Barenboim-Said Foundation (2003-2005), and was in charge of the artistic administration of the Youth Orchestra exchange program (2005-Palestine and 2006-Germany). She worked as a production manager in inter alia “Her Position in Transition” festival, “The Secret World” film production. Nadia currently writes her Musicology thesis on “Palestinian traditional Music and Dance (Dabkeh)” at the University of Vienna, as well as majoring in “Pedagogy of Modern Dance” at the Vienna Conservatory, she is a Dancer, Choreographer and Tutor at various Dancing Troupes in Palestine earlier and Austria since 3 years; which took her on tour to various International venues.

Born and based in Austria/Vienna, for the last 20 years Peter Melichar committed his professional career to raising resources for the so-called "third sector". He worked for different social and educational issues, development aid organisations, environmental organisations and different museums in Austria and abroad.

Alexander Baldele fulfilled his Austrian civil service at the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Center in Canada in 2002-2003. He took responsibility for promoting the Contemporary Witness to History Project (video & audio interviews) and worked as assistant to the curator for the reopening of the museum. Back in Graz, Austria he worked for various media and graphic arts associations and cofounded his own interaction design agency "NYXAS" in 2004.