The Anton Bruckner Private University (in German Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität, common short form is Bruckner University) is one of five Austrian Universities for Music, Drama and Dance, and one of four universities in Linz, the European Capital of Culture 2009. 850 students from all parts of the world study here. They are taught by 200 professors and teaching staff, who are internationally recognised artists, academics and teachers. More than 30% of the students and instructors come from abroad. The university was granted accredited private university status in 2004, as part of the Austrian Private Universities Conference, (its name from 1932 to 2004 was Bruckner Conservatory Linz, but the roots of the institution go back to 1823 or even to 1799). The cultural landscape of Upper Austria sets an example in music education all over Europe. The Upper Austrian Provincial Government gives particular support to artistic education, which is why – compared with similar institutions – tuition fees here are extremely moderate. The university is named after the Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824-1896). The ABPU is a university for music, drama and dance. The artistic work of the university is focussed on performing, pedagogy and research in each of these fields, with an equal emphasis on artistic communication, development and outreach. History Even though the Anton Bruckner Private University has only been known under this name for a short time, musical education in Linz has a tradition stretching back more than 200 years. As early as 1799 the city musical director Franz Xaver Glöggl, a close friend of Michael Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, founded the first music school in Linz. Then in 1823 the newly founded Linz Musical Society set up a singing school – the real precursor of the Anton Bruckner Private University. The attempt to persuade Anton Bruckner to become director of the Music School in 1863 was unsuccessful. But another important name – the Bruckner biographer and former secretary to Franz Liszt, August Göllerich, - was in charge of the newly strengthened institute from 1896 to 1923. And in 1923 the name of Bruckner was finally established with the upgrading of the Music School to the Bruckner Conservatory Linz – now renamed the Anton Bruckner Private University. The original main function of the forerunner institute, which was to raise the quality of musical life in Linz by improving the training of amateur musicians, was taken over by the