Mona Rasenberger: Diabelli Contest 2016

Mona Rasenberger Curriculum Vitae

Born on June 22, 1962 as the oldest of five brothers and sisters, I grew up in a village near Kassel. After graduating from school I went to Mainz to study to become a teacher of music, and French. I lived in Paris for two and a half years following the “Erstes Staatsexamen” (state examination) and moved to Munich in February 1989 where I completed my studies with the “Zweites Staatsexamen” (1992). Since then, I have worked as a teacher at a Munich grammar school with a fine arts track.

As to my private life, I got married in 1992 and have two daughters (born 1995 and 1997). Took my maternity leave from 1995 to 2001. I broke up with my husband in October 2004 and got divorced in July 2007. My children have stayed with me and are now 17 and 19 years old.

On the subject of composing: In my teenage years I started creating my own music, mostly setting ballads to music and writing pieces for piano (and violin). Unfortunately, I had nobody to turn to for instruction. Later on as a teacher I’ve always tried to make up for what I thought was missing from music curriculums and encouraged students, both in my regular classes and elective courses, to compose their own music. The elective courses that I held for about ten years with different participants created four musicals that were performed to great success at our school. What was important to me was that all the participants involved in composing were given a chance to contribute their ideas. This helped me to learn a lot about the creative process and the changing musical tastes of young people. A great experience!