Nuremberg Music University Begins Leadership Transition

Nuremberg’s University of Music is preparing for a leadership transition and an independent review after president Rainer Kotzian resigned amid allegations concerning the misuse of power.

Vice-president Renate Reitinger is leading the institution on an interim basis. She and fellow vice-president Maren Wilhelm had offered their resignations, but the university council unanimously rejected those offers.

Kotzian has acknowledged an inappropriate conversation with a female student in November 2025. He said he had failed to take sufficient account of the imbalance of power and expressed responsibility and regret.

That acknowledgement should be distinguished from the broader allegations and criticism surrounding the case. Students’ accounts and concerns about the handling of the matter remain part of what requires examination, rather than issues settled simply by the president’s departure.

Kotzian will no longer teach and is to concentrate on research. The institution plans to advertise the presidency and commission an independent examination of events in recent months.

Bavaria’s arts minister, Markus Blume, has respected the resignation while calling for careful clarification of the circumstances. The state’s legal disciplinary authority is also involved; that involvement should not be confused with a finding of criminal guilt.

For the university, the immediate challenge combines administrative continuity with a credible response to concerns raised by students. Keeping an interim leadership in place provides a means of continuing daily operations while the review and recruitment process proceed.

The independent examination will be important in establishing a fuller account of the events and the institution’s response. The resignation changes who leads the university, but does not by itself resolve questions about conduct, responsibility or the handling of complaints.

The next phase will therefore be judged both by the appointment process and by how clearly the review addresses the matters that prompted the leadership crisis.