Jens Lohmann, a violin teacher at the University of Music and Performing Arts, brings the Zurich Conservatory Music Schoola former student with: Kevin Griffiths. The 35-year-old from Zurich swapped the violin bow for the baton years ago and has since made a name for himself internationally as a conductor. He will be on the podium on September 21 when the Three Generations Orchestra performs Brahms' Symphony No. 4 and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor as part of the Autumn in the Helferei to the performance. Dmitry Sitkovetsky is third in the group, although - for understandable reasons - not present at the talk: the Russian star violinist will perform the solo part on the concert evening.

Kevin Griffiths faces an extremely challenging task, as he has to reconcile highly motivated but still inexperienced string players with members of Zurich's professional orchestras, while neither overtaxing the one nor underchallenging the other. Another difficulty is the limited rehearsal time. This is where Jens Lohmann comes in: "The professional musicians all perform for a minimal fee, there is a huge amount of goodwill behind the project. You can't ask them to rehearse five times before the concert!" It is therefore incredibly important that the students are well prepared by their teachers, not only musically, but also in terms of their attitude towards such a project. But Lohmann can rely on a very well-functioning network of colleagues, "otherwise a project like this wouldn't even be possible!" The preparation of the sheet music alone would take a lot of time, so he is grateful that he can fall back on a set of music from the Tonhalle Orchestra's collection, where all the so-called "lines" are already drawn in. This means that all the strings move their bows in the same direction, which is not only more pleasing to the eye, but also has a considerable influence on the overall sound of the orchestra.

zvg

Kevin Griffiths

Role reversal after 20 years

For Griffiths and Lohmann, this collaboration is also special because the teacher-pupil relationship has been reversed. While the former teacher sits in the orchestra, the former pupil now stands at the conductor's desk and calls the shots. This could be a problem for other pupils, but not for Griffiths and Lohmann. The two have known each other for such a long time and, as is always apparent in conversation, have a very warm bond. Their acquaintance goes back to Lohmann's engagement with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, where he played as concertmaster under Howard Griffiths, Kevin's more famous father. "Like many, Kevin's parents had the feeling that their son had a great talent lying dormant. Well, Kevin took his slumber very seriously, his talent was still dormant at first," Lohmann recalls with a laugh. Nevertheless, after two years of lessons, Kevin Griffiths took the entrance exam to the Basel Music Academy and passed. Despite promising prospects for a career as a violinist, he soon became more interested in conducting, although his father was very supportive, especially at the beginning of his career. "There was never and will never be a feeling of competition between the two of us, we are simply too close personally for that," explains Griffiths. "In the beginning, I had to make an extra effort to step out of my father's shadow, so to speak. It certainly helped that I was going in a completely different direction stylistically." Kevin Griffiths founded the Steve Reich Ensemble in London, for example, with which he recorded two CDs, was also "Conductor of the Year" with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, won prizes at numerous important competitions and is currently the artistic director and chief conductor of the Collegium Musicum Basel. He goes on to say that stylistic breadth has become an absolute must; nowadays, neither as a musician nor as a conductor can you commit yourself to just one style or musical epoch. However, it is important to develop one's own style and philosophy from all influences, otherwise it would seem unnatural.

When asked whether you can learn to conduct or whether you have to be born for it, Griffiths replies: "It certainly helps. I just felt comfortable with it right from the start, but of course you also grow into the task. It's a long road either way." Nowadays, the focus is on collaboration, whereas in the old days the conductor was the absolute authority, he adds. And even if he is naturally comfortable in front of an orchestra, he has to invent something new every time. The upcoming collaboration with Dmitry Sitkovetsky is also something very special for Kevin Griffiths, and he recalls: "During my time as a violinist, he was very influential for me with certain recordings, and I would never have dreamed back then that I would one day conduct a project with him as a soloist. And now it's happening twice this season. Once now, once next summer. "
 

Only three samples: quality before quantity

On September 15, just one week before the big concert performance, the musicians meet for the first time. This first day of rehearsals is all about the young string players. Kevin Griffiths wants to use this first rehearsal as an opportunity for the musicians, some of whom have no orchestral experience, to get to know each other and also to get rid of some of the nervousness that is sure to be present before such a big performance. The conductor's task is then to bring them together to play together, to listen to each other and to act flexibly. The section leaders, all seasoned professionals and some world-renowned soloists, will not be present at the Sunday rehearsal. "If one or two of them are interested in how Kevin works with the young people and drop by, then of course I'm delighted," says Jens Lohmann, "but I can't ask them to do so, after all, they are already performing for a minimal fee in view of an interesting educational experience." He attaches immense importance to this first rehearsal, as it is important to build a bridge from there to the first tutti rehearsal: "On Thursday, everything has to be perfect, then the professionals come in and we no longer have time to discuss details," he looks ahead. "However, having colleagues from the ZHdK, Tonhalle and MKZ take over the voice leading will also make things easier, as the young people can then be guided." And so that they are not overwhelmed by the tempo, Lohmann wisely lets them start an hour earlier: "By the time everyone has unpacked their instruments, by the time the string section is in tune, by the time we have played one or two passages again, an hour is up." He speaks from experience and has already conducted many orchestral projects.

J. Henry Fair

Dmitry Sitkovetsky

Dmitry Sitkovetsky - and the next generation of artists

At the main rehearsal, another important player joins the project: Dmitry Sitkovetsky, the Russian star violinist. Jens Lohmann was able to engage him through a mutual acquaintance on the occasion of a master class at the Lucerne School of Music. In addition to his career as a solo virtuoso, Sitkovetsky also serves as artistic director of the symphony orchestra in Greensboro, North Carolina. Compared to the relatively short time of its existence, this orchestra maintains an extremely rich program for music education for children, young people and adults. Sitkovetsky therefore knows what to expect. He himself is the fourth generation of a Russian musical dynasty, so he had a very different introduction to music. At the age of six, he entered the famous Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and later studied at the equally renowned Juilliard School in New York. In his day, there were no opportunities for children or young people to play together with adult professionals. This makes working with the next generation all the more important to him today: "I think it's very important to create more connections between the generations. Music, especially playing together in an orchestra, is the only communal experience in our society that is able to overcome all barriers: race, nationality, gender, religion, age, politics. And the more often the established musicians come into contact with the younger generation, the greater the chances that music can develop at all." He also sees no difference in the importance of music for the individual between aspiring professional musicians and dedicated amateurs, and his message to the young musicians in the project is accordingly: "Music is something you can live with all your heart, regardless of whether you become a hobby or professional musician. Unlike the material things in life, music is something fleeting, but at the same time it means that nobody can take it away from you - it's like a treasure in your soul. Immerse yourself in this world, try your best in this concert project and - most importantly - have fun!"

The pupils of MKZ, aged between 12 and 22, will certainly take this to heart. They are looking forward to the concert, but also treat the project and its main protagonists with great respect and at the same time think about their musical future. Sixteen-year-old Katharina Schade plays the violin herself and is therefore particularly excited about Sitkovetsky's interpretation of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto: "Experiencing him up close and accompanying him will certainly be a great experience!" She often listens to Brahms' Fourth Symphony on the go and practises the works with the aim of arriving at the first rehearsal very well prepared. Commenting on her musical career, she says: "To become a professional musician, you have to put all your eggs in one basket at a very early stage. However, this means that many other, possibly equally exciting development paths remain closed. However, I don't want to rule out a musical career at this stage." Her colleague Solvejg Wilding, 15, on the other hand, clearly sees her professional future in music: "She definitely wants to study music and make it her profession, probably in a pedagogical direction. Another dream would be to play in a string quartet. She is also looking forward to the concert: "It is of course a great honor to be able to play with these musicians and hopefully benefit a little from them." Demian Herzog (19) plays viola in the orchestra and also plays jazz piano. Music means everything to him, even if he doesn't yet know whether he wants to make this passion his profession one day. He is delighted to be able to play in front of a demanding and large audience and also takes a look behind the scenes: "Jens Lohmann is not only an excellent teacher, but also organizes a very interesting concert week. However, this can only work thanks to extremely good planning, for which I respect and admire him." 

Not entirely alone and not unnoticed

Jens Lohmann can also rely on a good network for project organization. An adult MKZ student, an engineer by training, he can look back on many years of experience in project management and takes care of most of the administrative tasks. He is part of an organizing committee of six people who meet every two months during the year. The closer the festival gets, the shorter the intervals between the individual meetings. In addition to the actual project organization, the main focus is on raising money via sponsors. Lohmann knows his way around the contracts with the artists; after all, he works on both sides, as an artist and as an organizer. Since 2006, 55 concerts have taken place under the title "Herbst in der Helferei". Gradually, the small but excellent festival has become firmly established in the public consciousness and has already become a fixture in Swiss music and cultural circles. Mario Venzago, a world-renowned conductor, finds it gratifying to see a tradition of creating and communicating inspiring music in the heart of Zurich. Particularly at a time when festivals are springing up like mushrooms (and are usually unpalatable), he enjoys the hallmarks of this festival: a limited variety, a defined style, plus the desire for difficult combinations in conjunction with valuable works and performers. He is particularly touched by the fact that the organizers take on the risk of forming an orchestra from a collective of individual and talented people: "I wish the organizers that the 'Mystery Orchestra' succeeds, so that the inexplicable happens when strange musicians suddenly understand each other and come together to breathe, sing and feel the same way. This is a small miracle every time and ideally results in everyone - listeners and performers - leaving these musical encounters of today and tomorrow as the others they came as."

Between September 9 and 14, a total of forty professional musicians took part in the competition. The jury, consisting of Pierre Sublet (chair), Dieter Ammann, Rahel Cunz, Marc Kissóczy and Philippe Racine, decided to award six prizes due to the exceptional standard of the music.

First prize goes ex aequo to Karolina Öhman (cello, prize money 10,000 francs) and Gilles Grimaître (piano, 10,000 francs). The second prize was awarded ex aequo to the Ensemble Batida (percussion and piano, 12,000 Swiss francs) and the Trio Seitenwind (cello, accordion and saxophone, 8,000 Swiss francs).

The third prize was awarded ex aequo to Patrick Stadler (saxophone, 5000 francs) and Rafal Zolkos (flute, 5000 francs).

The Office of Culture received three applications for the scholarship. After hearings, the expert jury, consisting of the director of the Fribourg site of the Lausanne School of Music HEMU and two experts, finally decided in favor of the pianist Fiona Hengartner from Bulle, emphasizing her great potential, her technical ability and her remarkable interpretative intelligence.

Born in 1990, Fiona Hengartner graduated from the College of the South in Bulle in 2010 with a bilingual baccalaureate certificate. A year earlier, she had already obtained her professional diploma for piano at the Fribourg Conservatory with the grade "excellent". She then continued her studies at the HEMU, where she received her bachelor's degree in 2012 and was awarded the Pisler Prize for her outstanding bachelor's thesis and her excellent bachelor's recital.

Since 2005, Fiona Hengartner has successfully taken part in several competitions and master classes in Switzerland and has made a name for herself with numerous public performances in the canton of Fribourg. Thanks to this scholarship, Fiona Hengartner will be able to continue her studies at the HEMU in order to obtain a Master's degree in pedagogy in 2014.

The Pierre and Renée Glasson Fund for Music, set up in 1995 and administered by the Cantonal Office for Culture, serves to support the activities of musicians from the Canton of Fribourg or the rest of Switzerland who live in the Canton of Fribourg. A scholarship can be awarded from this fund to help finance postgraduate studies at a music college in Switzerland or abroad. The scholarship for 2014 will be announced in October 2013.

The first call for applications is aimed at musicians of any style. The applications submitted will be assessed by a jury of experts. A work grant of CHF 20,000 and a work grant of CHF 10,000 will be awarded.

The work grants are intended to support artists and cultural practitioners directly and on a personal basis. They should be able to engage with an innovative, artistic idea or deepen and develop their artistic skills in a targeted manner.

Applications must be submitted in full to the Nidwalden Office for Culture or the Obwalden Office for Culture and Sport by January 10, 2014 at the latest. The application form can be downloaded at www.nw.ch or www.ow.chsearch term "Werkbeiträge", can be downloaded.

According to the ZHdK press release, the number of students has remained constant compared to recent years. A numerus clausus applies, which means that prospective students undergo a strict admission procedure before they are accepted at the ZHdK.

Of the 738 new students, 317 are starting a Bachelor's degree and 381 a Master's degree in Design (112), Music (290), Art & Media (102), Art Education and Transdisciplinarity (111), Theater and Film (83). 40 people enrolled on a part-time Master of Advanced Studies program.

In 2005, the Zurich University of the Arts had a total of 1142 Bachelor's and 863 Master's students and 578 continuing education students (MAS, CAS, DAS).
 

Once again this year, the departments with by far the most new admissions are
Business (821) and Engineering & Architecture (644), followed by Design & Art (219),
Social work (205) and music (197).

A total of 5821 students are enrolled on a Bachelor's or Master's degree course at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. 44 percent of them come from the cantons of Central Switzerland, while 6 percent come from abroad. The proportion of women is around 42 percent. Across the entire university, the increase in students is 5.5 percent. This means that growth is similar to the previous year.

The newcomers will be officially welcomed at today's opening ceremony at the KKL Lucerne. Guest speakers include Annette Schönhölzer, Director of Art Basel, and Arno Troxler, Director of the Willisau Jazz Festival. In addition, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts Sustainability Prize will be awarded to an outstanding Bachelor's or Master's thesis that deals with sustainability issues and is of great practical value.

"What is this?" This question may have been asked by some people who were confronted with Dieter Meier's art. For example, in Zurich in 1969, when Meier spent five days sitting on the ground in front of the Kunsthaus filling plastic bags with a thousand screws each. Or a year later, when the young Swiss artist asked passers-by in the middle of the boulevard in New York to say the words "Yes" or "No" to him. In return, he gave the volunteers a dollar and a certificate stating that they had just said "Yes" or "No".

Footprint of an artist's life
"What's this all about?", you ask yourself again, in view of the exhibition "In Conversation", which is on show at the Aargauer Kunsthaus in Aarau. Why Dieter Meier in an art museum? The dandy with the jacket and neckerchief, who is known as the singer of electro pioneers Yello and has made a name for himself as an author and Zurich restaurant owner with a cattle farm and vineyard in Argentina? Only a few people know that Meier's first steps in the public eye were the happenings described above and that he was involved in art long before he founded Yello at the end of the 1970s.
The first major Swiss museum exhibition on Dieter Meier aims to change this. The 14 rooms contain photographs, depictions of his conceptual art, experimental films, drawings and music videos from the late 1960s to the present day. Meier has also tried his hand at sculpture. The more or less successful results are exhibited, as are newspaper articles and films documenting the reception of his actions. The artist describes the retrospective as an "accidental footprint of life". .

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

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 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.

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

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.