An economics graduate and self-taught musician, Ambrosetti began performing professionally at the age of twenty in jazz clubs in Milan and at the Africana in Zurich. In 1966, he won first place at the International Jazz Prize in Vienna and played with the top league of international jazz throughout his career. These included Dexter Gordon, Cannonball Adderley and Joe Henderson as well as Swiss colleagues Daniel Humair and George Gruntz and jazz greats from Italy such as Dado Moroni.

Franco Ambrosetti's musical work is reflected in his extensive discography. Composing has always played a major role and also includes music for film. For more than 30 years, Ambrosetti produced his own jazz program on the Ticino radio station RSI.

The Swiss Jazz Award was originally launched in 2007 by Radio Swiss Jazz together with JazzAscona as an audience award to promote the Swiss jazz scene. In 2017 and 2018, the expert jury presented the Swiss Jazz Award directly. It is made up of Beat Blaser (music editor of Radio SRF 2 Kultur/Jazz), Rebecca Bretscher (Festival da Jazz, St. Moritz), Andrea Engi (President of the Jazz Club Chur and Swissjazzorama). Moritz), Andrea Engi (President Jazz Club Chur and Swissjazzorama), Nicolas Gilliet (Director JazzAscona), Pepe Lienhard (bandleader, saxophonist and arranger), Sai Nobel (Music Editor Radio Swiss Jazz) and Mirko Vaiz (Project Manager Music, Migros Culture Percentage, Federation of Migros Cooperatives).

In a press release from Zurich Opera House, Luisi, who was awarded an Echo Klassik in 2009, explains that, like other colleagues, he must now "distance himself from this award in no uncertain terms". The awarding of the Echo to the rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang is completely unacceptable in his eyes.

The two musicians had not simply crossed a line or provoked within the framework of artistic freedom, but had "mockingly processed the terrible experiences of millions of people during National Socialism in their lyrics". It is shocking to realize that a cultural prize "knows no ethical standards, tolerates racism and ignorant content and even awards it if only the sales figures are right".

Martin Maria Krüger, President of the German Music Council, has announced his resignation from the Ethics Advisory Board. He is convinced that the Echo-winning production by the rapper duo Kollegah and Farid Bang violates ethical principles "in an intolerable and repulsive way", which are emphatically shared by all those involved in the advisory board and the organizations they represent. Pianist Igor Levit and the Notos Quartet, among others, have returned their Echo in protest.

In their award-winning album "Jung, Brutal, Gutaussehend 3", the rap duo use passages such as "My body more defined than by Auschwitz inmates" or "Do another Holocaust, come on with the Molotov".

The organizers of the Basel Composition Competition (BCC) announce: "Until 31 May 2018, composers of all ages and nationalities once again have the opportunity to register on the website www.baselcompetition.com to register for the top-class composition competition and submit a new, as yet unperformed work for chamber or symphony orchestra by August 31, 2018.

Basel music manager Christoph Müller, who founded and organizes the BCC in collaboration with the Paul Sacher Foundation in 2015, intends to bring the world's most exciting composers to Basel and have their works premiered by Basel orchestras. The competition is thus entirely in the spirit of the work of Basel conductor and patron Paul Sacher (1906-1999), who died in 1999. In February 2019, the jury consisted of the composers Michael Jarrell (jury president), Wolfgang Rihm (founding president), Helmut Lachenmann and Andrea Scartazzini, as well as the director of the Paul Sacher Foundation, Felix Meyer, and representatives of all the orchestras.

The nominated works will be performed in four concerts as part of a public competition by the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Basel Symphony Orchestra and the Basel Sinfonietta, which will take part for the first time in February 2019. The three best compositions will be awarded prizes at a final concert on February 24, 2019 and will receive prize money totaling CHF 100,000. For the first time in Basel's orchestral history, the three established professional Basel orchestras will be united in one project.

The six-member jury did not make it easy for itself when assessing the 93 entries that competed for this year's prize. For the first time, it also had the opportunity to award a so-called "wild card" for the competition to publications that it considered to be particularly successful. One of these was also directly recognized with a prize: the book Sounding water: Hydropneumatic music and sound machines in European garden art by Dr. Alexander Ditsche, published by Deutscher Kunstverlag.

After much discussion, the following editions were honored for their special editorial achievements.

Best Edition award winner 2018

Bettina Strübel (ed.)
Trimum. Interreligious songbook (choral score)
Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

Silke Leopold
Claudio Monteverdi: Biography
Joint edition by Carus-Verlag, Leinfelden-Echterdingen, and Reclam, Ditzingen
vegl. Review in the Swiss Music Newspaper

Dr. med. Christian Larsen, Julia Schürer and Dana Gitta Stratil
Simply sing! Developing the voice in the choir
In cooperation with Trias-Verlag, Carus-Verlag, Leinfelden-Echterdingen

Gunther Martin Göttsche and Martin Weyer
Small chorale preludes and accompaniments to the hymns of the Protestant hymnal
in 7 volumes
Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel

Siebe Henstra (ed.)
Johann Sebastian Bach, Suites, Partitas, Sonatas
arranged for harpsichord by Gustav Leonhardt
Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel

Mike Svoboda and Michel Roth
Trombone playing technique
Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel

Solveig Schreiter and Raffaele Viglianti
Carl Maria von Weber: Der Freischütz
Score and Critical Report
Schott Music, Mainz

Ro Gebhardt
Jazz Alphabet
AMA-Verlag, Brühl

Bernhard Richter, Matthias Echternach, Louisa Traser, Michel Burdumy and Claudia Spahn
The voice. Insights into the physiological processes involved in singing and speaking
DVD
Helbling-Verlag, Esslingen
vegl. Review in the Swiss Music Newspaper

Alexander Ditsche
Sounding water. Hydropneumatic music and sound machines in European garden art
Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin

Members of the 2018 jury (from left)
Bert Odenthal, graphic designer, Berlin (Chair)
Susanne Funk, Kulturkaufhaus Dussmann, Berlin
Michael Struck-Schloen, music journalist, author and presenter
Jan Sören Fölster, church musician, Berlin
Mario Müller, Federal Association of Independent Music Schools, Bonn
Prof. Dr. Dörte Schmidt, Berlin University of the Arts

Ivan Monighetti taught cello at the Hochschule für Musik and the Musik-Akademie Basel for almost 30 years. Now he is retiring. The last master student of the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatory, he has accompanied several generations of ambitious cello students at the Basel Academy of Music and has had a lasting influence on numerous young musicians as a teacher and artist.

He taught Sol Gabetta and Kian Soltani for around ten years each. While Sol Gabetta has long been one of the most sought-after cellists in the world, Kian Soltani, who is a generation younger, is on his way to becoming a world star on his instrument. They have both won the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award, among others. Sol Gabetta has just received the Herbert von Karajan Prize at the Salzburg Easter Festival.

Now the International Violoncello Festival in Basel is being held in Monighetti's honour with four concerts between April and June: three of them in the Great Hall of the Musik-Akademie and a gala concert with the Basel Symphony Orchestra in the Musical Theater Basel. In addition to Sol Gabetta and Kian Soltani, other internationally renowned musicians such as Mischa Maisky and Frans Helmerson will be performing with Monighetti.

More info:
https://www.fhnw.ch/resolveuid/39998c227d41420480af447c63ac1ce9

The artists' house is located in the historic bathhouse of the former Scuol-Tarasp spa hotel on the banks of the Inn. It comprises nine studios and bedrooms, a kitchen with lounge, a large event hall and exhibition rooms on three floors.
Every month, up to 10 artists, musicians, composers, authors, dancers, performers and scientists from all over the world live and work under one roof. The results of the works created in Nairs are shown in an exhibition at the end of the season. The scholarship holders are given their own studio and bedroom. Around 30 artists can be accepted each year. A monthly contribution of CHF 500 is made towards the cost of board and lodging. The length of stay can be freely chosen - minimum two months, maximum ten months.

The Fundaziun Nairs is a unique synthesis of artists' house, art gallery and cultural center. It creates space for concentrated creative work and an atmosphere for constructive dialog between the various groups. Nairs sees itself as a place of work and encounter. Individual work and the interaction between different art disciplines characterize the atmosphere in the house. In addition to the artists-in-residence program, the Fundaziun Nairs regularly offers space for exhibitions and cultural events.

The law would subject licensed gambling providers in Switzerland to what are probably the world's strictest regulations against gambling addiction. According to Suisseculture, the aim is "solely to prevent access to providers of illegal online gambling who do not comply with national regulations on protection against gambling addiction and money laundering or with the applicable levy rules". 

The terms "Internet blocking" or even "Internet censorship" used by opponents, including the young parties across the political spectrum, are misleading: only access to those Internet gambling sites that illegally target Swiss customers is being blocked. 

A corresponding resolution was unanimously adopted by the Suisseculture General Assembly on April 13, 2018.
 

It was a recommendation from Mendelssohn Bartholdy that originally drew Breitkopf & Härtel's attention to the inexperienced Joachim Raff. In 1844, the publishing house published the first piano works of the young man, who wrote over 300 compositions in his lifetime. The Joachim Raff Society, based in Lachen, Schwyz, the Swiss birthplace of the composer, is also dedicated to the preservation and research of his legacy.

Born in Lachen on Lake Zurich in 1822, Raff first became a primary school teacher in Rapperswil. After four years at school and self-taught training in piano, organ and violin playing, he chose to become a musician. In 1845, Liszt engaged him as his secretary. From 1856, he worked in Wiesbaden as a piano teacher and lecturer in harmony. He soon became one of the most sought-after composers of his time. In 1877, he became the first director of the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt, where he supported Clara Schumann, among others. Raff died in Frankfurt in 1882.

Les Petits Chanteurs à la Gueule de Bois, founded around fifteen years ago in the Neuchâtel mountains, are the three musicians Lionel Aebischer, Frédéric Erard and Raphaël Pedroli. The name of the group is a variation of the traditional French boys' choir Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois. The performances of the three move between music and theater. They perform chansons about the little things in our lives, which appeal to an adult audience, but also to a young audience with their own program.

The Swiss Cabaret Prize was founded in 1993 by Thun initiators as the "Golden Tuna". It was later taken over and organized by the KTV ATP - Vereinigung KünstlerInnen - Theater - VeranstalterInnen, Switzerland, under its current name. Since 2015, the Kleinkunstpreis has been part of the Swiss Theater Awards. In addition to the Swiss Theatre Awards, the aim is to recognize stage work from the genres of cabaret (cabaret, clowning, artistry, café/concert, etc.) at a national level.

The prize is endowed with 30,000 francs for an individual and 50,000 francs for a group. The nominees receive 5,000 francs.

The basic recipe from m4music The annual rendezvous of the Swiss music scene will feature discussions in the afternoon and live music in the evening. The three-day Migros Culture Percentage festival starts in Lausanne - not least in order to bridge the cultural divide between the two countries - and moves to the Schiffbau in Zurich the following day. The conference program there comprises twelve events, including the "Demotape Clinic" song competition.

Because various panels overlap, it is important to make a selection, such as the topic of "Virtual Reality and Music". Björn Beneditz, artistic advisor to Hamburg hip-hop band Deichkind, is certain that virtual reality (VR) will be the future of live concerts. This is because it not only expands the stage, but also provides insights into the area behind the stage. "What's more, thanks to virtual reality, shows can be experienced independently of time and space." Isabel Sánchez, Creative Content Manager at the Montreux Jazz Festival, proves that this is more than just a fantasy. "We have already recorded 15 concerts with VR cameras and the result was very, very impressive." Precisely because the previous business models are breaking away, record labels are open to innovative transmission options. "I also believe that the audience would rather wear a headset than stand at the back of a concert hall." From Björn Beneditz's perspective, VR is likely to be of particular interest to up-and-coming artists who work from their home studio and can transport their music directly into fans' homes thanks to this technology. "Bands that have already been successful for twenty years have less need for such an approach."

The panel discussion "No Billag: Now it's time to digest!" turned out to be less than productive. Following the vote on the abolition of the public service, both Zurich SVP National Councillor Claudio Zanetti and the other panel participants mostly insisted on their well-known positions. The debate stagnated at the latest after Zanetti's interjection that the local media had a clear left-wing bias. The deputy director and program director of SRF, Hansruedi Schoch, describes the referendum as "fundamentally important". The result of the vote showed that there is no divide in Switzerland between the generations, between rural and urban areas or between different parts of the country. Perhaps the most important insight only comes towards the end, when Schoch explains: "Our competitors are not Tamedia or Ringier." But rather companies like Google or Facebook. Unfortunately, this point is not elaborated on.

Early on Saturday afternoon, the discussion will revolve around "Gender, who cares?". Katja Lucker, Managing Director of the funding organization Musicboard Berlin and also Director of the Pop-Kultur Festival there, explains in her short presentation how Musicboard, with a budget of 3.6 million euros in 2017, focused on promoting female musicians and the queer scene. It was essential that all relevant committees and juries had at least 50 percent female representation. Regula Frei, Managing Director of the Helvetiarockt coordination office, points out that not a single event in Switzerland has yet signed up to the International Keychange Initiative. This initiative aims to oblige festivals to have 50 percent female and 50 percent male acts in their program by 2022. Philippe Cornu, responsible for the music program at the Gurten Festival in Bern, speaks of a controversial topic that is being discussed throughout Europe and admits: "The mindset has to change." For this year's Gurtenfestival, the aim was to have 30 percent female acts, but only 23 percent will be achieved.

The debate on the "music club of tomorrow" is less contentious. Philippe Bischof, the new director of Pro Helvetia, says of the dying clubs: "The venues are facing a permanent challenge." Oliver Dredge, Managing Director of KIFF in Aarau, explains that not every club has to survive, but: "It is important that every city has a good venue." Medium-sized music venues like the KIFF are particularly at risk. Such venues often invest a lot of development work in new artists, but as soon as they are successful, they migrate to larger concert venues. Philipp Schnyder von Wartensee, festival director of m4music, believes that the future of clubs lies in their institutionalization.

"Rock'n'Roll and Depression" was a rarely discussed topic: in his introduction, presenter Hanspeter "Düsi" Künzler referred to a 2016 study by the University of Westminster, which showed that 71% of musicians surveyed suffered from anxiety or depression. Florian Burkhardt, for example, who works as an author and musician, ignored all of his body's warning signs - until one day he could no longer stand up in the suburban train. Many therapies later, the 44-year-old now receives a disability pension and is dependent on medication: "I've already swallowed six pills today." The Brit Andy Franks, long-time road manager for bands such as Depeche Mode and Coldplay, lost his job because his alcohol problems got out of hand. He is now sober and has set up the "Music Support" foundation. It supports musicians who have addiction problems or are struggling with their mental health. He remembers: "On tour with artists like Robbie Williams, you are looked after day and night. But as soon as the concert tour is over, you're literally on your own."

The theory and the many debates are followed - as befits a music festival - by plenty of live fare: while Zøla & The North know how to enrich their mixture of electronic, pop and rap with dense melodies on Friday evening, The Garden & The Tree don't manage to shake off their nervousness when they perform. Their actually lively folk-pop never really wants to pick up speed. Veronica Fuscaro's songs are far more impressive. Her pop songs, framed by quiet melancholy, are as warm as they are authentic. The concert by Rootwords is no less impressive, but of a completely different kind, captivating the audience with hard beats and socially critical lyrics. On the other hand, Pablo Nouvelle's Saturday and all too cozy electronica set is less intoxicating. Highlights are provided by Nakhane from South Africa, whose soul-infused electropop sounds almost painfully beautiful, and Zeal & Ardor: their blend of gospel and black metal is not only innovative, but also furious.

And what impression do the creators of this year's m4music edition have of the Swiss music scene? "It's very lively and diverse. We saw many strong concerts, for example by KT Gorique, Stereo Luchs, Monumental Man and Meimuna", summarizes festival director Philipp Schnyder von Wartensee. Of the panels he was able to attend, the one on gender left a particularly lasting impression on him. His conclusion for next year's festival is: "The gender discussion definitely needs to be continued."

The first polyphonic requiem in music history! With Johannes Ockeghem's Missa pro defunctis the Zurich Early Music Festival opened with a series of requiems that had it all. Leading ensembles from the field of historical performance practice performed both familiar and unfamiliar pieces, and an informative program booklet put them in historical context. A formula that the Forum Alte Musik Zürich has been perfecting for 16 years and which allows visitors to immerse themselves in a theme for two weeks.

Anyone who thinks they have already understood the concept of the festival, which now takes place twice a year, will soon be proven wrong. A preview of the program for the autumn festival Wind chimes makes it clear that a very open view of early music is represented here. There is no other way to explain the names of Mozart and Beethoven in the program. Roland Wächter, co-president of the forum together with Martina Joos, explains: "Early music is everything that is played on instruments and in the style of the relevant era, 'historically informed'." And adds, slightly provocatively, that it would be quite conceivable to include Debussy on the program in this sense.

It is this broad horizon that keeps the two-week festival lively, interesting and unpredictable. In the very first edition in 2002, the organizers presented Monteverdi's Ulisse a modern adaptation of the Odyssey material. This March, the Orlando Consort accompanied the silent film La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc with vocal music from the time of the Maid of Orléans. The makers also showed no fear of contact in their collaboration with the 500 Years of the Zurich Reformation association. The medieval and Renaissance specialists Le Miroir de Musique met the folk musicians of the Helvetic Fiddlers and resumed a dialog that had been broken off a long time ago.

The focus of In Paradisum However, the focus was on settings of the requiem mass from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was easy to recognize the effort to offer a historically comprehensive overview: With works by Kerll, Schütz and Campra, among others, Austrian, German and French Baroque were represented, and Protestant and Catholic church music were brought together. The long-established collaboration with the Institute of Musicology at the University of Zurich, which offered a freely accessible symposium on the subject, further underlined this didactic claim.

Nevertheless, the whole thing never came across as schoolmasterly, which was mainly due to the quality of the concerts. The rarely heard Missa pro defunctis by Johann Caspar Kerll is a real ear-opener. There is a complete lack of drastic sound effects; what one takes for granted proves to be a later convention. The Belgian ensemble Vox Luminis lent the intimate work an inner tension despite its gentle solemnity and was able to captivate the numerous listeners in St. Peter's Church. The fact that it was accompanied by the brilliant viol consort LʼAchéron was the icing on the cake: To have the rather unspectacular instrumental part scored to such a high standard is a real luxury.

But there was not only international class to experience. The choir and orchestra of the St. Gallen Bach Foundation are known for their high-quality Bach interpretations, so their engagement is only logical. But the fact that they performed Bach's St. John Passion shows yet another aspect of the festival. With some good will, the piece can be integrated into the thematic context, but this performance is primarily due to the pragmatism of the festival management. Popular works are also included in the program. A tactic that pays off, as the concerts have been consistently well attended for years, with this spring being particularly pleasing, as Roland Wächter reports.

The worthy finale was once again left to a rarity. With André Campras Mass des Morts the Zurich Baroque Orchestra and the Vokalensemble Zürich under Peter Siegwart presented another trouvaille from the large pool of unjustly little-known works. The audience was able to discover colorful, sensual music that is no stranger to drama, but which nevertheless depicts the path to the afterlife in gentle tones. Performed by an ensemble that is audibly familiar with the French musical language, the evening left the audience full of anticipation and curiosity for the fall.

How do you combine an interest in music with a degree in wood engineering? For Theresa Jensch, it's quite obvious: she is building a saxophone out of wood. In her research project at HNEE's Department of Wood Engineering, she wants to find out how the instrument works physically and use this knowledge to build a wooden version. She has already made two wooden prototypes and can produce two tones an octave apart on one of them.

"The tones sound softer than with the metal version," observes the HNEE student, who plays the tenor saxophone herself. In the next step, she now wants to integrate the mechanics, which involves milling suitable holes. Her aim is to produce the wooden saxophone in such a way that the intonation corresponds to the original metal construction and the instrument can be used musically to the same extent as the original. It should harmonize with other instruments.

There is currently no wooden tenor saxophone on the German market that meets this quality standard. However, the HNEE student is familiar with wooden alto saxophones that can be played without keys. "In non-European countries, most wooden saxophones are made from tropical woods," says Theresa Jensch, who has so far used softwood for her prototypes. When the first playable prototype is ready, local woods with the highest possible density, such as fruit trees, will be used.

The budding wood technician is currently interested in working with experienced instrument makers who would like to support her with her project. Once the holes have been made, which is scheduled for the summer, she is looking for help with the mechanics.

Contact:
Theresa Jensch
HNEE student at the Department of Wood Engineering
6th semester
E-mail: theresa.jensch[at]hnee.de

The pages of the DOV website are more clearly structured to make it easier for users to find their way around. They also offer even more information, for example about current DOV projects, musicians' health or traveling with instruments. And the pages now also adapt to mobile devices.

Every three years, the DOV organizes the German Orchestra Conference on current cultural and music policy issues. The next one will take place with cooperation partner netzwerk junge ohren (njo) on April 24, 2018 in Halle (Saale). Over 300 participants from the fields of cultural and orchestra management, music education, federal, state and local politics, media policy and broadcasters in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are expected to attend.

The delegates of the Swiss Music Council (SMR) unanimously elected Rosmarie Quadranti, Volketswil (ZH), as President on April 6 in Zurich. She has been a member of the National Council since 2011, President of the BDP parliamentary group since 2015 and a member of the Science, Education and Culture Committee, among other things.

Irène Philipp Ziebold took over the SMR presidency on an interim basis in 2016 following the death of Markus Flury. Her great commitment to the Swiss Music Council was acknowledged and thanked.

The SMR currently has 50 members. The Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra is a new member. The Youth Classics association, the Gesellschaft für die Volksmusik der Schweiz GVS and the jugend + musik association have terminated their SMR membership (dissolution at the end of 2017). Sonart - Musikschaffende Schweiz is also a member of the Music Council; this association was created on January 1, 2018 from the merger of the Schweizerischer Tonkünstlerverein with Musikschaffende Schweiz and the Schweizer Musik Syndikat.
 

www.musikrat.ch
 

SMZ/ks

The Board of the Swiss Music Council

(from left) Andreas Ryser (IndieSuisse), Elisabeth Karrer (Rhythmik Schweiz), David Schneebeli (SMV), Stefano Kunz (Managing Director SMR), Rosmarie Quadranti, Irène Philipp Ziebold (Suisa), Armon Caviezel (VSSM), Yvonne Meier (Helvetiarockt), Valentin Bischof (SBV). Missing from the picture: Karin Niederberger (EJV)

The dedicated team around the two initiators Immanuel Brockhaus and Thomas Burkhalter welcomed the guests with a dense program that threatened to overstimulate the attention. The symposium was opened by Peter Kraut, Deputy Head of the Music Department at the HKB, followed by Thomas Gartmann, Head of Research at the HKB. The latter outlined the profile of the host university. The strategic shift from historically informed performance practice to new media had begun. Cooperation between research and teaching is central today. The label "Arts in Context" covers the latest research topic: communication between man and machine. The interfaces in this communication are the so-called interfaces, which will be discussed again and again throughout the entire duration of the symposium.

The first presentation was given by Swiss jazz musician and electronics pioneer Bruno Spoerri. A good choice. Spoerri's wealth of experience was to a certain extent the central theme of the symposium and also brought to light one or two anecdotes from the "early days". He considers "sound" to be the greatest recognition parameter and therefore genre-defining. He recalled the first electronic instruments such as the Ondes Martenot. He succeeded in doing this without dwelling on nostalgia. He took a critical look at the introduction of the midi standard in 1984, which he described as cementing and sustaining the focus on keyboard interfaces. He called for more freedom for spontaneity in the transition from computer to music, a farewell to cult sounds and a return to Stockhausen. However, research is on the right track: making music with gestures is increasingly becoming possible again and his dream interface, in which a sound would only have to be thought, is perhaps no longer a utopia. Gestural music-making was also the main concern of Werner Jauk (Graz). Interfaces should be able to shape the sound through the body. Jauk goes one step further and wants to capture even body tension. He considers body information to be constitutive with regard to sound.

It was widely accepted that the Midi standard could no longer meet these requirements. The engineer Lippold Haken jumped into this gap and had his Continuum Controller presented by the brilliant musician Edmund Eagan, who was familiar with it. This controller departs from the criticized standard and enables the recording of an incomparable wealth of parameters. The input is made with the fingers via a stepless touch surface. According to the developer, however, an industrial breakthrough of this technology is not yet in sight. It is still difficult to find investors outside of the stubbornly persistent Midi standard. In any case, the results of the performance demonstration were impressive. However, the complexity of operating this interface seems to be comparable to learning to play the violin. It remains to be seen whether the desire for freedom instead of control formulated by Imogen Heap and quoted by Katia Isakoff (London) can be fulfilled as a result. The fact that young people increasingly want to use tactile controllers again was also the conclusion of research by Jack Davenport (University of Central Lancashire). However, his extremely simplified "playful musical interface" was critically questioned by the audience. Not for the first time, concerns were expressed about a creeping "laziness" in the production of "music". The V:Age research project initiated by Brockhaus on the subject of "virtual aging" addresses the lack of personal connection to musical instruments outside of tactile operation in a new way: The two game designers Ruben Brockhaus and Brett Ayo (Berlin/Bern) are currently developing a virtual instrument that should have the ability to age. In the future, there should be a user-induced ageing process on the visual level as well as on the functional and audiophile level.

The conference made no secret of this: We have arrived in the digital age. The possibilities seem endless and the machines can hardly be pushed to their limits. There was disagreement about the impact of these facts on the creation of music, the ultimate creative process. While Wayne Marshall (Berklee College of Music/Harvard, Boston) is relaxed about the restrictions imposed by machine logic, Fereydoun Pelarek (Macquarie University, Sydney) even spoke of creative freedom through unlimited possibilities and the aspect of the manual was seriously discussed several times, there were dissenting voices. The techno producer Georgi Tomov Georgiev (Berlin) reminded the audience of the creative power of limitation. Quoting Jeff Mills, he spoke of slaves to computers with regard to the present. Jauk considered that the material body is becoming increasingly functionless. The problem of "decisions" was raised by Jan Herbst (Bielefeld) in his work "old guitars with new technologies". He examined the technology of "profiling". A process that measures the tonal characteristics of guitar amplifiers and their microphones and reproduces them accordingly. What would have to be decided at an early stage of production without this option now remains an open option until the last moment. Overloading the machine is ruled out, as is accidental discovery.

The digital/analog discourse found its poles in the presentations by Katia Isakoff and Holger Lund (Berlin/Ravensburg). The composer Isakoff took a performative approach to the Theremini launched by the Moog company, a digital and handy reference to the legendary Theremin. In her defense, it should be mentioned that she presented a touching reappraisal of the personal relationship between theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore and the instrument's inventor Leon Theremin as a humanistic approach to the machine and its innovation. Nevertheless, Isakoff expressed what was paraphrased in the canon: "The gap is closing." It is not the instruments that make the music anyway, but the people, she quoted Max Rudolph. More on this later. In any case, there was hardly any contradiction. This changed radically with Lund's contribution. In his presentation "New sound aesthetics through post-production mastering and vinyl cutting", he spoke of a post-digital phenomenon and the associated re-analogization. A decisive influence on the end product in studio art through analog processes and corresponding craftsmanship can be discerned. The sound presence is sculpted with the help of distortion. In response to the question of whether this audiophile confrontation was even taking place in the audible range, he gave a devastating answer for the current music industry: "The differences are striking, the only question is whether we can still perceive them. Our listening habits have already been shredded by the omnipresence of digitalization and the associated mobile playback devices. In interviews with the relevant mastering artists, Lund has learned that transparency will no longer be the aesthetic of the future, but rather the coloration and elaboration of an individual "sonic stamp".

A definition, which was debated at this symposium, was a long time coming. Although there was agreement on the term "sound" and its adequate translation into "Klang", the meaning of the term "future" was only brought up in the contribution by philosopher Robin James (UNC Charlotte). While the new and innovation were still regarded as the epitome of the future in the modern era, this has changed dramatically under neo-liberalism. Speculation and investment now defined the future. James speaks of the future as a consequence of success. For music, this meant a loss of narration. The dramaturgical design is undergoing a radical change. In the struggle for attention, for example, the climax appears right at the beginning. The essential struggle for success is also gradually manifesting itself in our bodies. It is increasingly seen as an investment object. Investing always means taking risks. For the industry, it is important to weigh up these risks. Up-and-coming capital goods are exposed to the phenomenon of "gentrification". At this point, James brings the controversial gender issue to the podium. She attributes investment in the female body to precisely this phenomenon: "Investment in the female body is the human gentrification". Marie Thompson (University of Lincoln) also addresses the same issue. In her lecture, she presented a series of devices that enable pregnant women to listen to prenatal music. The investment in the unborn child is intended to optimally prepare it for a success-oriented society. A corresponding baby playlist has of course already been compiled. The pinnacle of high culture is presented in a canon ranging from Mozart to Queen. An analysis of which music stimulates which prenatal "learning behavior" is also provided. Thompson considers production and reproduction to be decisive for capitalism. She describes production without reproduction as the ideal case in this system. A train of thought that can take on devastating proportions when applied to the female body. She appeals for a new awareness. The focus should not be on the products and their processes, but on the framework conditions in which they are created. Annie Goh (Goldsmith University of London) followed on from this and analyzed the Japanese mass phenomenon "Hatsune Miku". Virtual female pop stars are programmed and marketed by users of the corresponding online platform. This "crowdsourced creativity" leads to the death of the author and thus to the death of reality. The central concern of Thompson's analysis is the use of the virtual voice of women. Here she draws parallels with the Western world. The virtual female voice in the public sphere is already omnipresent. The question is not only how it will be used in the future, but also who will decide. The technologization of the female voice could therefore play an important role in the gender debate of the future.

Virtualization was also the subject of the highly exciting contribution by the two media artists Michael Harenberg and Daniel Weissberg (Bern). They referred to the problem of "big data". The computer-aided handling of vast amounts of data makes it possible to examine human behavior. Under the term "machine learning", programs are made to appear intelligent. Google, for example, succeeded in defeating its human opponent in the centuries-old board game Go, achieved by "machine learning" in the form of playing against itself thousands of times. Attempts to create a machine-generated number one hit in the music industry are already underway (see Antwerp Research Institute for the Arts). Is it not the people who make the music after all? Harenberg and Weissberg immediately provide the telling comment: "It's not funny." What is being used here is devoid of any human capabilities and is first and foremost an incredibly fast data processing system. According to Harenberg and Weissberg, this doesn't have much in common with "intelligent". The big data application displaces the hobbyist and can only be used by big industry. Digitalization makes no contribution to the democratization of the music market.

There was disagreement among the speakers on this point. Jan Herbst, for example, spoke of digital democratization. The possibility of using virtual equipment and its low costs thanks to online availability should ensure equal opportunities. Problems with copyright management and barriers to entry in terms of payment methods were not discussed. Harenberg and Weissberg appealed to universities to take their responsibility in dealing with these phenomena. The focus of their programs should not be on the technological aspects, but rather on the subcultures that still exist.
 

Conclusion of the densely programmed event: The symposium shone first and foremost with a high level of historical awareness. However, there was not much talk of the future. Scientists are still unable to look beyond contemporary history. The outlook can be located in the area of creative ideas, but is hardly ventured. That the future will be an electronic one, however, remained out of the question. There were no contributions with an acoustic vision. The only hint in this direction came from Harenberg and Weissberg: "The touring guitar does not exist in electronic form." As a harmonious conclusion, the opening guest had his say again. This time in a musical performance. Bruno Spoerri proved with a winking historical awareness that the search has no end and that the future will definitely bring something new.