Reception and global interdependencies

Information about the conference

If you would still like to attend a course, you can find all the information about the courses, registration and free places on the musikwochen.ch website. Some courses are already fully booked.

Master classes Arosa

Under the label «Masterclasses Arosa», Arosa Culture bundles all those courses of the Arosa Music Course Weeks that offer the level of masterclasses. There are a total of 15 individual courses for various instruments. A special offer within the master classes is the «AROSA MUSIC ACADEMY», which combines individual lessons with intensive chamber music lessons. Lecturers at the master classes include well-known musicians such as Maurice Steger, Simon Fuchs, Lars Mlekusch, Markus Fleck, Jens Lohmann, Isabelle Schnöller and many others.

Attractive awards for participants in the master classes

Arosa Culture has created attractive awards for participants in the master classes. The Hans Schaeuble Award is presented to a maximum of nine participants. One award includes a concert engagement as part of the Arosa Klassik festival the following winter. Arosa Kultur offers the opportunity for chamber music performances with renowned musicians. The award can be presented thanks to the financial and moral support of the Hans Schaeuble Foundation.

Experience the magic of the Arosa Summer of Culture

The Kultursommer Arosa starts with a highlight. We are delighted to welcome the great Swiss violinist Sebastian Bohren and the exceptional recorder player Maurice Steger to Arosa. Together with harpsichordist and organist Martin Zimmermann, they will present a chamber music festival spanning three centuries.

The OPERETTA ARDEZ has long since become an audience favorite in Arosa. Most recently with the Advent concert in the Evangelical Church and in summer 2025 with «Hänsel e Grettina» on the Waldbühne. This summer they are performing «The Bear» by William Walton. It is a musically and scenically captivating musical theater masterpiece for three people, which captivates the audience from the first to the last second with wit, speed and depth. Together with «The Bear», the crime operetta «Grandhotel XY unsolved» is brought to the stage.

When the lively Moritz Weiss Klezmer Trio from Styria performs, sparks fly. With clarinet, guitar and double bass, they create sonic spaces that invite amazement and touch the soul with sensuality. Once rooted in the diverse world of klezmer, today their own compositions and playful interpretations take center stage and have brought their music to stages and festivals in over 20 countries. Special guest Simon Reithofer on gypsy guitar underlines the instrumental lyricism of the band with his soulful expression.

Children's concerts have always been an integral part of the Arosa Summer of Culture. On five Mondays from July 13, various theater groups, musicians and puppeteers enchant children's hearts, parents, godparents and nanis with their performances.

Also to be seen and heard on the Waldbühne: Folk music concerts, Suzie Candell and Band, lectures, readings and this year for the first time «Das kleine Waldbühni Openair». The mountain summer will be celebrated between trees, friends and live music.

And last but not least: 33 musicians can be heard in 19 Bergkirchli concerts! Every Tuesday at 17:00.

All information is available on www.arosakultur.ch to find.

From 30 April to 3 May 2026, Zurich was once again the center of the young Swiss music scene. After the regional Entrada rounds in March, 378 young musicians from all language regions of Switzerland qualified for the final of the 51st edition of the SJMW. The participants presented their programs in the categories Classica, Composition and FreeSpace and impressed with their great stylistic diversity and individual artistic approaches.

The auditions and rehearsals took place at various locations in Zurich, including the MKZ Florhof, the Hirschengraben school building and the University of Zurich. For four days, the city was characterized by music, encounters and intensive exchange. In addition to a high level of concentration and impressive artistic performances, the open and inspiring atmosphere of the competition was particularly noticeable.

The participants were accompanied by a total of 83 jury members from different areas of the Swiss and international music scene. Through their evaluations and discussions with the young musicians, the competition not only offers them a stage every year, but also important musical and educational impulses.

The results also underline the high standard of this year's edition. A total of 30 certificates and 332 diplomas were awarded in the Classica category: 59 first prizes with distinction, 90 first prizes, 116 second prizes and 67 third prizes. In the Composition and FreeSpace categories, the jury also awarded four first prizes with distinction, five first prizes, four second prizes and one third prize.

The festive highlight was traditionally the prizewinners' concert on Sunday, May 4, in the Great Hall of the MKZ. In front of an enthusiastic audience, selected prizewinners presented a varied and musically impressive program. In addition to the high quality, the musical expressiveness and natural stage presence of the young artists were particularly impressive. The recording of the concert by SRF 2 Kultur lent additional attention to this special occasion.

However, the SJMW not only stands for musical excellence, but also for community and support. Behind every performance are dedicated teachers, supportive families, companions and institutions that accompany young people on their musical path. It is precisely this interaction that has made the competition an important platform for the promotion of young musical talent in Switzerland for many years.

Outlook for the 2027 edition

With the successful conclusion of the 2026 final, the focus is already turning to the next edition of the competition. The 2027 regional Entrada rounds will take place from February 26 to 28 in Arbon, Geneva, Lugano, Neuchâtel, Sion, Winterthur and Zug.

The final will then be held in Lucerne from April 8 to 11, 2027. There, young musicians from all over Switzerland will once again have the opportunity to meet each other, exchange experiences and share their enthusiasm for music.

Since 1975, the SJMW has established itself as the national youth music competition. Around 1000 young people take part every year. Even though we always strive to organize our competitions and support programmes as cost-efficiently as possible, we are dependent on your support.

All donations are tax-exempt and can be made to the following account IBAN CH27 0026 1261 1705 3740 K.

Thank you very much for your valuable support!

Like most other professions, the music profession is not always accompanied by luck. Many of us are not lucky - or is it just a coincidence? -to make it in the consumer society with their work, to make an impact, to be successful or to become wealthy. This happiness in the world of music is usually short-lived. In comparison to the enormous output of musicians as composers, songwriters, performers and stage artists, only very few works are ultimately received in the long term, and even the most illustrious names of «stars» fade within a generation at the latest.

Of course, the formula «happiness = success» is rather skewed and certainly not a sufficient definition of happiness. Happiness for music creators could also be finding what you are looking for as an artist: finding an independent and valid statement, the certainty that what you wanted has been fulfilled in the work of art. This is certainly accompanied by the satisfaction of knowing that both performers and a (perhaps small) audience understand this language, are inspired and stimulated by it. It is something of a feeling of happiness to be understood - and if some of it is passed on.

«But luck could also be that the music professions have social significance and recognition.»

That everyone who makes musical art is a common «yeast» to trigger movement, (re)thinking, joy and humanity in the «dough» of society. In this respect, the individual musician is not so important. This kind of happiness is simply about society's understanding that all creative artists are considered important, regardless of their status and reputation, because each and every one of them makes a smaller or larger contribution with their work. The degree of fame or artistic reputation plays no role in this.

We are still a long way off that in this country. It was only during the 2020-2022 pandemic that a social and political discourse began in Switzerland for the first time about the fact that artistic professions are - more than ever - systemically relevant, deserve recognition and, not least, have an economic value. The precariousness of many music professionals, which became clearly visible at the time, came as a shock to the wider public. This was reflected in the first legal foundations of labor and social rights, but also in the cultural policy of the federal government, cantons and municipalities, which has intensified since then. Nowadays, people are talking about the music professions and debating fair fees and social benefits. This was clearly stated in the Federal Council's cultural message for 2025-2028. Based on this, many cantons and cities have realigned - and in some cases strengthened - their funding policies.

With the use of digital technologies in the production of music and its capitalist mass marketing by globally active media and music companies, issues such as copyrights, licenses for creative art, the extended protection of authors and remuneration for the distribution or appropriation of music are currently becoming important topics in the Swiss Federal Parliament. All these signs of a more appreciative recognition of the music professions are only just beginning. In real terms, nothing has really improved for music creators since then.

For this to change substantially, a driver is needed. And that is the cultural umbrella organizations. For independent musicians, this is of course SONART. When the composer, music thinker and publicist Hans Zender [1] spoke of a «political act» in connection with «working on autonomous art», this is exactly what he meant:

«The work of art, the music per se, does not have to be obviously political. But its background, its production conditions, its exploitation and its economic and social compensation have a lot to do with politics.»

Happiness cannot be forced. But the active and public promotion of fair fees, a diverse and continuously expanded cultural policy, social security in working life and in «retirement» as well as clear answers to the challenges of the digital world are SONART's unwavering focus. I am confident that SONART can achieve this: this is how moments of happiness can arise.

«The work on autonomous art itself is a political act» [Hans Zender]

Grade

1 Hans Zender (1936-2019), quote from the essay «Kulturpolitik» in «Waches Hören», Hanser Verlag, 2014

You can contact us via the e-mail address beratung@swissmedmusica.ch or by telephone (079 364 25 06). Our specialists will contact you within one to two working days.

The experts at our counseling center are independent of all institutions (orchestras, music academies, associations, etc.). They have no financial interests and do not favor any form of therapy.

They will listen to you, answer general questions or assess your situation and any complaints you may have. If necessary, they will recommend further investigations or treatment, if possible in your region of residence. You decide on further steps independently and on your own. Your data will not be saved and certainly not passed on. Counseling sessions are free of charge and can also be taken up anonymously. Membership of the SMM is not a requirement.

If you are looking for a specific offer, for example a physiotherapy specialist in your area who has further training or experience in music medicine, you will find a list of offers from our members at the URL swissmedmusica.ch/therapieangebote.

The conversation between Katrin Frauchiger and Veronika Lubert will focus on the question of how musicians can remain capable of regulation and artistically present.

KF: You have been a professor of musicians' health since May 2025. What was your personal path to becoming an expert?

VL: I came to musicians' health via sports psychology. I was interested early on in how people remain productive under pressure. In music, we encounter similar situations to those in competitive sport: auditions, tryouts, competitions. As musicians, we can learn a lot from athletes about how to deal with these situations.

KF: At the time of my studies, musicians' health was not yet a topic during training. There were some optional courses in physical techniques, such as Alexander Technique or breathing courses. Above all, the psychological and mental challenges and possible difficulties that had to be overcome during music studies and later in professional life were - depending on the respective teacher - a taboo or something that you had to solve on your own responsibility. How has the attitude towards this changed in recent years?

VL: Health is no longer a marginal issue, but is increasingly seen as part of professional training. At the same time, the requirements have become more complex: Internationalization, portfolio-like employment models, self-marketing. This means that, on the one hand, we need to think of health more as a competence - as an ability to self-regulate and shape a sustainable career - but on the other hand, we also need to critically scrutinize the working conditions of musicians.

KF: Singers in particular are especially dependent on their physical and mental state and are often directly affected by inconsistencies. During vocal training, regardless of style, the development of one's own perception of body and soul and the fine-tuning of these relationships, both in terms of technique and artistic expression, are crucial. What can instrumentalists learn from singers?

VL: Singers work in a very differentiated way on the connection between body, breathing, emotion and expression. The voice makes it immediately audible when something is out of balance - physically or mentally. In my opinion, this sensitivity to inner states and their regulation is a model for all musicians. Instrumentalists can learn from this to combine technical excellence and self-awareness even more. They can benefit by controlling their level of activation more specifically before a performance, better recognizing physical signals of overload and more actively shaping regeneration between intensive phases.artistic presence arises through regulated tension and mindfulness in the moment. Consciously working on perception, recovery and mental preparation is not an addition to technique, but part of professional competence - for example through preparation routines, breathing or focusing strategies and clear recovery windows in the weekly schedule.

KF: Sonart is intensively committed to improving the framework conditions and public perception of the music profession. The cultural-political commitment of various professional associations contrasts with the serious and rapidly changing reality of musicians. The music business seems to be increasingly out of balance; while corporations are enriching themselves, it no longer offers most musicians a livelihood, apart from the star market. Self-promotion, which primarily takes place via social media, is on the rise. Being a musician today requires staying power, flexibility and resilience to an even greater extent than before. How can we specifically support these skills? And how can we prevent ourselves from becoming exhausted as lone fighters?

VL: The current discussions show that many musicians are experiencing a strong concentration of demands. It is important for me to differentiate here: Resilience must not mean tacitly adapting to problematic structures. Sonart's cultural policy work to improve framework conditions is therefore central and necessary. It also underlines the importance of exchange and community among musicians. At the same time, musicians need personal skills in order to remain capable of acting in this field of tension: clear role and priority setting and reflection on their own identity, conscious recovery strategies and demarcation from permanent digital visibility, but also psychological flexibility - to be open, conscious and engaged in actions that correspond to one's own values, even in the face of difficult thoughts and feelings. If we teach these skills early on in education, we not only strengthen health, but also artistic performance.

Prof. Dr. Veronika Lubert
... is a psychologist, violinist, professor of musicians' health, and professor of musicians' health at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Music.Katrin Frauchiger
... is a singer, composer, member of the board of Sonart and lecturer at the Lucerne School of Music.

In 2025, the SJMW celebrated fifty years of its life with a brilliant anniversary concert at the Tonhalle Zurich: fifty years in which the competition has supported young musicians and made a decisive contribution to the training of future protagonists of the Swiss music scene. Building on half a century of tradition, the competition continues to offer a unique platform for young talent, combining artistic growth and creative exchange.

New team, new energy

The 51st edition is the first to be organized entirely by the new office, headed by Stefan P. Escher. This team had already successfully organized the 2025 final and has now launched a new phase of the competition. With enthusiasm and commitment, the new team set itself the goal of continuing and strengthening the long-standing mission of the SJMW: to offer young talents a real springboard platform - a space to grow, experiment and exchange ideas. Within a very short time, new partnerships with event organizers and thus performance opportunities for award winners were created. Details at https://sjmw.ch/ff/

From the entrada to the finale

The 51st edition of Classica Entrada took place from March 13 to 15, 2026 and brought seven Swiss cities in all language regions to life: Arbon, Geneva, Lugano, Neuchâtel, Sion, Unterägeri and Winterthur. Hundreds of young musicians presented the results of months of preparation and demonstrated their passion and talent.

The solo discipline followed the traditional range of even-numbered years and included the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, recorder, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, harp, accordion, dulcimer, pan flute and percussion.

As every year, the categories Early Music before 1750 and Contemporary Music were offered in parallel to the solo discipline in order to explore different repertoires and forms of expression. The duo and chamber music discipline also allowed instruments not represented in the solo category to participate via chamber music repertoire.

At the end of the Entrada, the jury awarded a total of 94 certificates and 762 diplomas, divided into: 108 first prizes with distinction, 261 first prizes, 236 second prizes and 157 third prizes.

At the same time, the Entrada of the Composition and FreeSpace disciplines took place in January 2026, with 25 participants in Composition and 7 in FreeSpace. One certificate and 31 diplomas were awarded: 16 first prizes, 6 second prizes and 10 third prizes.

The top-ranked participants will qualify for the final, which will take place at the Zurich Music Conservatory from April 30 to May 2, 2026. The highlight of the event will be the traditional prizewinners' concert on Sunday, May 3 in the large Florhof MKZ hall, where the competition's most outstanding talents will be presented.

A look into the future

The SJMW is more than just a competition: it is a meeting place for children and young people, music schools, teachers and families who are united by their passion for music. Over the decades, the competition has accompanied the first artistic steps of thousands of young musicians, many of whom have gone on to pursue professional careers in a wide variety of musical fields.

The Entrada of the 51st edition showed once again how important it is to offer young people spaces in which they can express themselves, experiment and grow. In a constantly changing musical environment, the SJMW remains an indispensable support instrument: it supports emerging talents, stimulates artistic curiosity and preserves a living musical tradition that is constantly renewed thanks to each new generation.

The Foundation Board, the expert commission and the administrative office are working on a new concept in the field of popular music, which is to be implemented in 2027. The dates of the competitions are already known: Entradas: February 26-28, 2027, finals April 8-11, 2027 in Lucerne.

FinalApril 30 to May 2, 2026, MKZ Zurich

Prizewinners:inside ConcertMay 3, 2026, Florhof MKZ Zurich

Tuition fees for domestic students are currently between CHF 720 and CHF 1000 per semester - foreign students are faced with fees of up to CHF 2550 per semester. Some cantons differentiate tuition fees between students from EU countries and third countries. However, cantons that treat all foreign students equally do not take into account the fact that if Switzerland's treaties with the EU are accepted, equal treatment of EU students and Swiss students will be a non-negotiable basis.

The best minds for Switzerland

The core task of universities is to foster and develop science and the arts through research, teaching and continuing education. They ensure an excellent, diverse education and research environment in Switzerland. Consequently, the most important task of the universities is to train intelligent, creative and innovative minds for our society and to make them available to the labor market. This internationally competitive university education is what society wants.

In order to ensure that the best and most creative young musical talents study at universities for the benefit of society, equality of starting opportunities is key. Selection in the admissions process should be based on quality and labor market opportunities. Tuition fees differentiated by origin, on the other hand, control selection according to financial strength and not quality - these tuition fees therefore fundamentally contradict the principle of equal starting opportunities.

Promoting young Swiss talent in an international environment

In addition to other examples, music education is strongly characterized by internationalization and thrives on mutual learning, comparison and music-making, which in turn is responsible for the high level of music and mediation culture in concerts, at music schools and in other areas of Swiss society. Incidentally, up-and-coming Swiss musicians also often take a Master's course abroad in order to be spurred on to top performance by this international exchange. It should also be mentioned that music students play a significant role in shaping cultural life in Switzerland.

The pre-colleges, which are now established at all universities and harmonized by the «Pre College Musik CH» quality label developed together with the music schools, also guarantee well-supervised access to universities for young Swiss talent. The label is linked to strict quality standards in order to offer young talent the best opportunities for entering university and a successful education.

Economization of education

Disguised as a "polluter pays" principle, the increase in fees is driving forward an economization of education, as we have seen in Anglo-Saxon countries for some time and with very negative consequences for equal opportunities in education. As a liberal welfare state with its own history, Switzerland has always focused on making carefully considered decisions in its carefully and continuously developed form. The Swiss Conference of Music Universities therefore views the current increases in tuition fees as a worrying sign for education as a whole. Equal starting opportunities are being called into question in a course of study that is geared towards the needs of society. The international competitiveness and connectivity that is important for a university of music will be jeopardized if we are no longer able to allow the best international students to study together with our young Swiss talent, which will have a direct impact on the quality of education for all students.

The cantons' approach jeopardizes the competition of ideas and quality that is so important in Switzerland through false incentives and misdirection - with the result that the attractiveness of universities and their courses would be determined primarily by the respective cantonal financial strength. Universities should compete with each other on programs, teaching staff and location, but not on massively different funding conditions. In view of the upcoming vote on the treaties with the EU in a few years' time and the carefully balanced and functioning framework conditions, these interventions contradict a prudent approach to the Swiss education system, which is particularly important in music, also in view of constitutional article 67a on music education.

Rico Gubler ...
is Vice President of the KMHS and Head of the Music Department at the HKB.

What do you mean by «musical heritage» when you run a music academy in Switzerland today? A collection of works that can be passed on like objects? An institutional responsibility? Or a living matter that needs to be shaped and transformed?

At the invitation of the Conference of Swiss Music Universities (KMHS), the Schweizer Musikzeitung (SMZ) interviewed the directors of the country's music universities. Far from a uniform discourse, the answers paint a multi-layered picture, partly consensual, partly controversial, in which the idea of musical heritage itself is questioned, expanded or redefined.

Between tradition and activation: what actually «exists»?

In Zurich, Xavier Dayer (ZHdK) introduces a clear break with the idea of a fixed, stabilized heritage: « Le patrimoine envisagé comme un ensemble stabilisé relève d'une fiction. Nous vivons entourés d'archives : ce qui les rend vivantes, c'est notre regard, notre écoute, notre manière de les interroger.»

In this perspective, musical heritage is not a given quantity, but a relationship. Nothing exists as long as it is not activated.

This idea resonates - without mixing with it - with one of the provocative mirrors held up by musicologist Daniel Leech-Wilkinson. For him, the belief in a stable «work» is a comparatively recent historical construction: it is not the object, but the experience in performance that creates musical value. (Daniel Leech-Wilkinson: Challenging Performance, Chapter 6.17: Works) This reference does not fundamentally question the idea of heritage, but invites us to understand it less as a transferable block than as a moving matter.

A legacy in flux - depending on the institution that receives it

For some institutions, dealing with heritage initially means cultivating a concrete relationship with the materiality of the traces: scores, collections, archives, musical estates, sound objects. In Lucerne, for example, the organ documentation center or the Jazz Helvetica archives bear witness to patient preservation work in which the act of conservation is already an act of mediation. Here, musical heritage begins even before it is heard. In this context, Valentin Gloor, Director of the HSLU, also points out the limits of music academies in passing on musical heritage: «A music academy must therefore always be aware that, due to its culture and context, it can only preserve, explore and pass on a tiny part of this immeasurable musical heritage.»

In contrast, Geneva describes a musical heritage in constant expansion that reaches far beyond the historical walls of the Western canon. Béatrice Zawodnik explains that this involves forgotten scores as well as non-written practices, taught Indian musical traditions or the emergence of an electronic repertoire that now has its own history and codes. The heritage here becomes a space for expansion, in which additions are made visible and repaired.

This contrast highlights a central tension: musical heritage can either be understood as something that needs to be protected - or as something that needs to be opened up, and it is precisely in this intermediate space, between remembrance and expansion, that the Swiss musical landscape moves today.

Mediate ... or experiment?

One question runs through several answers: Is a legacy actually being conveyed - or rather are practices being tested that will only be perceived as legacies in the future?

Xavier Dayer formulates this unequivocally: «I am not certain that we are transferring a heritage. Nous expérimentons, et nous créons les archives de celles et ceux qui nous succéderont.»

In Geneva, too, it is emphasized that students are not only recipients: « Le patrimoine n'est désormais pas seulement reçu but construit activement. [...] Il existait un patrimoine en sommeil que nos étudiant:es et nos enseignant:es s'efformais désormais de mettre en lumière. One can therefore no longer speak only in terms of a small ensemble of finished works written between the end of the XVIIIth century and the beginning of the XXth century.»

Students become co-producers of an emerging heritage when they participate in projects of rediscovery, research or artistic creation.

In Lausanne (HEMU), Noémie Robidas speaks of a «patrimoine vivant qui s'enrichit au contact des créations contemporaines». But this movement must be thought of in a circular way: contemporary works in turn feed on the past. Heritage is not an arrow pointing from the canon into the future, but a circular breath in which the past feeds the present - and the present redefines what will be considered heritage in the future.

However, this dynamic view must be relativized by a reality that is evident in everyday life: The contemporary does not always assert itself as a matter of course. In practice, an aesthetic comfort zone remains. It is not uncommon to observe that for some students - as well as for some concert audiences - the patrimonial field of imagination remains strongly oriented towards the past. The integration of new aesthetic languages is neither automatic nor uncontroversial. Musical heritage in the making remains a field of tension between institutional aspirations and actual reception.

What to do with Switzerland's musical heritage?

These shifts are also reflected in the pedagogical structures. Noémie Robidas explains that the HEMU (Waadt-Wallis-Freiburg) works with a composer-in-residence every year and thus directly integrates artistic creation into a mediation gesture. Other institutions pursue a more curatorial approach: they first allow works to «mature» before deciding whether they will be performed, studied or included in the curriculum. In this context, Leech-Wilkinson points out that every form of patrimonialization is also an operation of power: it fixes and differentiates what should be preserved, performed, sold and celebrated - and what may be forgotten. In Geneva, for example, Béatrice Zawodnik speaks of selective projects and at the same time emphasizes that there is no systematic instrument for promoting Swiss musical heritage.

Finally, in Bern, Rico Gubler (HKB) points to the responsibility of music academies towards regional composers and the importance of programming repertoire that is less present in the commercial music business: «This is the basis for the respective regional universities to make a special effort for the composers working in their area, because others (have to) do less for various reasons.»

This coexistence of different temporalities creates a very specific Swiss reality: we do not all teach the same futures. Some universities consciously confront students with the new, others first teach a common language before encouraging them to transform it. There is no right or wrong strategy - but different pedagogical ecosystems in which the notion of heritage also shapes the way musicians are educated.

Conclusion

If these positions have a common denominator, it is the insight that musical heritage is not a thing of the past, but a becoming; it is not passed on like a safe, but is created anew day by day - in classrooms, studios, listening practices, reopened archives, in played, discarded and transformed works.

At the Swiss level, therefore, there is no uniform concept of musical heritage, but rather a differentiated, transversal and constantly evolving concept. To the extent that heritage goes hand in hand with a continuous willingness to reflect and an open and flexible attitude on the part of the musicians of tomorrow, this is perhaps the greatest wealth that our conservatoires pass on.

The Arosa Culture Association has been offering the Arosa Music Course Weeks for 40 years. Every summer and fall, over 1450 participants find their way to the magnificent mountain world of Arosa. Around 200 experienced instructors from Switzerland and abroad are involved. The courses, most of which last 6 days, are aimed at amateur musicians as well as professional musicians and students.

Not only music courses on offer

Around 80 instrumental courses are offered for a wide variety of string, wind, keyboard and percussion instruments. A varied program awaits participants in the various choir and singing weeks.

But Arosa Culture doesn't just offer music courses. The program also includes painting courses, various dance courses, an instrument making course and a senior culture week. Once again, there are also various beginners' courses and special courses for children and young people.

The following courses are new to the program in 2026:

• Bass Stringtheory with Pieter Douma
• Botanical painting with Vivanne Dubach
• Choir week summer with Ernst Buscagne
• Choir week fall with Rainer Held
• Bassoon for teenagers with Letizia Viola
• Soundboard with Martin Kern
• Composition with Christian Zatta
• Power and joy through music and sound with Susanne Retsch and Christof Bachmann
• Music workshop for young people with Anna Bläsi, Vito Cadonau, Gianna Lavarini, Simon Steiner
• Pan flute with Michael Dinner
• Let's play guitar together with Han Jonkers
• Senior citizens' culture week with Brigitte Selm
• Singing week with Martina Hug

Arosa Music Academy and master classes

The Arosa Music Course Weeks are also an international player in the field of top-level promotion. Several master classes and two Arosa Music Academies will take place in Arosa in summer and fall 2026. Several prizes from the Hans Schaeuble Foundation will be awarded to participants. New to the program this year is a master class for double bass under the direction of Prof. Marcello Sung Hyuck Hong as well as «The Frankfurt Brass Masterclass» with various top-class young lecturers from Frankfurt.

Information and registration

All information about the courses and registration can be found at musiccourseweeks.ch. The printed course program can be ordered from Arosa Kultur (see contact). There is a CHF 40.00 discount for early bookers until the end of February.

The Swiss National Sound Archives was founded in 1987, is based in Lugano and has been a department of the Swiss National Library since 2016. Its mission is to collect, preserve and make accessible to the public all audio material related to Switzerland in the fields of music (classical, folk, jazz, pop and rock), language (interviews, readings, lectures...) and sounds (natural sounds, ambient sounds...). In this sense, the Fonoteca contributes to the preservation of Switzerland's cultural identity.

Today, the Fonoteca, with its 25 employees, is an important international center of excellence specializing in the preservation and documentation of audiovisual media. The Fonoteca's archives currently contain around 600,000 sound carriers in all formats (wax cylinders, tapes, cassettes, vinyl records, etc.). Over 300,000 of these are already recorded in the database and can therefore be consulted in the online catalog of the National Sound Archives (www.fonoteca.ch). Over 100,000 of these sound carriers have already been digitized and can therefore be listened to in the online catalog, which corresponds to almost one million audio tracks: these already digitized sound documents can be listened to throughout Switzerland at the «listening stations» that the Fonoteca has set up in around fifty public institutions such as cantonal libraries, universities and music academies (see the list of «listening stations» at www.fonoteca.ch/services/listeningPoints_de.htm).

New projects: Exclusive interviews available online

Over the course of 2026, the Swiss National Sound Archives will be launching a number of new projects to enhance our audio heritage. One of these is the publication of exclusive interviews with great personalities of classical music from Switzerland and abroad. The interviews will be conducted in the Fonoteca's recording studios by Gabriele Cerilli, the member of staff responsible for classical music.

The first interview is with Fritz Näf, an important Swiss choral conductor. As the founder of the «Basler Madrigalisten» and the «Schweizer Kammerchor», he spoke about his musical career and the state of choral music today.

The second interview is with Giorgio Appolonia and Giuseppe Clericetti, two historic voices of RSI Radiotelevisione svizzera. As long-time producers and journalists, they have tackled the sensitive issue of the importance of «recorded» music and its future.

Two more interviews are in preparation and will be published from January 2026. The first is with Carlo Chiarappa, a well-known violinist and long-time lecturer at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana. He told us about his work to rediscover baroque music and his research into contemporary music, thanks also to his long-standing collaboration with Luciano Berio.

The second interview is with the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. She was a student of the famous Swiss pedagogue Aida Stucki for several years and told us about her studies and the importance of these years for her future concert career, as well as some interesting reflections on her work as a teacher and the current state of classical music. Some of these interviews can already be viewed and listened to in the online catalog or on the National Sound Archives' YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@swissnationalsoundarchives).