The European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) was founded by of Hatto Beyerle. Four conservatories and two music festivals, led by the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Hannover, have come together as founding members: the Fondazione Scuola di Musica di Fiesole (Italy), the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover (Germany), the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Vienna (Austria), the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Zurich (Switzerland),the Pablo Casals Festival] in Prades (France) and the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival (Finland).
The ECMA students are young, professionally oriented string quartets andpiano trios aiming to embark on a career as chamber musicians. The ECMAexists specifically to promote these careers through theoretical andpractical tuition, as well as through concrete job preparation (marketing,coaching etc.).