In September, Jauslin takes up his duties as ambassador for UNESCO and the Francophonie in Paris. Isabelle Chassot takes up her post in November 2013. Deputy Director Yves Fischer takes over the management of the Office on an interim basis.

Isabelle Chassot (48) has been a member of the State Council of the Canton of Fribourg since 2002, where she heads the Directorate of Education, Culture and Sport. She has been President of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) since 2006. In this role, she has been involved in the National Cultural Dialogue from the outset.

Before her election to the government of Fribourg, Isabelle Chassot was a personal assistant to Federal Councillor Arnold Koller and Federal Councillor Ruth Metzler.

The contribution will be used to establish a Master's degree program in music, which is expected to have a promising impact in the canton of Aargau, writes the Aargau cantonal government. The planned Master's degree course is a niche course that complements the courses offered by the FHNW School of Music.

The Swiss Academy for Music and Music Education SAMP based in Aarau, offers a full range of professional music and music education courses in classical and jazz & popular music throughout Switzerland.

The previous SMPV teaching diploma and concert diploma courses are run by the SAMP on behalf of the SMPV. At the same time, new courses are being offered and planned in cooperation with the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences. The Bachelor of Arts in Music has been open to interested students since fall 2010.

Lou Spichtig has also received the Outstanding Artist Award from Dance Magazine Europe. She has been studying at the Zurich Dance Academy since 2008 and has already won several awards.

Two more ZHdK students excelled in New York. 19-year-old Leonardo Basilio won a silver medal for his performance, while 17-year-old Maiko Tsutsui made it to the final and came fourth.

The Youth America Grand Prix was founded in 1999 by two former dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet and has since served as a springboard for aspiring professional classical dancers from all over the world.

The solo variations of the award winners will be presented at the gala performance Fussspuren IX of the Tanz Akademie Zürich at the Schauspielhaus Zürich, Pfauen, on May 18 (sold out) and 20.
 

Lino Blöchlinger is a graduate of a bachelor's degree course in jazz, Maro Widmer is aiming for a master's degree in C&T Jazz Composition & Arrangement.

The Basel-based Friedl Wald Foundation supports Swiss theater and music artists who are in need of and worthy of support and who have not yet reached the age of 26. The founder, Friedl Wenner-Wald, was a well-known and popular actress under her single name Friedl Wald.

The Great Escape is considered one of Europe's most important hubs for contemporary music creation. It is visited by the general public as well as talent scouts and other industry professionals. This year, 15,000 visitors are expected.

The festival, which was founded in 2006, will take place in 30 venues in Brighton. Debates, workshops and networking events are also organized. A total of 350 local and international artists perform. The event is sold out.

The Swiss promotional organization Swiss Muisc Export, in collaboration with the Fondation SUISA and Pro Helvetia, is organizing its own event, the Swiss Business Mixer, in Brighton for the first time. The three Swiss groups will present themselves both at this event and in the official festival program.

More info: mamacolive.com/thegreatescape
 

A few weeks have passed since a fierce controversy erupted in connection with the German Echo Awards. The South Tyrolean band Frei.Wild was caught in the crossfire. Critics accused the rock group of sympathizing with right-wing extremist ideas. As a result, the organizers decided to disinvite the group from the award ceremony. They wanted to prevent the Echo from becoming the scene of a debate about political views.

This is just one of many examples in which the connection between pop music and politics comes into play. The list could go on and on, from politicizing musicians such as the Brazilian Gilberto Gil to the Schnitzelbänken of the Basel Fasnacht. It is surprising that this seemingly so present subject area has so far only been examined selectively by academics. The anthology A change is gonna comeedited by German political scientist Dietmar Schiller, one of the rare contributions in this field.

In both academic and journalistic essays, the authors explore very different facets of the field of tension described. The political success of protest concerts such as Live-Aid, the musical treatment of 9/11 and the relationship between folk icon Woody Guthrie and the punk genre are all addressed. The contributions show that music not only manifests itself politically on a lyrical level. For example, the physical forms of representation of the female representatives of Motown soul can also be seen as political statements. The highlight of the volume is a political history of the blues, which breaks with the stereotype of the "melancholy blues" right at the beginning and charts the socio-political relevance of the genre over the decades.

However, there are two reasons why this volume, which is exciting and always informative, is not convincing. Firstly, the disparity between the individual contributions is too great. From abstract and complex scientific language to casual study reports, the book contains a whole range of linguistic forms of expression. Not all of the contributions bring new insights to light and there is always a lack of sound evidence in the chain of argumentation. On the other hand, both the title - A change is gonna come: pop music and politics - and the introduction give the impression of an extensive treatment of the subject. The latter covers a wide range of topics, from Pussy Riot in Russia and the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku to Gaddafi's court concerts by Usher, Nelly Furtado & Co. However, the subsequent essays mainly report on (Afro)-American pop history, with three articles dedicated to country music. This not only results in repetition of content, but also raises the question of why the hip-hop genre is conspicuous by its absence.

The incumbent American president is omnipresent. Whether it's a reception for blues musicians in the White House, an interview with the pop magazine Rolling Stone or personal iPod playlist: Reading the book makes it clear that this president is using American pop culture as a tool for his politics like few others before him. The cover shows Obama's likeness in duplicate and the title refers to his first speech as president. With A change is gonna come Obama quoted a protest song by soul singer Sam Cooke in 2008.

All in all, the volume unfortunately fails to provide the broad presentation of the topic suggested by the title and instead comes up with interesting, if not always convincing, aspects of American pop history. However, the examples mentioned at the beginning show which dimensions within the - presumably inexhaustible - field of tension between pop music and politics could also be dealt with.

A change Is gonna come: Pop music and politics. Empirical contributions to political science research on pop music, edited by Dietmar Schiller, 338 p., Fr. 46.90, LIT-Verlag, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-643-11429-7

The author of the Modern Groove Drum BookTimo Ickenroth, runs his own drum school called New Groove Factory near Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate. In the individual chapters of his teaching material, he explains musical terms and note values. He puts their practical implementation on paper in the form of reading exercises for the snare drum as well as grooves and fills for the drumset. Gradually, the topics become more comprehensive: rudiments, the Moeller technique, ghost notes, six-eighths time, triplets and shuffles as well as linear fill-ins find their way into the following chapters. The author's useful tips include practicing with a metronome, counting aloud, appropriate hand movements and the use of fusostinati. These practice tips are explained in detail and are not too extensive.

Timo Ickenroth's drum course mainly includes basic rhythms and fill-ins in the styles of rock and pop. Of course, the swing rhythm is also included. The exercises in this chapter are based on quarter and eighth notes and are reminiscent of old master Ted Reed. The Modern Groove Drum Book consists of almost a third of rudiments and reading exercises for the snare drum. Some of these are designed as full-page etudes and should be transferred to the set after thorough study.

The 240-page book is logically structured and can be used for self-study. At the end of the course, the author has included an extensive bibliography with further studies.

Timo Ickenroth, Modern Groove Drum Book, Rock, Pop and Jazz, AMA 610431, with CD, € 24.95, AMA-Verlag, Brühl 2011

In Johannes Knapp, the Board has chosen "an enthusiastic and flexible personality with a great interest in contemporary music", writes the STV.

Born into a musical family in Erfurt in 1990, Knapp studied philosophy and musicology at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt and cello with Ulrich Voss at the Saar University of Music. He also studied music management at the University of Saarbrücken.

Knapp worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Musicology at the University of Saarbrücken. He was responsible for editing the evening programs of the Salzburg Biennale 2013 and has also written reviews and program booklet articles.

Regional promotion will continue, be it within the framework of Südkultur, Thurkultur, Kultur Toggenburg or the Rheintaler Kulturstiftung and other cultural promotion platforms yet to be established.

The cantonal focal points remain Werdenberg Castle, the Kunst(Zeug)Haus Rapperswil-Jona, the Lokremise St.Gallen, as well as concerts and theater in St.Gallen and the planned Klanghaus Toggenburg.

A new emphasis is planned in cultural mediation. As an example of the fact that cultural promotion is constantly evolving, the head of the department, Klöti, cited "the very successful development of film promotion last year", according to a statement from the canton.

The focus of this year's cultural conference was an exchange on the opportunities for a creative approach to building culture. Around 100 people interested in culture from all over the canton met in Murg under the title "Spiel-Raum - Architektur als kulturelle Inszenierungsplattform".

The sounds of strings and birdsong at the Sihlwald Visitor Center, soloists, chamber music ensembles and orchestras at Kyburg Castle Museum - 21 Zurich music schools and 32 museums will be offering a wide range of concerts and musical and cultural events on June 1 and 2, 2013 (as well as May 25 and June 7/8/9, 2013).

How the Association of Zurich Music Schools (VZM) and the Association muse-um-zürich the "Sounding Museums" project is being carried out across the canton for the second time. Interesting art and cultural rarities can often be found in smaller and larger museums close to home. Be it history, arts and crafts or fine arts: with music from all eras and styles, played by children and young people, exhibition spaces come to life and invite visitors to enjoy unusual cultural experiences. The participating museums from the muse-um-zürich association open their doors to everyone, especially families.

In the canton of Zurich, around 66,500 music students currently attend instrumental and vocal lessons, play or sing in an ensemble or attend the basic musical education integrated into elementary school. The weekend of the Sounding museums is a special event among the approximately 3000 annual music school events, combining the liveliness of active music-making with the cultural diversity of the museums.

Information on the detailed program at:
www.klingende-museen.ch
www.vzm.ch
www.muse-um-zuerich.ch
 

The aim of the project is to collect as much information as possible about the migration of musicians in the 17th and 18th centuries and bring it together in a database.

Information about individuals - including not only instrumentalists, but also composers, singers, music theorists and music publishers - will also be placed in a larger context in order to understand migration and the mobility of early modern musicians as a cultural phenomenon.

Scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and research groups in Berlin, Zagreb (Croatia), Warsaw (Poland) and Ljubljana (Slovenia) are involved in the research project. It is one of 15 projects that have been selected from a total of 593 applications for EU funding under the "HERA - Humanities in the European Research Area" line.

The database work will build on a previous project to record musician migration (ANR-DFG project Musici).

More info: www.musici.eu

In addition to its activities in Switzerland, Pro Helvetia supported Swiss cultural projects in 92 countries last year. Of the CHF 34 million available to the foundation in 2012, CHF 88.3 % went directly to culture. Administrative costs were reduced despite the rising number of applications. The Foundation processed a total of 3457 applications, 1710 of which were approved. At 49.2 %, the approval rate was slightly lower than in the previous year. 21.3 million was spent on projects by applicants, 3.3 million on projects by external offices, 4.5 million on impulse and exchange programs and 0.9 million on cultural information.

Music is in third place with 5.5 million francs, behind the visual arts with 7.3 million and literature and society with 6.1 million, followed by theater (3.9 million), dance (3.8 million) and interdisciplinary (3.4 million). 993 applications came from the world of music.

Last year, Pro Helvetia also worked with the Association of Swiss Professional Orchestras to develop the basis for improved support for large orchestras.

The French television channel Mezzo was supported in the production of portrait documentaries about ten Swiss composers: Dieter Ammann, Oscar Bianchi, Xavier Dayer, Martin Jaggi, Daniel Ott, Michael Pelzel, Katharina Rosenberger, Annette Schmucki, Nadir Vassena, Michael Wertmüller. The approximately ten-minute Portraits can also be seen on the Pro Helvetia website.

All of the projects supported in 2012 can be Online database The beneficiary, amount and type of project are listed.

www.prohelvetia.ch

With the swearing-in ceremony for the new recruits on May 6, the Swiss Guard commemorates the Sacco di Roma, the sack of Rome on May 6, 1527, during which the Swiss Guard defended Pope Clement VII.

Since 2008, the Swiss Guard has chosen a guest canton for these celebrations every year. In 2014, this will be the canton of Schwyz, which will travel to Rome with an official delegation. The delegation will be led by the cantonal government, which will take part in the Sacco die Roma in corpore.

He will be accompanied by a music corps and a choir from the canton of Schwyz. Music societies and choirs interested in participating can apply to the cantonal government.

Richard Wagner spent many years of his life in Switzerland. As a revolutionary, he fled from Dresden to Zurich in 1849, where he lived for almost ten years and repeatedly sought out patrons and friends. From 1866 onwards, he lived in Tribschen near Lucerne. From there he moved to Bayreuth in 1871. Switzerland was therefore much more than a transit station for a restless artist. Richard Wagner may be a "German" composer, but he owes a great deal to Switzerland. And conversely, he fascinated many Swiss people.

The body of literature on Richard Wagner is enormous: biographies, monographs, collections of letters and documents, hagiographies and diatribes. Has everything still not been said? Obviously, Richard Wagner is still very popular with an older generation. But what about young people, what is their relationship, their interest in the life and work of a great musician who lived in our country for so many years?

If you ask for suitable literature to make Wagner's music more accessible to young people, the huge range on offer immediately shrinks considerably. Obviously, it takes a lot of courage on the part of both authors and publishers to undertake such an undertaking. The Berlin publishing house Bloomsbury has taken the plunge. With Beauty, splendor and delusion. Richard Wagner and the magic of music the music theater teacher Iris Winkler has succeeded in filling a real gap. The work is exciting, colorful and surprises again and again with humorous linguistic images and explanations of technical terms such as "cadence", "mystical abyss" or "Wagner tubas". In addition, the author succeeds particularly well in empathizing with the language of young people without pandering to them. Hans Baltzer has adorned the book with beautiful, expressive illustrations.

It is a pleasure to pick up this slim volume (167 pages), leaf through it, enjoy the many illustrations - and at the same time experience the staging of an opera drama in five acts. There is even a "prelude": This is how the author, who is experienced in the theater, has structured Wagner's life. The many scene changes in this fast-paced life are skillfully faded in as "transformations". In this way, Wagner's life with all its upheavals unfolds before the eyes of the young reader as if they were sitting in the box of a great opera house.

Winkler's language is pleasantly straightforward and full of subtle humor that will make even the most experienced music lover smile. She skillfully avoids any judgment of Wagner's personality. In her portrayal, he is a great magician of sound and at the same time a highly problematic person with many fractures. The author provides those with little musical experience with many genuine aids: every technical term is explained in simple terms, the contents of the operas are summarized briefly and concisely on a darker background and provided with further small comments. Sheet music examples are included and - as a special addition from the publisher - there is a special Websitewhere you can listen to the musical excerpts and watch scenes from the operas! A timeline briefly summarizes the most important stages. The successful work concludes charmingly with "Tips for a good start".

So it is hardly surprising when a 13-year-old boy says:
"I enjoyed reading the book and it only took me three days. The book is very interesting and the novel-like narrative with dialog makes it exciting and great to read. For me, the book is a novel, a book about music and opera, a life story, a history book - all at the same time and never confusing, because it is well divided, so I was able to keep track of everything.
While reading, I was able to put myself in the shoes of Richard Wagner at the time and in some of the situations in his life. I was amazed at many things: for example, how Wagner 'researched' composing and copied out the entire score of Beethoven's 9th Symphony by hand - really crazy and yet understandable if you are really enthusiastic about a particular subject. I particularly liked the fact that the book also tells you about his friends, companions and role models, so you learn a lot about other great musicians almost as an aside ...
The book is beautifully and variedly illustrated. While reading, I was simply looking forward to the next page! I enjoyed just leafing through the book and it's easy to get stuck on individual pages ...
I've now recommended the book to my mother - usually it's always the other way around!"

Iris Winkler, Hans Baltzer, Schönheit, Glanz und Wahn - Richard Wagner und die Magie der Musik, ages 12 and up, 167 p., € 16.99, Bloomsbury (Ars Edition), Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-8270-5505-7

The biography of a composer, a book on the history of Romantic music or a book on new oboe playing techniques arouse concrete expectations. But then there are also books, and these include the anthology edited by Holger Schulze Sense - Sensation - Small perceptionsthat do not immediately reveal their content, that elude established methods and traditional hermeneutic procedures. So for now, the question is: What are the 15 authors of this anthology actually writing about?

Basically, it is about nothing less than other ways and forms of knowledge, about the role of moods or feelings both for everyday existence and for rational thinking. The latter is relativized in unison. However, Hajo Eickhoff also writes: "Decisions based on intuition have the advantage over reason that they are made faster, more reliably and more precisely." (p. 33) Such words sound plausible. If you don't understand them, you'll find plenty of evidence on more than 260 pages. An infant with a congenital heart defect instinctively squats down as soon as the little heart gets out of rhythm in order to reduce the strain on it (Eickhoff, p. 29 f.). Susanne Nemmertz, on the other hand, describes the selection of a suitable bivouac site in the mountains in a very subjective but vivid way. Moods and tonal atmospheres prevail over rational considerations. The experienced mountaineer and lecturer at the Institute of Landscape Architecture at ETH Zurich finally settles down in the place that her own holistically sensitive body suggests (p. 107).

Nemmertz writes somewhat succinctly at the end of her essay that sound plays a special role in the creation of space. It is therefore surprising that in a book with the subtitle "Sound Anthropological Studies" there is so little mention of the effect of the acoustic on the "inner ground" (Ulrich Pothast, p. 81 f.). One explanation may be that terms such as instinct, mood or feeling are difficult to differentiate; understandably, holistically-minded scientists shy away from separating different forms of sensation. Why there is a lack of concrete information about the influence of city noises, the sound of the sea or instrumental sounds is also due to very basic methodological problems. Our language, as the book also addresses, is trained in the "rational principle"; intuition, feeling and instinct, on the other hand, are difficult to grasp conceptually. The right term for such "soft factors" is neither accepted nor found in today's scientific culture. However, a start has been made with such books from the field of cultural studies.

Gespür - Empfindung - Kleine Wahrnehmungen, Klanganthropologische Studien, edited by Holger Schulze, 268 p., paperback, numerous illustrations, with CD-ROM, € 28.80, transcript-Verlag, Bielefeld 2012, ISBN 978-3-8376-1316-2