The University of Music and Theatre »Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy« Leipzig (Hochschule für Musik und Theater, or HMT) emerged in 1992 as the successor to Germany’s oldest Academies of Music (1943) and Theater (1953, with roots in the Leipzig Theatre School founded in 1875-1876). Approximately 175 years ago, the concept of creating a musical educational institution in order to be able to provide the best possible education for young talent was a revolutionary idea. Today, it is important to continue to live up to this core mission in the midst of a rapidly changing, globalization-oriented world, without forgetting its traditional roots.