With her rhythmical instrumental music, Elisabeth Amandi is an active and creative woman in all important areas of musical education and entertainment. Elisabeth Amandi, born Elisabeth Völkel 1950 in Bamberg, spent the first years of life in a children’s
home in Bamberg. She was brought to Würzburg by Mother and Grandmother when she was six. At 6 years of age, she received piano lessons and, simultaneously for over 20 years, ballet instruction with numerous appearances in the Municipal Theatre of Würzburg.
In 9th class at the catholic Ursulinen Higschool, she received the suggestion from her music teacher to
apply for a young student program in piano in the Conservatory of Würzburg. Already, in 10th class
and after successful auditions, she began to receive piano lessons in the Conservatory of Würzburg.
This prepared the way to a full study of music at the Bavarian State Conservatory of Würzburg. After a
successful graduation as subject teacher for music in elementary and secondary schools with the piano,
gamba and flute, she was trained by Prof. Manfred Dietz to be a private piano teacher.
She continued studying afterwards for another three years with Prof. Siegfried Fink in the University of
Musik in Würzburg, majoring in timpani/percussion with emphasis on the Marimba and graduated from her studies with an artistic diploma and an additional pedagogic qualification. During her studies, she received the University Prize for Outstanding Students.
In 1976, she undertook her postgraduate studies in orchestral percussion with Prof. Hermann Gschwendtner in München at the Richard Strauss Conservatory, during which she became acquainted with engineering graduate Manfred Amandi and became Mrs. Elisabeth Amandi through marriage in 1979 at the Munich-Pasing registry office. She developed her career as a pedagogue for percussion,
marimba, percussion-ensemble and jazz/pop piano at the Planegg-Krailling music school and the Gräfelfing music school in Munich.
Since her fulminant appearance in 1981 in “Wetten dass…?” with the „bumblebee-flight bet“, she is invited regularly by radio and television companies such as Tele 5, NDR, SWR, WDR, ZDF and BR to interviews and performances. She received the „State Capital Munich Sponsorship Prize for Culture“ in 1994 for her service to the cultural development in music.
In order to promote sustainable music education, she founded the public non-profit „Amandi Foundation Music helps Children“ alongside her husband Manfred Amandi in 2003. She teaches children, youths, adults in groups of drums, percussion, marimba and also in conga rhythm groups and youth percussion groups.
With her rhythmic instrumental music, Elisabeth Amandi is an exceptionally active and creative woman in every important aspect of music education and entertainment.
For more information: www.amandi.de
