In many artists' biographies, the course is set early on. The first few years after completing their training are decisive for the further course of their career. This is where Pro Helvetia's support for young artists comes in, as it has been given this task with the new Culture Promotion Act: With an age limit of 35, it supports the most talented Swiss artists in the first five years after graduating from an art college or after their first public performance. Pro Helvetia wants to make it easier for them to enter the world of professional art and support them on their way to a national and international breakthrough. The foundation relies on a wide range of offers that it has developed with experienced partner organizations. These include festivals, music ensembles, galleries and art academies in Switzerland and abroad.

In order to establish young talents at an international level as quickly as possible, individually tailored measures are needed that are geared towards their artistic development potential and the requirements of the market. Know-how exchange and networking such as coaching or artist-in-residence programs are in demand. With the "Klassenarbeit" project, for example, the ensemble recherche in Freiburg im Breisgau, which specializes in contemporary music, enables young Swiss composers to develop and perform new works. Other partners include the ORPHEUS Swiss Chamber Music Competition and ensemble proton bern.

A detailed overview of all young talent projects is available:
www.prohelvetia.ch/Nachwuchs
 

Dominik Blum (Hammond organ), Marino Pliakas (electric bass) and Lucas Niggli (drums) founded Steamboat Switzerland in 1996 because they were looking for a vehicle for their versatility. Dominik Blum had a degree in piano and Marino Pliakas in classical guitar, but they felt a certain vacuum. At the time, grunge made them realize what they were missing in new music: the physicality of rock'n'roll. In addition, all three musicians had developed a fascination for improvised music.

Another key feature of Steamboat Switzerland emerged during the first sessions: the band specializes in interpreting external compositions and interspersing them with exciting improvised passages. According to Lucas Niggli, there is a simple reason why the three highly musical members do not write the composed parts themselves: "We can't reach the level of composers who write pieces especially for us."

This is also reflected on the new album Time cry clearly. The pieces were written by Michael Wertmüller, who has already been commissioned by the band four times. As the drummer of Peter Brötzmann's band Full Blast, in which Marino Pliakas also plays, he knows the playing skills of the three musicians very well and can therefore create tailor-made compositions. These are strictly classical and meticulously notated, as a glance at the sheet music shows. And in their complexity - especially rhythmically - they push the limits of what can be played, as Marino Pliakas confirms. But the trio masters the challenges with breathtaking precision and burning intensity.

Steamboat Switzerland
(Dominik Blum, Marino Pliakas, Lucas Niggli):
Time cry.
Compositions by Michael Wertmüller.
Comfort records tr117

The Menuhin Festival Gstaad aims to further increase its attractiveness by establishing a summer academy from 2014. As part of the Gstaad Academy, the activities in the areas of master classes and cultural mediation are to be combined and expanded.

The centerpiece is the Gstaad Conducting Academy planned for the years 2014 to 2016 under the direction of the renowned conductor Neeme Järvi. The project is important for the region from both a cultural and tourism perspective, writes the canton.

Dominik Blum (Hammond organ), Marino Pliakas (electric bass) and Lucas Niggli (drums) founded Steamboat Switzerland in 1996 because they were looking for a vehicle for their versatility. Dominik Blum had a degree in piano and Marino Pliakas in classical guitar, but they felt a certain vacuum. At the time, grunge made them realize what they were missing in new music: the physicality of rock'n'roll. In addition, all three musicians had developed a fascination for improvised music.

Another key feature of Steamboat Switzerland emerged during the first sessions: the band specializes in interpreting external compositions and interspersing them with exciting improvised passages. According to Lucas Niggli, there is a simple reason why the three highly musical members do not write the composed parts themselves: "We can't reach the level of composers who write pieces especially for us."

This is also reflected on the new album Time cry clearly. The pieces were written by Michael Wertmüller, who has already been commissioned by the band four times. As the drummer of Peter Brötzmann's band Full Blast, in which Marino Pliakas also plays, he knows the playing skills of the three musicians very well and can therefore create tailor-made compositions. These are strictly classical and meticulously notated, as a glance at the sheet music shows. And in their complexity - especially rhythmically - they push the limits of what can be played, as Marino Pliakas confirms. But the trio masters the challenges with breathtaking precision and burning intensity.

In his report Supply and structure review of June 26 to the Grand Council, the Bernese Government Council is proposing to reduce weekly instrumental lessons from the current 45 minutes to 30 minutes in the next school year and to 22.5 minutes in four years' time. Potential savings of 300,000 francs are expected for 2014 and of
900,000 francs over the next three years. The Government Council is of the opinion that this measure is justifiable, as it would restore the practice that existed before the conversion of the seminaries into grammar schools. (S. 108)

The music department of the Bernese grammar schools, on the other hand, is convinced that this cost-cutting measure would have serious consequences for music as a major subject at grammar schools in the canton of Bern. As instrumental lessons are taught at grammar schools and music schools, the music schools are also affected by this cut. For this reason, the subject association is fighting back with a online petition. On the website www.instrumentalunterricht.ch it lists arguments against this cut. The petition can be signed online.
 

The study by Dianna Kenny from the Australian Centre for Applied Research in Music Performance diagnoses depression, social phobias and stage fright as common ailments of orchestral musicians in addition to pain.

With the help of a specific methodological procedure, the Kenny Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI), the statements of 377 professional orchestra members were analyzed.

Female interviewees show significant linear relationships between so-called trigger point-related pain and stage fright, while for male interviewees the relationships between pain and stage fright are more complex: for those with the most noticeable stage fright, the associated trigger point-related pain is less intense.

Link to the study:
pom.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/09/02/0305735613493953.abstract

What is special about pop voices? How do jazz, blues and gospel vocalists differ from one another? These and similar questions are the focus of the research project "Voice and Singing in Popular Music in the USA (1900-1960)" led by Weimar musicology professor Martin Pfleiderer.

The project is based at the Institute of Musicology at the Franz Liszt University of Music Weimar and the FSU Jena. Within its framework, the web tool is available, which uses a selection of more than 200 vocal recordings to visualize characteristics of voices and singing styles and relate them to each other.

Characteristics of the design such as rough or husky vocalization, vibrato, glissando, offbeats as well as dynamics, articulation and timing are presented graphically and linked to genres, artists and record labels.

More info: hfm-weimar.de/popvoices/vm/main.htm

The "Competence Centre for Music Education and Laboratory for Music Education" at the HKB is mainly supported by Barbara Balba Weber, who has built up an infrastructure for music education for children and young people organized as an association with "Tönstör" in Bern.

The competence center is intended to be a contact point for organizers, ensembles and other interested parties who want to carry out or evaluate mediation projects.

As part of the Bern Music Festival, projects that Tönstor has carried out with various school classes in Bern were presented under the title "Totally Flipside". A documentary on the "Craft of teaching new music to children and young people" was also presented at the event and can be obtained from Barbara Balba Weber.

More info: www.toenstoer.ch

Martha Monstein has been head of the theater department at the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia in Zurich since 2001 and has many years of experience in promoting culture at national and international level as well as in-depth knowledge of Swiss art and cultural life. She is 56 years old, married and the mother of two children.

Martha Monstein completed teacher training in Chur and then studied English, German and literary criticism at the University of Zurich, where she graduated in 1986. She began her career in the field of culture as an editorial assistant in the cultural magazine of a local radio station, followed by engagements as programme manager of Zurich cultural centers and in production management and organization for theater and dance groups.

From 1993 to 2001, Martha Monstein was co-head of the Canton of Aargau's Department of Culture and launched various projects in the area of schools and culture. In doing so, she gained in-depth experience in the field of cantonal cultural promotion and cultural mediation. While working, she completed a postgraduate course in cultural management and was a member of the board of trustees of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.

The Culture Commission believes that all four institutions meet the requirements for the continuation of operating subsidies. As a result of the Government Council's decision, the following cultural institutions will receive annual operating contributions over the next three years: argovia philharmonic CHF 400,000, KiFF Aarau CHF 200,000, Künstlerhaus Boswil CHF 350,000 and Murikultur CHF 150,000. The operating contributions are linked to performance agreements with a term of three years.

The institutions supported with operating contributions can continue to apply for project support from the Swisslos Fund. Other institutions with cantonal operating contributions are the Swiss Children's Museum in Baden, the Langmatt Museum in Baden, the Stapferhaus in Lenzburg, the Fantoche International Festival for Animated Film in Baden and Tanz und Kunst Königsfelden in Windisch.
 

The BAK can promote music education projects that support children and young people in acquiring and developing their musical skills in extracurricular activities (Art. 12 KFG).

Furthermore, financial aid can be awarded to lay organizations for projects that are oriented towards the objectives of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, particularly in the area of teaching and passing on living traditions to young people (Art. 14 KFG).

Cultural events and projects that aim to interest a broad public in certain aspects of cultural creation can also be supported, namely festivals in the field of amateur and folk culture or national days of action (Art. 16 KFG).

Applications for corresponding projects or events for 2014 can be submitted to the Federal Office of Culture until October 31, 2013. The application forms and instructions are now available on www.bak.admin.ch under the heading "Current > Current tenders".

Markus Aellig has been organist at Thun Town Church since 1992. He regularly organizes evening music and organ matinées. In April this year, he was able to celebrate a unique anniversary in this series: the 700th organ matinée since 1997.

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Markus Aellig

As the Thun media office announced in mid-August, he received his training from former Bern cathedral organist Heinrich Gurtner. Aellig completed his studies at the Bern Conservatory with a teaching diploma and advanced diploma. Since then, he has developed into a master of his craft who knows no musical boundaries. In his concerts at the Stadtkirche Thun, he cultivates the entire organ repertoire from baroque and romantic to modern, but does not shy away from jazz, folk, pop and rock music. Both with his own compositions and when interpreting other composers, he captivates the audience with his unconventional variations and arrangements.

Other prizes went to the Thun Art Society, filmmaker Jeshua Dreyfus and writer Saskia Winkelmann. The cultural prizes will be awarded on 14 November at the Thun Culture and Convention Center.
 

With a quality offensive, the 1987 Arosa Culture Association Arosa Music Course Weeks have been strengthened over the last three years. At the same time, opportunities have been created to further expand the culturally and touristically significant offering. The investments totaling over half a million francs are already paying off. The number of participants this summer rose by almost six percent to 1298 compared to the previous year (1218 participants), which also slightly exceeded the previous record from 2011, when 1286 participants made the pilgrimage to Arosa. In addition, there were over 200 teachers and at least 300 family members, meaning that at least 1800 people stayed in Arosa this summer due to the Arosa Music Course Weeks and a total of well over 12,000 overnight stays were generated.

Arosa Culture is particularly pleased with the development of the Arosa Music Academy, which was first held in 2011. In the first two years, around 50 students took part in these international masterclasses offered over two weeks in August and September, but this year there are already 80. This means that the medium-term target of around 100 participants set at the launch has almost been reached. Under the main direction of Markus Fleck (casalQuartett), musicians such as Konstantin Lifschitz (piano), Helge Slaatto and Ingolf Turban (violin), Conradin Brotbek (cello) and Christiane Oelze (voice) work intensively with young talents from ten different countries over the course of a week. The international focus is also a great enrichment for the 40 or so participants from Switzerland.
 

Photo Homberger

The Munich violinist Ingolf Turban teaches Andrina Däppen (violin) and Lisha Kim.

Arosa Kultur is supported in the implementation of the Arosa Music Academy primarily by the Graubünden Cultural Promotion Agency and the Federal Office of Culture. Both institutions also support the Arosa Music Course Weeks, whose program (around 100 music courses), in contrast to the Academy, is primarily aimed at amateurs (children, young people and adults). According to Christian Buxhofer, President of Arosa Culture, the Federal Office of Culture also supports the program because Arosa promotes both the breadth (Music Course Weeks) and the top (Academy) of young musicians.

In order to be able to justify the cantonal and national support in the future, Arosa Kultur will continue to focus on high teaching quality and professional organization. These goals are to be achieved through small classes, top-class teachers, the best possible infrastructure and competent administrative support. According to Markus Fleck, the concept of the Arosa Music Academy, which includes intensive chamber music as well as individual lessons in the presence of all participants, has proved its worth. However, selective expansion is planned for the coming years. And in order to avoid having to turn away any more interested parties, there will now be a "listener" category in addition to the active participants. Students who can attend lessons but do not receive lessons themselves.

Another important part of the Arosa Music Academy are the faculty concerts and the students' final concerts. According to Markus Fleck, the students gain valuable experience both as listeners and as active musicians. To ensure that all graduates have the opportunity to take advantage of this, four final concerts were held.
 

Nine bands took part in the second Swiss Youth Music Competition Jazz Rock&Pop, which presented itself in a new format this year, qualified for the final, the Come Togehter at Moods. The bands were judged by a jury of nine. The jazz jury consisted of Hans Peter Künzle, Florian Heeb, Thomas Dobler, Urs Röllin and Gregor Frei. The rock & pop bands were judged by Martin Lehner, Daniel Schwarz, Claudio Cappellari and Christophe Rosset. Urs Schnell from the Suisa Foundation moderated the event. One band was chosen as the best in each category. There were special prizes and parents, teachers and listeners had the opportunity to talk to the jury and the bands.

Awards and special prizes
The Bernese band M'Adam(e) was voted "Best of Band Jazz". In addition to this award, the band also received a special prize in the form of a performance at the Schaffhausen Jazz Festival 2014.
In the Rock&Pop category, the group Funk Alliance from the Bernese Jura won the title "Best of Band Rock&Pop". Thanks to a special prize, the band was also able to perform at the Stanser Musiktage 2014.
The Jakob Kulke Jazz Quintet received a voucher for a free jazz course as part of the Arosa Music Course Weeks 2014 and BOBaDROP was awarded the EMCY prize (European Union of Music Competition for Youth). This special prize earns the band a prizewinner profile on emcy.org and may lead to concerts or masterclasses for jazz in Europe.

Tobiasson

Raluca Matei

Raluca Matei was born in 1975 in Temesvar, Romania, and studied viola at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin with Kim Kashkashian and cultural management at the University of Basel.

Between 2002 and 2013, she was alternating principal violist of the chamber orchestra Musica Vitae (SWE). From 2005 to 2010, she was also a member of the chamber orchestra's managing directorship. Most recently, she was responsible for the management of the Swiss ensemble Laboratorium. She also took over the management of the Association du Concours Nicati in 2012.

The cellist and composer Thomas Demenga has been the artistic director of Camerata Zürich since the 2011/12 season.