Music as (Inter)religious Experience – FAU at the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing
What role does music play in different religious traditions? How do these traditions differ and what connects them? Does the participation in sacred songs have the potential to open common spaces of resonance and make it possible to share religious experiences?
These and other questions were addressed during the conference “Music as (Inter)religious Experience – Resonances of the Sacred,” which took place from October 3 to 5, 2025, organized by the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing in collaboration with the Chair of Practical Theology and the Research Center for Religious Diversity at FAU, along with the music festival “Musica Sacra International.”
The event began with an evening of lectures featuring composer and musicologist Prof. Dr. Enjott Schneider, introduced thematically by Prof. Dr. Peter Bubmann (FAU), who has taken the leadership of “Musica Sacra International” in all scientific-theological matters since 2024.
In addition to lectures that explored the diverse role of music and sound in various streams of Judaism (Prof. Dr. Jascha Nemtsov), the liturgy of Christianity (Prof. Dr. Peter Bubmann), the diverse cultures of Islam (Dr. Antonia Öksüzoğlu and Dr. Osman Öksüzoğlu), and Hinduism (Prof. Dr. Annette Wilke and Prof. Dr. Andreas Nehring), practical sessions were also included.
About 60 participants had the opportunity to engage in workshops focused on Turkish Sufi music, Konnakol, yoga, as well as mantra singing.
A central project of “Musica Sacra International” is the organization of international music festivals of religions in Marktoberdorf and the Allgäu region. The next festival will take place from May 22 to 26, 2026.
The conference was part of the seminar “Resonances of the Sacred. Music as a Medium of Religious Experience. Religious Studies and Practical Theological Perspectives,” offered by the Department of Theology at FAU in the winter semester of 2025/26.
