The first such prize has already been awarded to the duo Yello for their latest record "Toy". The electropop duo accepted the award in the presence of Andy Renggli, General Manager Switzerland at GfK Entertainment, and Lorenz Haas, Managing Director of IFPI Switzerland. GfK Entertainment compiles the hit parade on behalf of IFPI Switzerland.

The criteria for the award are met as soon as an album or single reaches the top for the first time. It does not matter whether the work goes straight to number one or climbs up from a lower position. The award is presented once per album/single.

The single hit parade will also be expanded from 75 to 100 positions with immediate effect, bringing it into line with the album charts. In addition to physical sales and downloads, only premium streams will be counted in future, i.e. no more ad-financed free streams.

Patrizio Mazzola, who lives in Bern, is one of the few pianists in Switzerland who has regularly championed music by female composers for many years. No sooner had he recorded the flute sonata by Mel Bonis (Mélanie Bonis) on CD with Kaspar Zehnder than this composer appeared repeatedly in the programs of his concerts. He also remains loyal to her in the third edition of the Femmusicale festival, which was founded in Bern in 2014. Her sonata for cello and piano op. 67 will be performed together with works by the German Rheinberger student Luise Adolpha Le Beau and Nadia Boulanger in a concert in Bern under the somewhat offbeat motto "Ne rien va femme" (November 18, Aula NMS).

Miniatures in the run-up
In contrast to this program, which focused on three outstanding female composers, Mazzola aimed for the greatest possible diversity for the festival opening with the Czech violinist René Kubelík. With "Songs without words" in the deviating French formulation "Poèmes sans paroles", the Festival Femmusicale expanded to the Small Hall of the Tonhalle in Zurich for the first time. The oversupply of pronounced miniatures and other small-format pieces showed the danger of fragmentation. With 17 pieces by 14 composers ranging from Chopin's predecessor Maria Szymanowska-Wołowska (1789-1831) to Ruth Dürrenmatt (*1951) and Jan Fila (*1982), the two musicians presented an anthology-like selection of works that was strongly reminiscent of Mazzola's CD Idyll and refuge with short piano pieces by 25 composers, all of which have a different connection to Switzerland (Gallo 1422).
However, the short compositions by Judith Cloud or Nancy van de Vate, for example, were too short to illustrate the individuality of their authors. As varied as the concert was, with five world premieres and a very high level of creativity, ultimately more heart and soul went into the interpretations than money into the box office. The overloaded concert program, which lacked a common thread, was probably the main reason for the low attendance. The actress Céline Beran stood in the way of conveying information about people and works with a presentation style that was too fast and often barely comprehensible. This information would probably have been more effective in printed form.

According to the city's press release, as part of the 2015 cultural mission statement, the city council held out the prospect of revising the guidelines for project-related cultural funding. The revision took place between February and September 2016 in a participatory process involving around one hundred Winterthur cultural professionals and other experts from the fields of visual arts, theater, dance, literature and music.

In the course of the revision, the previous funding instruments were reviewed and supplemented. The new guidelines also offer increased transparency in terms of processes and criteria. They will be valid for a pilot phase of two years from January 1, 2017.

An evaluation will be carried out in 2018, which will again be participatory. Once any adjustments have been made, the guidelines will be adopted by the City Council at the end of 2018 and will enter into force definitively on January 1, 2019.

All information on project funding from the city of Winterthur can be found at http://kultur.winterthur.ch/kulturfoerderung
 

Since 1972, the accordion duo has been the epitome of high-quality accordion music, according to the citation. Together, the two have built up their own music school in Rorschach since 1980. The two top musicians have been particularly successful in promoting young people for decades.

Ruedi Wachter grew up with six siblings in the Ländler restaurant Schlössli Büel in Bad Ragaz. His musical role model was his uncle Stanti Schönbächler. He was already playing the accordion on the radio and making recordings at the age of 20. Heidi Wachter-Rutz was born in Toggenburg and studied classical accordion. She graduated as an accordion teacher in 1972. She also plays the flute, guitar and double bass.

The Golden Treble Clef was established in 1958 by Paul Künzi. It honors people "who have made a special contribution to folk music and thus rendered outstanding services". The prize has been awarded annually since a corresponding association was founded in 1978.

The Musik Hug Group is specifically planning to close the location in St. Gallen and give up the sales outlet in Basel. Piano services are to be continued for both locations. By merging the Jecklin store with the Musik Hug headquarters on Limmatquai, the Zurich location will be adapted to the new market requirements and the new store concept will be implemented at the same time.

According to the company, the measures are intended to "ensure adaptation to the tougher market conditions". This could make it necessary to cut up to 85 jobs. The company management informed employees about the plans today and at the same time opened the consultation process. A decision on the definitive measures will be made once this has been completed. The company will draw up a social plan.

The "massive impact of the lifting of the Swiss franc floor and the ever-increasing competition from international online retailers" weakened domestic providers, Musik Hug continues. The music industry also had to "cope with the almost complete loss of the stationary CD business, the massive drop in demand for physical sheet music and some instrument groups, particularly in the wind instrument sector".

Since the beginning of this year, Suisa has been charging advertising clients new license fees for music in advertising spots in online campaigns or on microsites, according to a press release from the Swiss Association of Advertising Clients (SWA). Instead of the previous flat rate of 100 to 200 francs, the copyright company is demanding up to 3.3 percent of the online media budget for the music. This would require customers to disclose their confidential media plans.

The SWA and the associations Leading Swiss Agencies (LSA), Allianz Schweizer Werbeagenturen (ASW), Interessengemeinschaft Elektronische Medien (IGEM), IAB Switzerland and the Goldbach Group have opposed the new regulations without being able to reach an agreement with Suisa. 

The SWA has now decided to reject the new license costs and the "impracticable process". At the same time, the association expects Suisa to seek a solution with the platforms that technically distribute the commercials on the internet for compensation for making them available.

The beginnings of the Engel-Chörli go back to the late seventies. Back then, the members of the Guggenmusik Ä-pfoch regularly sat together after rehearsals at the Gasthaus Engel in Appenzell, where they often sang late into the night. From 1980 onwards, five men from this circle met regularly for singing rehearsals.

The Engel-Chörli Appenzell was officially founded on March 27, 1982 with eight singers. Since then, the line-up has remained unchanged with one exception. Today, the choir consists of Johann Inauen, Guido Kölbener, Emil Koller, Leo Koller, Albert Sutter, Thomas Sutter, Hansueli Wild and Kläus Inauen (replacing Kläus Dobler, who died in 2008).

The internationally renowned yodel and a cappella choir is the first time that an entire musical formation has been honored. Previously, the highest cultural award in the canton of Appenzell I.Rh., which has been presented fifteen times since 1974, has always gone to individuals. The award ceremony will take place on October 21, 2016 in the Kunsthalle Ziegelhütte.

Due to a move to new library premises, the Central Library of the University of Bern has made its collection of around 10,000 recordings, which has grown continuously over more than two decades, available to the HKB. The focus is on the classical concert repertoire (although unknown works can also be found) and music theater. Preference is given to recordings that follow historically informed performance practice. The collection has been available to the public at its new location since mid-August. Borrowing is free of charge and all items can be borrowed and returned at the HKB Music Library at Papiermühlestrasse 13j, just five minutes by bus no. 10 from the CD collection's previous location near the Zytglogge.

The music library of the HKB is the largest of its kind in the canton of Bern, but it is also the only library in Bern with such a large number of sheet music for the practical practice of music. The music library has more than 45,000 pieces of sheet music for all instruments and instrumentations, a good 15,000 books, 15,000 CDs and DVDs, around 1,000 rare and particularly valuable titles and almost 40 periodicals.

hkb.bfh.ch/en/campus/libraries-hkb/music-library

Young singers who have a relevant university degree and are not older than 30 years of age can apply in writing with their complete application documents (CV with date of birth, list of sung/studied repertoire, a photo and a CD or DVD with three arias).

Only applications sent by post will be accepted for the selection procedure. Invitations to auditions will be sent in writing. No rejections will be sent out if an applicant is not considered.

The International Opera Studio of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, sponsored by the Liz Mohn Cultural and Music Foundation, has been in existence since November 2007 under the direction of conductor, pianist and singer coach Boris Anifantakis. The overall artistic direction of the opera studio is in the hands of General Music Director Daniel Barenboim.

The two-year training program aims to intensively prepare young and particularly talented young singers for a career in musical theater. The members have the opportunity to perform on the main stage of the State Opera as well as on the workshop stage and thus become directly involved in the opera business. The program is designed to promote not only the musical and artistic but also the personal development of the young artists.

They also receive master classes, workshops and weekly lessons, which include part study, ensemble singing, scenic lessons, movement and improvisation training as well as voice and foreign language coaching. A number of young singers, including. Evelin Novak, Narine Yeghiyan and Gyula Orendt, have already made the leap into the ensemble of the Berlin State Opera and other major opera houses following their training in the opera studio.

Application address:
STATE OPERA AT THE SCHILLER THEATER
International Opera Studio
Boris Anifantakis
Bismarckstr. 110
D-10625 Berlin

The "Leopold" has long been established in CD and music stores as well as on the Internet. Among other things, the award serves as a seal of quality and makes it easier for parents, teachers and educators to select children's audio media. The Media prize "Leopold" - Good music for children has been awarded since 1997 for CDs, MCs, CD-ROMs and DVDs that contribute to the theme in a variety of imaginative and high-quality productions such as traditional and new children's songs, rock, pop and world music, music theater, "classical music", interesting facts related to music or music-oriented audio books.

Producers, publishers and recording companies can apply with their music productions for children to be recommended by the expert and children's jury. We are looking for creative compositions that inspire a love of music in children at a high artistic and technical level and support their development. This year, music-related internet portals and apps from German-speaking countries can also apply.

Productions that were published between January 1, 2013 and January 31, 2017 and can be purchased through retailers or other sales channels can be submitted. The closing date for entries is January 31, 2017 and the award ceremony is scheduled for September 29, 2017 at the WDR Funkhaus in Cologne. The "Leopold" is supported by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth as well as the partners WDR 3 Kulturradio and the Initiative Hören.

Further information is available on the Internet at www.medienpreis-leopold.de

As the name suggests, the "Match & Fuse" festival aims to connect the young European jazz scene and act as a springboard for bands. Supported by Pro Helvetia, Ingrid Lukas will be performing at the festival on October 28, followed by the Geneva formation Massicot. The following day, harpist Julie Campiche will demonstrate the dimensions of her instrument at the hip Café Oto.

Born in 1984, Ingrid Lukas came to Switzerland, to Winterthur, with her mother in 1994. She graduated from the jazz department of the ZHdK in Zurich. She combines urban beats and the Estonian regilaul singing tradition with modern songs. She composes "musical mantras to keep herself consistently on her own path".

In their own words, the Geneva quartet Massicot cultivates a "straightforward, bone-dry guitar sound that oscillates between hypnotic, repetitive passages and noisy outbursts". Julie Campiche was the first harpist to earn a bachelor's degree in jazz at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne (HEMU). She is constantly reinventing her instrument. She has completed her sound palette with electronic effects and thus developed a very personal language.

The building permit from the municipality of Kriens for the new music building has been in place since spring 2016. Now that the invitations to tender have been issued and around two thirds of the bids have been received, the Concordat Council has also given the go-ahead for the construction in Kriens in the immediate vicinity of the Südpol. The ground-breaking ceremony is due to take place in November 2016 and construction will take around 2.5 years.

Until summer 2016, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts was spread across 24 locations. In 2019, there will only be half as many. Only recently, around two thirds of the students and staff of the Department of Design & Art moved from five different locations to Viscosistadt in Emmenbrücke.

In a second stage, the last part of the Department of Design & Art in Emmenbrücke will also be located on the Viscosistadt site, in the building that Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts is renting from Viscosistadt AG. Around 850 students and 140 employees will study, teach and conduct research here in 2019.
 

Born in 1990, Marena Whitcher completed her bachelor's degree in music (jazz profile) at the Zurich University of the Arts from 2010 to 2013, graduating with distinction. From 2014 to 2016, she studied for a Master's degree in Performance & Composition at the Bern University of the Arts.

In addition to various engagements as a guest singer, for example with the well-known Swiss electro-swing band "Klischée", Marena Whitcher launched several musical projects of her own in 2011. She appears as a composer, performer and singer and plays guitar, keyboard, percussion and glass harp. With the bands "Eclecta Forever" and "Marena Whitcher's Shady Midnight Orchestra", among others, the versatile artist has shown a "great love of experimentation, expressiveness and originality", according to a statement from the city of Winterthur.

The City of Winterthur's sponsorship award is publicly advertised every year. Winterthur artists from all cultural disciplines up to the age of 35 can apply. 25 artists from various cultural fields applied for the 2016 sponsorship award. The award ceremony will take place together with the presentation of the Culture Prize on January 24, 2017 in the Salzhaus.

Victor Aviat (34), conductor and oboist, impressed with his courage in developing new performance formats for different audiences, founding his own orchestras in an entrepreneurial way and taking innovative paths in an international context. His ability to mediate and bridge the gap between works, orchestra and audience is very promising for the future. The jury was made up of Esther Eppstein (Art), Etienne Abelin (Music), Kristin Irion (Design), Anna Luif (Film) and Sally de Kunst (Performing Arts).

The "prix netzhdk" for arts, design and mediation is aimed at graduates of Bachelor's and Master's degree programs at ZHdK. The nominees must have between three and five years of practical experience and have distinguished themselves through independent, outstanding achievements in their field. This year, a total of 18 former students were nominated for the "prix netzhdk" by the heads of the degree programs and specializations of the various ZHdK departments and invited to submit their dossiers.

The list of nominees can be found here:
netzhdk.ch/prix/2016/nominations

In addition to the critics, "Opernwelt" also asked readers for their favorites for the first time. They also voted Verdi's "Macbeth" in Zurich (Teodor Currentzis/Barrie Kosky) as the Swiss production of the year.

There was unanimity when it came to "Director of the Year": the readers also awarded the title to Barrie Kosky - above all, but not only, for his Zurich "Macbeth" with Teodor Currentzis, the most important performance in their view.

The voices on the annoyance of the season are widely scattered. The Green Hill as a "stadium of intrigue" and the "Bayreuth regiment" of Katharina Wagner and Christian Thielemann are mentioned several times by readers and critics. However, readers were most annoyed by the delays in the restructuring of the Cologne Opera and Augsburg Theatre.

For more than twenty years, the Berlin-based music theater magazine "Opernwelt" has conducted an annual critics' survey to identify the best opera houses, productions, singers, directors, choirs and so on for the past season.