As every year, the Cultural Department of the City of Thun offers grants, scholarships and sponsorship awards for artists. Bands from Thun and the municipalities of the Thun Regional Cultural Conference can now also apply for the cultural promotion prize.
All calls for proposals for artists and cultural practitioners from the Thun region are issued at the same time. The following are awarded: the Thun Cultural Promotion Prize, a scholarship for an artist's studio in Genoa and contributions to monographic publications, catalogs of works or CD-ROMs in the field of visual arts.
Genoa artists' studio
Since July 2011, the Städtekonferenz Kultur (SKK), of which the city of Thun is a member, has been running two studios in the center of Genoa in Italy, where artists from two Swiss cities live and work at the same time. For the second time since 2011, the city of Thun is inviting applications for this studio for the period from June 2 to August 30, 2014. At the same time, an artist from Vevey will be staying in the studio.
The studio is provided free of charge and the city of Thun pays a monthly contribution of CHF 1,500 towards the residency. Professional artists of all disciplines and cultural mediators from Thun or from one of the 40 municipalities of the Thun Regional Cultural Conference (RKK) are eligible to participate.
Applications must be submitted by mail no later than May 15, 2013 (date of postmark) to:
Cultural Department City of Thun, Stephan Schneider, Town Hall, P.O. Box 145, 3602 Thun.
The registration form for the studio can be found at www.thun.ch/kulturevents under "Kulturförderung/Auslandateliers", a detailed documentation and the occupancy plan on www.skk-cvc.ch under "Foreign studios".
From April 18 to 21, 2013, the complete opening of the Beromünster Abbey Theatre and the adjacent Schol will be celebrated with cultural festivals of all kinds. The renovated premises are to become a center for encounters between professional, amateur and popular culture of all kinds.
Following extensive conversion and renovation work, the historic Stiftstheater and the adjacent Schol now present themselves in new splendour and offer space for cultural events with a focus on theater and music.
The rich program of the opening festival includes a "Coronation of Chamber Music", performed by musicians from the Camerata
Bern and the Ensemble Paul Klee around the Beromünster cellist Kurt Hess as well as a performance by famm, four young women who came together in the Swiss Youth Choir 2010 and present Swiss folk songs in new clothes.
The whole program:
www.lu.ch/download/sk/mm_photo/10819_20130410_programm.pdf
Commitment to the film music of the future
The International Film Music Competition, which was held for the first time in 2012, will become an integral part of the Zurich Film Festival and will alternate between a festival cinema and the Tonhalle Zurich in future.
According to a press release from the Zurich Film Festival composers from all over the world are invited to write a score for the short film Reign of death (2009, Matthew Savage), which will be available for download from April 15, 2013. The five best entries will be presented at a film music concert on September 27 by the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the Zurich Jazz Orchestra will be premiered under the overall musical direction of André Bellmont at the Arena Cinemas in Sihlcity. An international jury will select the winning composition from these entries on the same evening. It will be awarded the Golden Eye "Best International Film Music 2013", worth CHF 10,000.
An instant success
The success of the composition competition for film music, held for the first time as part of the 8th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF), exceeded all expectations. 145 composers from 27 countries submitted a score for the Swiss animated film Evermore. In the end, the Golden Eye went to the young Basel percussionist and composer Michael Künstle.
It was not only the international response that prompted the Zurich Film Festival to make this special competition a permanent part of the supporting program. The primary motivation for establishing the composition competition is respect for a widely underestimated musical genre and its creators. After all, the soundtrack is a factor with high artistic standards that essentially determines the tonality, atmosphere and emotional impetus of a film.
The commitment to film music unites the partners who support the composition competition together with the Zurich Film Festival. This also includes the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurichin whose venue and with whose participation the competition will be held every second year from 2014. As a further co-organizer, the Forum Film Musicthe professional Swiss platform for music in the media.
The city of Bern, canton and regional municipalities are jointly financing the urgently needed renovation of Bern's municipal theater. The city's share amounts to CHF 19.05 million. The municipal council has approved the corresponding voting message for the attention of the city council.
A strict cost ceiling of CHF 45 million is assumed for the renovation in the planning and project design. A vote is scheduled for November 24, 2013.
A study contract was carried out for the public area. The architectural firm Smolenicky & Partner from Zurich emerged as the winner. The "Theatersalon" project impressed those responsible with the appropriateness of the architectural and urban intervention.
The project will restore the splendour of the neo-baroque architecture and open up, modernize and enhance the public area of the Stadttheater, writes the City of Bern. The winning projects will be exhibited in the gallery of the Kornhausforum, Kornhausplatz 18, from April 9 to 20, 2013.
Around 80 operas or musicals and 12 ballet evenings are performed at the Stadttheater Bern each season, the theater is used for 50 performances and there are also an increasing number of interdisciplinary performances. There are also readings and performances of the Nouvelle Scène in French, recitals and family concerts, and the house is also used by guests time and again: the stage for theater or music performances, the foyer as a festival center.
Visual arts, music, dance, theater and the Kulturbus Biel will be supported with 90,000 francs in the second half of 2013.
In the music category, the following people and projects will receive grants: Urs Peter Schneider (4000 francs for "Heile Welt - Operette in 16 stillen Bildern"), Hans Koch (6000 francs for "Klavierkomposition mit elektronischem Soundtrack"), Tomas Sauter (4500 francs for "CD Produktion - Tomas Sauter Solo"), Martin Schütz (9000 francs for "The sound, song and groove laboratory of Mr Schütz"), Christophe Schiess (2500 francs for "...hinaus in die Winternacht"), Micha Sportelli (4000 francs for "One of the lost II" and Regina Dürig and Christian Müller (6000 francs for "In Anbetracht der Raben").
The dance projects supported are: "Ganz im Hintergrund, in der Landschaft" (Katharina Vogel, CHF 7,000) and "corps.peau.real" (Susanne Mueller Nelson, CHF 6,000).
More info: www.biel.ch//de/pub/meta_navigation/medien.cfm?newsid=7386
Chin-Chao Lin Scholarship Holder of the Conductors' Forum
Taiwan-born Chin-Chao Lin, a graduate of the Zurich University of the Arts, has been awarded a scholarship by the German Conductors' Forum. The nine new talents were selected from 88 applications.
Chin-Chao Lin is a conducting student of Johannes Schlaefli at the ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts). ZHdK conducting student Raphael Honegger also made it through to the final round. This is a great achievement for a Bachelor student in this highly competitive environment, writes the ZHdK.
From April 3 to 5, 2013, the orchestra conductors faced the vote of a five-member jury chaired by Johannes Schlaefli in Siegen. After two rounds, six candidates were accepted into the first stage of the competition: In addition to Chin-Chao Lin, Dominik Beykirch (Weimar), Mihhail Gerts (Berlin), Hermes Helfricht (Berlin), Lahav Shani (Berlin) and Gierdė Šlekytė (Dresden).
The Conductors' Forum is a project of the German Music Council. In more than 20 events per year, it offers its scholarship holders the opportunity to work with leading professional orchestras and choirs as well as experienced conductors.
Young drummers compete in Altishofen
From April 12 to 14, 2013, around 360 young drummers will show off their skills in Altishofen. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the competition, concerts will be held on Friday and Saturday evening.
The anniversary weekend starts on Friday with a concert evening featuring drummers who have successfully taken part in the competition in previous years.
From 9 a.m. on Saturday, the participants compete in all the competition venues, the multi-purpose hall, the Pfrundhaus and the church. They will be judged by a professional jury.
After a drummer's night, the competition will come to an end on Sunday with further performances.
All lectures are open to the public, the exact program and the starting lists are available on the Website of the competition is now available.
Organ Scholarship 2013/14 in Fribourg
The Fondation Académie d'Orgue de Fribourg is offering a scholarship for students at the Fribourg School of Music.
In accordance with its statutory objectives, the Fondation Academie d'Orgue de Fribourg promotes the heritage of historic organs in the Fribourg region and aims to encourage young people to study the organ. It is therefore offering a scholarship of CHF 5,000 for the 2013/14 academic year. This also includes an organ concert as part of the Fribourg International Organ Festival.
Applicants must have attended the HEMU Fribourg be enrolled or admitted to this conservatory.
Applications should be sent to the following address:
Fribourg Organ Academy
C.P. 23
1702 Fribourg
Further information: www.academieorgue.ch
Registration deadline is June 30, 2013
Echo Jazz for HKB lecturer Lutz Häfner
Saxophonist Lutz Häfner, who teaches at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), is one of the recipients of this year's Echo Jazz award in Germany.
Häfner received the award in the category Instrumentalist of the Year National Saxophone/Woodwinds for the CD "Deep" with Rainer Böhm (C.A.R.E. Music), a CD with mostly rarely played ballads by Lew Brown, Cole Porter or George Gershwin.
Born in 1972, Häfner completed his training at the Herrmann-Zilcher Conservatory in Würzburg and the Cologne University of Music. He has worked with greats such as Till Brönner and Fanta 4. He teaches saxophone and ensemble playing in Bern.
Highlights and large crowds in Arosa
The sixth Arosa Music Festival came to an end on Sunday, April 7.
The 15 or so events were attended by almost 1500 spectators over the last eight days. This significantly exceeded the visitor numbers of the last two years (around 1350). The Arosa Culture Association, which organizes the festival, is also satisfied from an artistic point of view. As in previous years, the casalQuartett, which performed with Berlin singer Sharon Brauner among others, and the Festival Players Arosa provided the highlights. The various soloists, such as soprano Sumi Kittelberger, violinist Esther Hoppe and recorder player Maurice Steger, were also a delight. Arosa Kultur received positive feedback after the school concerts, which this year were performed by Sharon Brauner and jazz pianist Helmut Bruger as well as the Festival Players Arosa for a total of over 200 schoolchildren of all ages from all over the valley.
The prizewinners' concerts with up-and-coming artists were once again a focal point this year. The 15-year-old violinist Andrina Däppen from Trimmis, the 22-year-old singer Bettina Herrmann from Obersaxen and the 19-year-old clarinettist David Breitenmoser from Gossau were among those who impressed the audience. Folk music also had a welcome platform at the Arosa Music Festival with a successful Stubete with formations from the Schanfigg music school and the Butzerin family band.
In financial terms, Arosa Culture is expecting a slightly higher deficit than budgeted. However, the lower income can be compensated for by the association's reserves. Following the overall positive results, the festival is to be held for a seventh time in 2014 from March 28 to April 6.
Violin notes from easy to difficult
On the Henle website, after the works for solo piano, the violin works can now also be searched for by level of difficulty.
The entire violin literature in the G. Henle Verlag catalog was classified from "very easy" to "very difficult". The model was the publisher's existing classification system for piano music. The grades easy, medium and difficult are each divided into three sub-groups. Piano music has additional intermediate levels. On the publisher's website, the available literature can be searched not only by instrumentation, period or composer, but also by this - of course relative - classification system. Classification.
On March 22, a new association under the name Musikschaffende Schweiz (FR: Musiciens suisses, IT: Musicisti svizzeri, EN: Swiss Musicians) was founded as part of the m4music festival.
According to the information on the websites of action swiss music and Swiss Musicians Association The aim is to bring together the core competencies of the two associations: the fight against internet piracy and for fair compensation for digital use on the one hand, and advice, campaigns and workshops for musicians on the other. A new, completely revised website will be launched soon.
The board comprises 16 people who represent both the national languages and the breadth of local pop music creation:
Christoph Trummer, President, Head of Political Projects
René Baiker, Vice President and Head of the Consulting & Services division
Christian Wicky, Vice President for French-speaking Switzerland
Other members of the board are: Alexandra Egli, Shirley Grimes, Muriel Rhyner (Delilahs), Jeff Baumann, Marco Bliggensdorfer (Bligg), Reto Burrell (Burrell, CH), Roman Camenzind, Thomas Fessler, Andi Jud, David Johnson, Bruno Marty, Andy Prinz, Ivo Sidler (IVO).
Interview with Ivo Sidler on copyright and internet piracy.
30 exhibitors based in Switzerland will be presenting at the International Music Fair Frankfurt (April 10 to 13, 2013) - primarily publishers and instrument manufacturers.
Publishers Edition Swiss Music, Frédy Henry Editions Sàrl, Hug & Co and Pan Verlag GmbH will be presenting their latest offerings. Suppliers of drums and accessories are also prominently represented - with Agner Swissdrumsticks, Paiste AG, Task Force & Logistic Sárl and Vetsch Drum Syndicate. Triff Bone Guitar from Aarau will be presenting innovative compact guitars.
The range of suppliers of wind instruments is also extensive. These include Bassetto wind instruments (bassooninos), Oboenzubehör Bucher, Creahouse Genossenschaft (flutes and panpipes), daCarbo AG (carbon trumpets), Blechblas-Instrumentenbau Egger, Inderbinen Blasinstrumente, Musik Spiri (trumpets), Pico Kinderinstrumente, Softwind Instruments (midi saxophones), Swiss Tuba Center W. Kubli and Willson Band Instruments Switzerland (tubas, cornets, French horns).
The range is completed by the multiple service providers Tonewood Switzerland - Florinett AG (woods), Wharry Sarl (strings, tuners etc.), Musik Meyer AG (instruments), Arosa Kultur (courses), Concepta KVB AG (cases), Europiano e. V. and Swiss Association of Piano Makers and Tuners, Jancic AG (machines) and Schertler SA (guitars and general accessories).
Finally, the website musiczone.ch a portal for musicians who want to market themselves.
Musikmesse in Frankfurt am Main is the most important international trade fair for musical instruments and sheet music, music production and marketing. It brings together 1500 exhibitors from more than 50 countries every year.
More info: www.musikmesse.de
"Mani Matter (1936-1972)"
From March 26 to September 8, the most important stages in Mani Muster's life can be seen for the last time in Zurich.
The National Museum Zurich is once again showing the exhibition "Mani Matter (1936-1972)". After a Swiss tour, she returned to her starting point at the end.
Five of his songs set the themes according to which letters, records, photographs and other objects from his estate are arranged in islands. IPads are part of the exhibition, allowing visitors to read texts, listen to songs and watch film clips that complement and deepen the exhibits on the themed islands.
Since 2004, music in the German state of Baden-Württemberg has only been taught as part of the subject group "Man, Nature and Culture". The state's CDU parliamentary group is now calling for it to be reinstated as an independent subject in elementary school timetables. The German Orchestra Association (DOV) supports the initiative.
Studies by the State Institute for School Development and the Baden-Württemberg State Music Council have shown, writes the DOV, that the merging of subjects, which was brought about almost ten years ago, has not achieved the desired educational results.
Georg Wacker, the education policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group in Stuttgart, explained that it had become clear that this approach had not laid the hoped-for foundations that had been expected based on the state of educational research at the time.
According to DOV Managing Director Gerald Mertens, the merging of music with other music subjects, as has been increasingly practiced throughout Germany in recent years, is also a wrong move. "Now that both teaching practice and scientific studies have clearly revealed this, the wrong decisions that have been made must be reversed as quickly as possible," continued Mertens.