At least since ancient Greece, the fantasy of an anthropomorphic robot with extensive learning capabilities has regularly fired the imagination, especially the literary imagination, particularly since the advent of science fiction literature. But the latest dizzying development in artificial intelligence technology does not currently present itself in the form of androids, but as data centers in which specific programs weave their artificial neural networks and evolve with the help of data available for free on the web, including conversations on social networks and texts used by online translation tools. This vast amount of "training data" inspires and influences AI programs and enables them to generate new content through algorithms based on the knowledge they acquire. Conversation tools are currently the best-known example. In response to this massive use of text, a considerable number of websites, including those of major newspapers, can now only be read for a fee. On the one hand, this contributes to limiting the offer for individual users who do not want to subscribe to multiple websites and, on the other hand, to distorting the quality of information available on the net: disinformation or ideologically oriented websites have no interest in preventing the use of their content, on the contrary, they gradually become more important when reliable news sites become inaccessible to AI search engines.

The use of AI is not limited to writing more or less elaborate texts: it also collects image, audio and video files. The voices of actors or singers are used without their consent, images of political figures are altered and video montages make them say things they never said. Aside from this worrying use, which is due more to malice and a lack of legislation than to the technology itself, the use of AI can of course make certain activities much easier and make tedious repetitive work unnecessary. This is the case, for example, with software that makes it possible to identify unwanted noises in a recording and automatically remove them, such as the crackling when digitizing an old record. Similarly, several functions of music notation software work with AI. Effectively, most people have been using this technology for several years without realizing it. The film industry uses it massively, so much so that many jobs are at risk, as the 2023 strike by American screenwriters spectacularly demonstrated. The writers concerned demanded that AI tools not be used to put them out of work, but only as a research aid or for details of the script. Actors who specialize in voice dubbing are also worried and fear being replaced by digital tools. In fact, there is already software that can clone voices and make them say anything you want. One platform already offers to create your own episodes of series and share them on the web, whose entire conception (script, text, editing, characters, dubbing, music, etc.) is carried out by AI. Even if the initial results are not yet one hundred percent satisfactory, we are at the beginning of a technological revolution that will be accessible to everyone, for better or for worse.

In addition to the issue of the protection of personal data, which is close to the hearts of internet users, the issue of copyright and related rights is the subject of ongoing attention from artists' associations. A heated debate is raging between those who are concerned about the rights of authors and seek the most appropriate jurisdiction possible, and those for whom works are merely data that can be exploited without restriction by AI. The key question will be which interests are considered paramount by legislators and the courts. To this end, the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) has drawn up a declaration with specific recommendations. The SMV is actively involved in the FIM through its Central Secretary Beat Santschi, who, we would like to remind you, is also Vice President of the Federation.

The FIM declaration

 After a brief reminder of the historical changes that the music sector has faced, FIM emphasizes that the development of the legal framework can partly help to compensate for their negative effects. Although the Rome Convention and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have provided welcome solutions for performers in relation to broadcasting and communication to the public, these instruments have unfortunately failed to effectively regulate downloading and streaming, as Article 10 of the WPPT in its current version does not allow performers to receive a fair share of the revenue from the online exploitation of their recordings. This legal framework is even less able to address the particular problems posed by generative AI today, whether in the use of existing data or the end result of its use.

The FIM recommendations include the following considerations: "It is unacceptable that performers can become victims of large-scale exploitation of their works, sounds, voices, images, likenesses or styles without their free, prior and informed consent and without financial compensation. Performers should have the right to authorize and effectively prohibit the scraping [automatic extraction and storage of data from websites] and analysis of their works, sounds, voices, images, likenesses or styles by an AI system, even after the transfer of their exclusive rights, and to receive financial compensation for such use. It is also necessary to ensure that performers enjoy the same level of protection against the unauthorized use of their performances by AI, regardless of whether they are based on a literary or artistic work, an expression of folklore or AI-generated material."

Financial compensation

"Once AI has recorded and analyzed the works, sounds, voices, images, likenesses or styles of artists, it can use this data to produce new content on a scale that represents a significant market distortion and an objective threat to the careers and livelihoods of all current and future artists. We need a sustainable legal and economic environment that effectively prevents AI-generated audio and visual material from distorting the market with prices that are far below those of human creations protected by copyright and related rights. To the extent that AI-generated content derives its value from human creations that are widely used, it is entirely appropriate to consider mandatory compensation mechanisms that benefit the creative community and apply to all AI generative tools. Therefore, innovative compensation mechanisms based on production should be considered. For any AI-powered generation of music content, performers should be fairly compensated, as their work and talent form the knowledge base for this content. However, such fair payments must not lead to the normalization or undue promotion of individual people's work through generative AI. We need a compensation system that honestly forces a producer considering the use of generative AI to weigh the economic benefits of products and performances created by humans against the benefits of products created by generative AI."

This topic will continue to be a source of controversy and concern in the years and decades to come. Among the interesting reflections on this topic was the symposium "Artificial Intelligence and Creativity" held in Bern in May 2024, organized by the Swiss Coalition for Cultural Diversity, Suisseculture and the Federal Film Commission. Videos of the contributions are on the Suisseculture website to find.

FIM statement on AI in music

Since the lockdown in 2020 at the latest, it has become widely known that freelance musicians are poorly protected if events are canceled. At the time, coronavirus aid was granted and attempts were made to cushion the catastrophic loss of earnings for artists. What is less well known is that pregnancy is enough to cause a comparable loss of earnings.

At the beginning of September, the Federal Council recommended the motion "Pregnancy in the workplace. Close gaps, maternity protection for all employees" for rejection, as it saw no need for action. He should take a look at the music industry!

Pregnant women enjoy special protection in the workplace. If they can no longer carry out their usual work because it is too arduous or too dangerous, their employer must offer them equivalent alternative work. Eight weeks before the birth, there is also a ban on working after 8 pm. If it is not possible for the employer to offer equivalent alternative work, pregnant women must be released from work and paid 80 percent of their salary. Daily sickness benefit insurance does not cover this, as pregnancy is not an illness!

For us musicians, this means that we can no longer work eight weeks before the birth. Even strict compliance with the noise limit of 85dB(A) stipulated in the Maternity Protection Act - to protect the unborn child - sometimes leads to months-long employment bans.

For permanent employees, this is not a problem for the time being. Especially not if they are subject to a good CLA and benefit from regulations that go beyond the legal requirements. However, many musicians work on a freelance basis.

Freelancers are the basis of musical cultural life in Switzerland. No choral concert or festival can do without them. Even professional orchestras rely on them when they play large programs, their own orchestra members are ill or there are vacancies. They are contracted on a project-by-project basis, but are not considered self-employed as they usually do not organize their own concerts. As pregnant women, they are simply no longer employed - at least in the last few months.

The only option is to register with the RAV and apply for unemployment benefit. Unemployed persons who are unable to work due to illness, accident or pregnancy are entitled to full unemployment benefit until the 30th day at the latest.

However, in order to receive maternity compensation after the birth, you must have an employment contract, be self-employed or meet the eligibility requirements for ALV daily allowances. In other words, freelancers have little chance of receiving maternity compensation. For them, the Maternity Protection Act, which protects the health of the expectant mother and the unborn child - quite rightly - leads to months of total loss of earnings.

I find it hard to imagine that the situation is any different in other sectors with a high proportion of female freelancers than it is for us musicians. The motion recommended for rejection by the Federal Council demands that unemployment insurance cannot be withdrawn during pregnancy, that the number of daily unemployment benefits for pregnant unemployed people who are unable to work for health reasons be increased and that continued payment of wages be covered by EO compensation in the event of a medical ban on employment.

It is currently being discussed in the Council of States. I very much hope that the small chamber will see the need for action!

Horn player Hanna Rasche plays in the Philharmonia Zurich and is a member of the SMV trade union and the Zurich Opera House Parents' Contact Point.

Some explanations on the subject of the motion that the Federal Council is recommending for rejection and which is mentioned in the article below by Hanna Rasche.

On the initiative of the SMV and other trade unions and with the support of the SGB, Flavia Wasserfallen, member of the Council of States, submitted a motion on 13 June entitled "Pregnancy at the workplace: closing gaps - maternity protection for all employees", which aims to instruct the Federal Council to amend the legal provisions so that

- no unemployment insurance can be withdrawn during pregnancy;

- the number of ALV daily allowances for pregnant unemployed persons who are unable to work for health reasons should be increased;

- the continued payment of wages is covered by EO compensation in the event of medically issued employment bans.

These adjustments are urgently needed in order to better protect pregnant musicians who are affected by a ban on work due to sound pressure measurements in the orchestras in application of the Maternity Protection Ordinance.

Despite the problems posed by the current legal situation, the Federal Council issued a negative opinion last September 4. The motion has now been forwarded to the Council of States' Social Security and Health Committee for examination.

The SMV naturally supports the call for more musical diversity and improved support for the independent music scene, especially if this would lead to musicians being paid fair, living wages, which is unfortunately by no means the case throughout Switzerland today.

However, we consider the approach of the Music Diversity Initiative to give the independent scene in Basel 30% of the total subsidies for the music sector without being aware of the consequences for the permanent and often also freelance employees of the institutions in the event of a corresponding reduction in their subsidies to be counterproductive.

Basel's orchestras, which are unique in Switzerland in terms of their diversity, currently employ a large number of freelance musicians; these will be the first victims of reduced funding. As a result, staff reductions will also be required for permanent musicians.

How would we as a musicians' union react to such developments? And these would be highly likely, as there has so far been no commitment from politicians to the necessary increase in overall subsidies for music. Such an increase would also be problematic from a trade union perspective if it only benefited one cultural sector (music) and not the others.

The Central Board of the Swiss Musicians' Association (SMV) has therefore decided to support the NO campaign against the initiative, not only to protect the jobs of our CLA orchestra SOB, but also the diverse commitments of our freelance members as newcomers in this orchestra and as permanent or freelance members in all the other Basel orchestras (Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonietta, La Cetra, etc.). We have arrived at this position precisely because the SMV is the trade union not only for permanent employees but also for freelance professional musicians in Switzerland. The canton of Basel-Stadt is in a good financial position and MIGHT be able to cushion the impact of the initiative if it is adopted, but other cantons in Switzerland would not be able to do so if they followed this example.

The text of the unformulated initiative, which was submitted with 4098 valid signatures, reads as follows:

"The Canton of Basel-Stadt promotes public music in a way that takes into account the diversity of interests and the needs of today's society. In future, the Canton of Basel-Stadt will therefore increasingly support not only institutions but also independent musicians with appropriate funding, thus ensuring a diverse range of music. To this end, the following regulation will be implemented within 4 years of the initiative being accepted:

1. The Canton of Basel-Stadt supports independent music creation with at least one third of the total music funding budget each year. This includes: a) contributions for freelance musicians; b) contributions for program, venue and structural support.
2. The Canton of Basel-Stadt is adapting the funding structures accordingly and standardizing the awarding processes for all independent music creation."

Problematic consequences

What at first glance appears sympathetic, namely to provide appropriate support not only for classical music, but also for electronica, hip-hop, jazz, pop and rock, has consequences that the initiators either did not consider or did not want to see: In particular, the Basel Symphony Orchestra SOB (which is funded by the public purse) and the Theater Basel, where the SOB provides a considerable proportion of its services, would no longer be able to continue their performance mandate in its current form if the 30% subsidy were to be cut. One of the initiators, Roberto Barbotti, says in an interview in the Basler Zeitung: "Nobody said that they wanted to cut funding for classical music if the initiative was accepted. That is scaremongering." It is unclear how this is supposed to fit together, as the government council rejects a further increase in the culture budget. In the same interview, rapper La Nefera says dismissively: "Even if only a few people listen to classical music, I think it's important to promote it." In the 2018/19 season, the Basel Symphony Orchestra alone had around 125,000 listeners! Both the SOB and the Basel Chamber Orchestra regularly play to sold-out halls. This also ignores the fact that the SOB, for example, employs around 170-180 freelance musicians for a wide variety of programs during a season in addition to the 100 or so permanent employees. These perform a total of around 3,000-3,500 services and cost around 900,000 to 1.2 million francs (depending on the season). It can therefore be assumed that the share designated as institutional funding also includes substantial funds from which freelance musicians benefit. The fact that the initiators are not explicitly calling for an increase in the cultural budget - apart from the fact that the canton of Basel-Stadt already has the highest per capita expenditure in the cultural sector in Switzerland - is due to the fact that the implementation of the "Tip Initiative", which was adopted in 2020, has already introduced measures that significantly improve the conditions for independent music creation in the canton of Basel-Stadt and counteract the historically grown imbalance of genres. It provides for a gradual increase in the cultural budget over the years 2022 to 2024 totaling CHF 3.15 million, which is intended to strengthen youth and alternative culture in all genres.

Government Council and Grand Council reject the initiative

As the Government Council explains in its 2023 report, music creation and the range of music on offer are supported by several public funds, in all genres from classical music and amateur choirs to contemporary and improvised music and popular music. He is of the opinion that "implementing the demands in line with the initiative text would jeopardize the stability of identity-defining cultural institutions and Basel's reputation as a city of culture, lead to the dismissal of permanent staff and a reduction in commissions and performance opportunities for freelance musicians".

On the recommendation of its Education and Culture Committee, the Grand Council rejected the initiative in June 2024. The development of a counter-proposal, which would have included an improvement in social security for cultural workers, failed because the demands of the initiative were not specific enough for an alternative proposal. In an interview with the Basler Zeitung, Franziskus Theurillat, the orchestra director of the SOB, explained that there had been talks with the initiators before the initiative was launched and that they might have supported it, but apparently it was not just about obtaining funding, but about fundamentally questioning the funding system for ideological reasons.

Initiative divides the cultural landscape

The committee "Caring for Basel as a City of Culture", which is campaigning for the rejection of the initiative and of which SMV Central Secretary Beat Santschi is a member, comments: "The initiative is populist and characterized by envy and resentment. It is driving a wedge into our cultural landscape. The initiative calls for additional funding for a certain group of "independent" artists and deliberately accepts that this should be at the expense of "institutional" artists. This special treatment is unfair, divides the various players in the cultural city of Basel and sows discord. [...] The initiative wants one-sided support for music. That is not in keeping with the times. Cultural promotion today is interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral. We want to promote innovative collaboration and overcome divisions. However, the initiative has the effect of pitting the various disciplines, genres, cultural forms of expression and institutions against each other." Franziskus Theurillat aptly summarizes the situation before the vote: "I can only support the concern for balanced promotion that underlies the initiative. Diversity too, anyway. That's the tricky thing. I have mixed feelings. I can support the cause, but not the initiative in its current form."

www.nein-zur-spaltung.ch

She gave us the answers to our questions about her motivation and life as a freelance musician in writing.

Birgit Thorgerd Müller grew up in Coburg, Bavaria, until she graduated from high school in 1988.

From 1986, she studied violin as a junior student with Jacob Gilman in Munich. She then completed her regular studies with a concert exam. Further training took place in the class of Nora Chastain in Winterthur. She received additional artistic impulses in violin master classes with Aaron Rosand, Zhakar Bron and Grigori Zhislin, among others.

From 1993 to 1995 she played in the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra before moving to Zurich for private reasons and starting a family.

Since moving to Switzerland, she has worked as a freelance/interim conductor, primarily with the Zurich Opera House Orchestra (Philharmonia Zurich) and regularly with most orchestras in German-speaking Switzerland (Lucerne, St. Gallen, Winterthur, Basel, Bern), in neighboring countries (SWR Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Orchestra) and, for example, with the Gstaad Festival Orchestra.

Her collaboration with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Zubin Mehta, Bernard Haitink, Herbert Blomstedt, Teodor Currentzis, Daniele Gatti and Jaap van Zweden, among others, has given and continues to give her valuable impulses and allows her to pursue her profession as an orchestral musician with passion.

She also devotes herself to solo and chamber music concerts. She is particularly interested in premieres and first performances by contemporary composers. Gerhard Deutschmann, Andreas Willscher and Vahram Babajan have already dedicated works to her.

Birgit Thorgerd Müller, what motivates you to work on the SMV Central Board?

Not primarily in connection with the work of the Board of Directors, but it is very important to me to raise awareness and sensitize people to the value of music for the mental health of our society. This is completely independent of whether you create music yourself or "only" consume it.

Here's a little story from a trip to Nové Město nad Metují in the Czech Republic this summer: the owner had set up a piano in the courtyard of the castle there, with the explicit message that if you could play a little piano, you were welcome to make music. During our short stay, cell phones were put away and conversations about music and completely different topics arose between strangers, between piano players and listeners. The atmosphere changed noticeably. I feel that music speaks to something unifying and peacemaking in all of us. In my opinion, we can make much broader use of this positive effect.

My motivation to join the SMV Central Board stems from a deep desire to actively represent and strengthen the interests and concerns of my colleagues. This is helped by the fact that I like to act as a link between individuals and groups. I would like to use this ability to promote cohesion within our community and advance common goals.

I am also particularly concerned about the adequate remuneration of musicians. I firmly believe that the valuable work we do must be fairly and appropriately rewarded. I would like to do my utmost to further improve the framework conditions for music-making in Switzerland.

On the committee, I would like to work on ensuring that our voice is heard even more strongly in the cultural discourse and that we as an association act in a sustainable and future-oriented manner.

How do you experience everyday life as a freelancer?

 I personally know both the life of a permanent employee and the life of a freelancer. Switzerland offers a lively cultural diversity in the urban centers with a great demand for musicians. Culture is promoted so that a variety of projects can take place. The classical scene is quite manageable, so that most people know each other and freelancers can also support each other. Ideally, everyday life is musically varied due to the flexibility.

In addition to these very enriching aspects, there are of course the financial and logistical challenges: the order density is not always the same and the projects are not always equally well paid.

What else can SMV do to support freelancers?

The SMV already offers a wide range of support options. For example, from legal assistance to ongoing minimum fee negotiations and an emergency fund. In my opinion, a stronger network among freelancers and special training courses or workshops would be desirable and worthwhile. The SMV could provide even more impetus for this.

However, I also know from my own experience that freelancers often find it difficult to plan extracurricular activities due to the need for permanent professional flexibility. As the SMV, we are continuing to work on this and are trying to reach freelancers and strengthen the group feeling, also in order to give the voice of freelance musicians more weight socially and politically.

The bill to be voted on in September is a tough one: an SP Federal Councillor once again has to take a public stand against her own party, Maya Graf, a Green member of the Council of States and co-president of the women's organization Alliance F, is at the forefront of supporting a reform that is rejected by her party, and Esther Friedli, an SVP member of the Council of States and member of the GastroSuisse board, rejects the reform, as does the left. The fact is that the bill is very complex, but the Federal Council and parliament have been so vague about the details that the impact on pensioners cannot be reliably predicted. Musicians should reject the reform, as it will not bring them any financial benefits but will lead to a reduction in their pension.

Watering down the original reform idea

Following the failure of the "Pensions 2020" project in the 2017 referendum, the two pillars of the pension system were to be reformed separately. The reform of the first pillar ("AHV 21") has since been approved by the electorate and essentially consists of an increase in the retirement age for women and an increase in VAT. It can be assumed that the narrowly positive result of the vote was influenced by an alleged financial imbalance in the AHV, which turned out to be a blatant miscalculation by the Federal Social Insurance Office a few weeks ago. With regard to the reform of the second pillar, the Federal Council initially adopted a compromise proposal from the social partners: The financing of occupational pensions was to be improved by adjusting the minimum conversion rate. In order to maintain the pension level and provide better protection for people with low incomes and part-time work - including musicians - the coordination deduction was to be halved and a jointly financed pension supplement introduced. However, during the parliamentary process, the conservative parties quickly wanted nothing more to do with this. In the end, a reform was passed that deviated from the social partners' compromise on key points. In particular, the pension supplements, which should have compensated for the reduction in the minimum conversion rate and the pension fund pensions that had been falling for years, were massively reduced. Parliament has also abandoned the solidarity-based financing of these pension supplements. What remains of the original idea is mainly higher salary deductions and a lower minimum conversion rate (6 instead of 6.8%) - and therefore lower pensions for many insured persons, as the conversion rate determines how much pension you receive for the assets you have saved.

Pensions are falling despite good pension fund results

Pensions from pension funds are falling all the time. This is despite the fact that contributions have never been as high as they are now and the pension funds are doing very well. Their reserves and safety buffers amount to over 110 billion francs. With the BVG reform, pensions are to be cut by up to CHF 3200 per year. In the last three years, pensioners have lost over 5% of their purchasing power due to inflation. This corresponds to around CHF 100 per month for an average pension fund pension. At the same time, mandatory salary deductions are being increased. With the reform, employees would have to pay CHF 2.1 billion more into the pension funds each year. Wage costs will rise by up to CHF 2,400 per year. Pierre-Yves Maillard, President of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB), of which the SMV is also a member, summarizes the problem succinctly: "Paying more for less pension - we must prevent this deceptive package." Today, banks, managers and experts are diverting over 7 billion from our pension fund assets every year. Asset management costs have doubled in the last ten years. They amount to CHF 1400 per year for each and every one of us. Experts also see huge savings potential. Over the last 20 years, insurance companies have made a profit of CHF 9 billion with the approval of parliament by offering expensive, unattractive pension fund solutions, especially to smaller companies.

Broad opposition

The argument that the BVG should finally be reformed after 20 years is wrong, as there is no reform backlog in the pension funds, unlike in the AHV. Incidentally, structural improvements for women, such as the introduction of child-raising and care credits, are completely absent from the current reform. Gabriela Medici, the SGB's pensions specialist, therefore emphasizes: "This reform is also bad for women. Problems are not being solved and many are threatened with lower pensions." Recently, eight trade associations, namely GastroSuisse, the Employers' Association of Western Switzerland, the trade associations of bakers and confectioners, hairdressers, fitness and health centers, petrol station stores, CafetierSuisse and the meat trade association have also joined forces to form an alliance "No to the BVG sham reform". They consider the reform to be a failure and recommend rejecting it at the ballot box.

https://bvg-bschiss.ch/

The answers to our questions were provided in writing.

Catherine Suter Gerhard was born in 1975 and studied violin in Zurich, then in Geneva with Margarita Piguet-Karafilova and in Basel in the class of Thomas Füri (teaching diploma 1998 and soloist diploma 1999). She attended chamber music courses with Gérard Wyss, Christoph Schiller, François Benda, Walter Levin and Hatto Beyerle and took part in master classes with Franco Gulli (Lucerne), Miriam Fried (Siena), Shmuel Ashkenasi (Salzburg) and Francesco de Angelis (Sion). She has been a member of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne since 1999, where she was a member of the orchestra board and later became a SIG delegate (since 2014) and Swissperform delegate (since 2017). In addition to her orchestral activities, she is passionate about Latin American folk music and was a member of the ensemble Prisma Latino for ten years. From 2017 to 2021, she also took jazz violin lessons with Yilian Canizares at the EJMA in Lausanne.

Co-Central President Muriel Noble pays tribute to Catherine Suter Gerhard:

"Dear Catherine, thank you for everything you have brought to the Board: We will miss your enthusiasm, your incredibly cheerful laugh, your acumen, your tact and your intelligence. You are not going very far away because you bring all these qualities to the Vaud Section. A happy section! Thank you for the years you spent at our side in Zurich! Thank you for your valuable and luminous presence!"

Catherine Suter, how did you find working on the SMV Central Board?

I've learned a lot about all kinds of topics relating to music, including the changes in the professional world. I think political work is very important, lobbying, international relations and the relationship between the music profession and society. I've learned a lot about these topics in the ZV. I also find the exchange between colleagues from all over Switzerland, which is very strong in the ZV and takes place regularly, very enriching. For the future, I would like to see a more centralized SMV structure so that smaller sections have less office work and can devote more time to local work. It would also be good if a lawyer were employed internally again, as so many of the everyday problems faced by musicians have legal aspects. I have been the new president of the Vaud section since last June. I am looking forward to the concrete and local work and will try to use what I have learned in the ZV.

What was a highlight for you as part of your work in the ZV?

For me, realizing the new SMV website was a highlight of my four years in the ZV.

What challenges do musicians face?

I am also a delegate for SIG and Swissperform. Over the next few years, it will be a big challenge to ensure that artists get a slice of the pie when it comes to recorded music. The new technologies are threatening to erode musicians' rights, they are getting almost no money, yet never before has so much music been listened to!

What plans do you have for the future?

I have been a violinist in the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne for 25 years and I am very happy and proud of my orchestra. I wouldn't want to play anywhere else. I also founded the Association Musique et Seniors in 2021 (www.musique-seniors.ch), whose aim is to bring music lessons to senior citizens in the Aigle region. We want to show people that music is an incredible way to stay in shape, to continue learning at any age and to interact with others. We now have 40 students.

I'm happy about my two sons, who are becoming great young people, and I can support them. It's fun!

Luca Borioli studied percussion in Zurich and Trossingen (Germany). He has won various prizes, including the Friedl Wald Foundation Study Prize twice and the Hans Ninck Music Prize in 2004. He has been teaching at the Zurich Conservatory MKZ since 2004. He is a member of many orchestras (Philharmonia Zurich, St. Gallen and Lucerne Symphony Orchestras, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Basel Chamber Orchestra). He also performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician.

Co-Central President Davide Jäger pays tribute to Luca Borioli:

"I had known Luca Borioli for a long time, since our time as students at the Zurich University of Music in the early 2000s, and back then I found him to be a down-to-earth, very talented and friendly musician. From an SMV perspective, however, our paths first crossed in 2017. Back then, we both ran for a vacant seat on the Central Board and he was elected. A little disappointing for me, but just right for our association. Luca's strengths were his preparation, his knowledge of the subject matter, his rightly critical questions, his calm and composed manner and his ability to recognize and represent the needs of all musicians. This made him the ideal representative for the freelance musicians, but also for the permanent employees, whom he also knew and understood well as a member of various symphony orchestras."

Luca Borioli, how did you find working on the SMV Central Board?

My experience of working in the ZV varied. In the first few years, there were often meetings that were complicated. This has improved a lot since then: I think that the work in the ZV has become more effective recently and the atmosphere has also become more constructive and pleasant. I joined the ZV at a time when a possible merger of all the associations at the time was under discussion, which then fell through in the final spurt. That's why I find it interesting that discussions are currently being held with Sonart about how the two associations can work together. Certain topics are returning. For me, this closes the circle...

What was a highlight for you as part of your work in the ZV?

There is no real highlight for me, but there are many interesting topics. When you're in the ZV, you learn how complicated it is to do association work. I became even more aware of how different the interests of freelance and employed musicians can be. At the same time, you realize that everyone benefits from pulling in the same direction. Hiring a union secretary was an important step forward in this respect. During this time, we also worked on the new website, a new logo and a new image for the SMV in general. That was also very interesting.

What plans do you have for the future?

There are a lot of them: professionally, there are a few projects that are now starting and will hopefully be on stage at the end of this season. I have now been appointed to the commission of the Swiss Percussion Competition and hope that I can contribute to it. Otherwise, I'm continuing to train intensively for my mountain races. I'm planning lessons with my students (there are a few competitions coming up) and I'm working with relatives to renovate the family's mountain hut in Ticino. I have to practise the piano again: my son plays the trumpet and I often accompany him to concerts and competitions. I'm sure I won't get bored...

Bruno Schneider presented his new project to the public in the January/February 2022 issue of Schweizer Musikzeitung: The retired horn player from several large orchestras and professor at various music academies had noticed that although there are countless youth orchestras, there are no orchestras for older retired musicians. He had the idea of founding such an orchestra, not only to give retired colleagues the opportunity to perform, but also to give something back to society, which subsidizes the orchestras and educational institutions, through the concerts. The orchestra would of course perform free of charge and any profits would be donated to a charitable organization. Schneider's request to contact him if he was interested was met with a great response and he was able to immediately set about putting the idea of an AHV Philharmonic Orchestra into practice. Two projects were organized for 2024, a concert in the Salle de musique in La Chaux-de Fonds and one in the French Church in Bern (15 December 2024).

An orchestra with an unusual atmosphere

The two days of rehearsals and the concert in the snowy Neuchâtel Jura, where I played myself, were a very nice experience for everyone involved: an orchestra in which everyone participates voluntarily has a special atmosphere. You also get to meet colleagues with whom you may have played a long time ago in a music school orchestra, the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra, at music college or later in professional orchestras. What was also special was the fact that most of the orchestra members had practiced their profession for decades at a generally very high level, "2000 years of orchestral experience", as one colleague aptly remarked. The violinist Madeleine Carruzzo, until recently a member of the Berlin Philharmonic, was an outstanding concertmaster. It was a very good idea to entrust the musical direction to the young Mongolian conductor Nandingua Bayarbaatar, who trained in Geneva. Well prepared, she was able to benefit from the knowledge of the orchestra members and their benevolent criticism. She conducted the concert with confidence and charisma. The program included Mozart's Sinfonia concertante for winds KV 297, in which the soloists Roland Perrenoud (oboe), André Grillon (clarinet), Bruno Schneider (horn) and Stefan Buri (bassoon) were able to demonstrate their still remarkable virtuosity and musicality, and Dvořák's Symphony No. 8. The audience in the packed concert hall was thrilled by the AHV Philharmonic Orchestra, and Procap, an association for people with disabilities, was delighted to receive a considerable sum. Further projects are already planned for 2025.

Union secretary Jessica Frossard opened the AGM in the rehearsal room of the Basel Symphony Orchestra with alphorn and yodel. Co-Central President Davide Jäger then welcomed the delegates and representatives of important Swiss music institutions as guests. He pointed out that the SMV is celebrating its 110th birthday this year and has made the lives of musicians better and safer. Co-Central President Muriel Noble wished the association continued enthusiasm, courage and patience. Small steps would move it forward. In his welcoming address, central board member Markus Forrer from the Basel section mentioned how incredibly many orchestras and concerts of all styles, from early to contemporary music, there are in the city, as well as a large music academy that is constantly "producing" talented young musicians. A lot of music for a medium-sized city of just over 170,000 inhabitants, Forrer found. With so much light, there are also shadows: an initiative for more musical diversity, which easily achieved the required 3,000 votes, demands that free, non-institutional music creation in the canton of Basel-Stadt be supported with at least a third of the annual music budget in future. The initiators criticize the fact that 90% of public funding goes to orchestras and classical music institutions (including early and contemporary music) and that taxpayers' money is used to unilaterally support a specific type of music. In their opinion, the wide range of music on offer in the city, which in addition to classical music also includes blues, electronica, hip-hop, jazz, pop, rock, metal, world music, dance and much more, only exists thanks to independent musicians.

Controversial initiative

Franziskus Theurillat, Orchestra Director of the Basel Symphony Orchestra and Co-President of the Basel Cultural Policy Network Association, explained his view of the initiative to the delegates: although it would offer great opportunities and the concerns of the initiators would be met with a certain degree of understanding, existing institutions would risk massive cuts and their continued existence would even be jeopardized. The cantonal government and the Education and Culture Commission have spoken out against the initiative. The Verein Netzwerk Kulturpolitik Basel, whose members include almost twenty Basel cultural institutions, is now calling for a counter-proposal to the initiative, which would propose implementation through an increase in the budget and would also include additional program, venue and structural funding for institutions that are home to and promote the independent scene. Theurillat pointed out that the canton of Basel-Stadt had generated huge surpluses in recent years and could easily afford the additional expenditure of around CHF 8.1 million for culture.

Approval of the association's work

The minutes of the last AGM on June 15, 2023, the activity report of the Central Secretary Beat Santschi and the annual accounts of the Central Fund, the Death Fund and the Solidarity Fund as well as the 2024 budget were then approved and the positive report of the Audit Committee was acknowledged. The Board of Directors and the Central Secretary were discharged unanimously. There were no surprises in the elections either: All previous representatives on the Central Committee, commissions and institutions were unanimously re-elected, as were the Co-Central Presidents and the Central Secretary. Muriel Noble and Elisabeth Goering (as deputy) were elected to the feminist commission of the SGB and Sebastian Schindler was elected to represent the SMV on the SON Foundation Board. New members of the Audit Committee are Maximilian Näscher and Stefanie Sampaio de Medeiros (as deputy). Catherine Suter and Luca Borioli are leaving the Board of Directors. We will commemorate their achievements at a later date and introduce the newly elected Central Committee member Birgit Thorgerd Müller. At the Presidents' Conference, which took place before the DM, it was proposed that a so-called "temp traffic light" be introduced for Switzerland, as published online by unisono in Germany, which would make it immediately clear whether orchestras are fully, partially or not at all adhering to the SMV tariffs when paying newcomers.

In its press release of last March 1, the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB), to which the SMV is affiliated, in cooperation with the cultural associations, advocated fair remuneration and improved social security (particularly with regard to AHV and unemployment insurance) for cultural workers. These measures must become part of national cultural policy, and the SGB welcomes the Federal Council's decision to establish "Culture as a world of work" as a priority area of action for the next four years, in accordance with the draft of the 2025-28 Cultural Dispatch, which the Federal Council approved at its meeting on March 1 and forwarded to Parliament.

According to calculations by the Federal Statistical Office in 2022, around 259,000 people work in the cultural sector full-time and a further 22,700 in a second cultural profession. In total, this corresponds to 6% of the working population in Switzerland. It is therefore a very important sector with more employees than, for example, the financial sector (218,000 employees in 2022). The SGB points out that atypical working conditions have multiplied in the cultural world: "The employment of many cultural professionals is characterized by fixed-term, project-based contracts, part-time jobs and multiple jobs. They often have very low incomes and little social protection." On behalf of Suisseculture and Pro Helvetia, Ecoplan 2021 conducted a comprehensive study on the social security of cultural professionals in Switzerland. It revealed that 59% of them had an annual income of less than CHF 40,000 in the three years before the coronavirus pandemic, i.e. less than CHF 3,075 per month (including 13th month's salary). The study shows that occupational pension provision is incomplete: for 32% of employees and 66% of self-employed persons, the income from their cultural activity is not covered by the second pillar, and 3% and 16% respectively do not even pay into the AHV/IV/EO. In addition, 5% of employees and 10% of self-employed persons are not insured against accidents, while 31% of employees and 50% of self-employed persons stated that they did not have daily sickness benefits insurance (although in the case of employees, it is possible that they were not informed by their employer that they were adequately insured).

The SGB emphasizes that the associations of cultural professionals, including the SMV, play a key role in ensuring that their members have good working conditions, a decent income and access to social security. In order to achieve these goals, it is essential that CLA wages and salary and fee recommendations are respected. State cultural funding should also guarantee them; the federal government's intention to ensure that applicants undertake to pay professional artists appropriately when assessing applications for support is a good omen. The cultural message also proposes, among other things, to extend the provisions for cultural professionals in the AHV, to make the simplified settlement procedure better known, to examine the possibility of creating a collective pension fund for all cultural professionals and to specify the advice and support for professional artists. With regard to the last point, if the desired objectives are to be achieved, it is absolutely essential that these services are based on existing services, with the involvement of professional associations, which have all the necessary skills and irreplaceable experience and in-depth knowledge of the sector.

Even if the federal program is ambitious, the funding (average nominal growth of 1.2% and real growth of 0.2% per year) is at least unbalanced; a significant increase in funding is therefore essential, especially as it is counteracted by other decisions in the name of spending caps, such as the linear cut of 2% in the 2024 budget, the reduction in the growth rate of cultural spending and a new cut of 1.4% that is imminent. The trade unions are calling for these cuts, which make it impossible to realize some of the numerous objectives of cultural policy, to be abandoned.

Since 1997, the Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn has organized two types of orchestral internships for young musicians in collaboration with the SON Foundation: One lasts the entire concert and opera season, the other, denser, focuses on one month in the middle of the summer. In 2023, no fewer than 260 candidates applied online. Following an initial selection, 188 of them were invited to audition (between 5 and 15 per register, but 24 for the violins). In the end, 25 were selected, 3 for the season, 6 for the summer and 16 others for both internships.

The summer internship successfully took place from August 3 to September 3 and enabled the young instrumentalists to immerse themselves in the concrete life of an orchestra, in which numerous rehearsals and concerts follow one another, in different locations with often completely different acoustics. Under the direction of Yannis Pouspourikas, the new principal conductor of the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra since the 2022/23 season, they were able to take part in a concert of symphonic jazz (including works by Bernstein, Gershwin and Joplin) as part of the Lakelive Festival in Biel. There were also two concerts with a potpourri of orchestral excerpts from operettas of various origins, from Sullivan's Savoy opera to Chapí's or Giménez's Zarzuela, Offenbach and Johann Strauss Sohn. In addition to a crossover project, which was performed in Biel and Solothurn, and a barbecue concert, a program of works for winds only is worth mentioning, which includes excerpts from the wind arrangement of Mozart's Abduction from the Seragliowhich Sinfonietta from Raff and the Petite Symphony by Gounod. Participation in the Gstaad Conducting Academy, which took place as part of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, was also particularly interesting. On this occasion, the musicians were led by various young conductors and were able to study their different working methods in rehearsals and later perform with them in Courtelary and Gstaad. All of these were valuable and invaluable experiences from which the participants were able to benefit. It is worth mentioning the importance of the mentoring provided by the orchestra members, which has a lasting educational value.

www.orchesterpraktikum.ch

Founded in 1969, Northern Ballet enjoys an excellent reputation in the UK for its performances of full-length story ballets. Like most large institutions, it is an Arts Council England Portfolio Organization, which means it is subsidized by taxpayers' money and National Lottery contributions. The company is highly regarded not only in Leeds, where it has had its own stage in the city center since 2010, but also in numerous English cities where Northern Ballet regularly performs. An integral part of this is the participation of the Northern Ballet Sinfonia, a 28-piece orchestra that is at home in all styles. Although the members are only engaged on a project basis, i.e. as freelancers, they are very loyal and some have been part of the orchestra for decades.

In September 2023, the public received the bad news that from April 2024, most of the tours would be played without live music. The reason for this was inflation, the general economic crisis and the war in Ukraine, which had driven up the energy bills and transportation costs of a tour disproportionately. The fact that almost thirty musicians would lose their livelihoods as a result of this measure was chalked up to collateral damage, albeit perhaps with regret.

Outrage and expressions of solidarity

The news spread by the orchestra members caused great indignation, at least among those interested in culture, and was described as "cultural vandalism" by the English Musicians' Union. The famous composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, the author of Les Misérables and Miss Saigonwho works for the Northern Ballet Wuthering Heights and Cleopatra wrote in an open letter that he had enjoyed working with the Sinfonia and had been impressed by the musicians' committed playing during many performances across the UK. He noted that this had made high-quality dance theater accessible to thousands of people every year. Live music brings emotion, whereas recorded music lacks spontaneity and the experience is therefore less impressive. The conductor would breathe with the dancers in order to achieve the most unique performance possible.

The International Federation of Musicians (FIM), of which SMV Central Secretary Beat Santschi is Vice President, condemned Northern Ballet's ideas in a letter to Arts Council England CEO Darren Henley: "Replacing musicians with a recording would be a significant cultural step backwards in a country renowned for the value it places on live music and the exceptional quality of its artists. It would also have a devastating effect on the musicians of the Northern Ballet, all of whom have freelance contracts and depend on touring for a significant proportion of their income. Music and dance lovers around the world could not understand if Arts Council England were a silent accomplice to this alarming situation."

Live music is an integral part of a ballet

Morris Stemp, responsible for orchestras at the Musicians' Union, also emphasized that the music is an integral part of a ballet and should not and cannot be separated from it. The Sinfonia musicians are now dependent on additional income. In the interview, he also points out that subsidies for the Northern Ballet, as well as for other institutions, urgently need to be increased and accuses the Conservative government of not supporting culture enough. Subsidies have fallen by around 25% in recent decades, he says. He believes that a Labor government would take the concerns of cultural workers more seriously.

The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and the Basel Symphony Orchestra have already expressed their solidarity with the musicians of the Sinfonia with actions entitled "Keep Northern Ballet Live". There now seems to be some movement in the hardened fronts - perhaps also due to the national and international protests: On January 16, 2024, the ballet's management published a message stating that at least the spring tour with Romeo & Juliet to Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Norwich and London will be played with an orchestra and a better solution for the future will be sought together with the union and orchestra. However, it is also important to remain vigilant here in Switzerland: The Geneva Ballet wants to go on tour without an orchestra, but at least with an OSR recording, and the Opéra de Dijon has asked the SMV whether it could use OSR stage music recordings, which was rejected with reference to the provisions in the D tariff regulations. At its last meeting on December 22, 2023, the Central Board of the SMV addressed the issue and confirmed its fundamental stance, according to which it insists that live music should be used whenever possible and that recordings should only be used in exceptional cases.

On March 3, voters and the cantons will decide on two initiatives that require a majority of both the people and the cantons to pass. They reflect two opposing views of society: the first provides for a 13th AHV pension, corresponding to the 13th monthly salary that employees can receive, while the second wants to raise the retirement age.

Yes to the 13th AHV pension

The first, launched by the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB), to which the SMV is affiliated, is based on the federal government's financial outlook for the AHV, which will generate an annual surplus of around CHF 3 billion over the next few years. Contrary to years of pessimism on the part of employers and certain sectors of the economy, AHV assets will rise to CHF 67 billion by the end of the current decade. That is around 20 billion more than today. In addition, the natural gradual decline of the baby boom generation will help to stabilize the financial balance in the long term, as Geneva National Councillor Laurence Fehlmann Rielle underlined in the parliamentary debate in December 2022. At a time when inflation, combined with rising rents and health insurance premiums, means that pensioners will lose the equivalent of a monthly pension in 2024, a 13th OASI pension would undoubtedly bring relief to current and future pensioners.

In fact, with an average monthly pension of around CHF 1,800, the AHV is less and less able to fulfill its constitutional mandate to cover the cost of living. No fewer than 200,000 pensioners are currently living on an income below the poverty line, with a further 100,000 just above it. Women are particularly affected, as a third of them only receive the first pillar. 90% of the working population would benefit from the adoption of the SGB initiative: All income classes participate in the AHV and everyone benefits from direct pension improvements, especially women. The AHV is particularly important for them, as it is the only place where their unpaid work is converted into higher pensions. Strengthening the AHV is all the more important in the current environment because there is neither inflation compensation nor guaranteed pension benefits for salary contributions in the 2nd pillar.

The usual cost argument put forward by the right as soon as a social improvement becomes apparent (an argument that immediately disappears when it comes to generous tax giveaways) is nothing new. Back in 1947, when the AHV was founded, its opponents at the time published a newspaper advertisement claiming that "the financing of the AHV will no longer be guaranteed in twenty years' time." Despite all the prophecies of doom, it developed well and pensions were gradually increased over the following decades with the broad support of all parties. Unfortunately, under the influence of rampant neoliberalism, the political consensus has since faltered. The fact that some are even calling for the federal share of AHV funding to be reduced must be described as inconsistent or cynical, because at the same time they are rejecting the SBG initiative under the false pretext of an impending AHV bankruptcy. In reality, this proves that the threats and attempts at intimidation have no concrete background. Pensioners, including musicians of course, who have not always had the opportunity to pay into the 2nd pillar, fully deserve this 13th pension, which will enable many of them to keep their heads above water.

No to raising the retirement age

Based on this unfounded scaremongering about the continued existence of the AHV, the second initiative, launched by the Young Liberals, calls for the retirement age to be raised to 66, with a further increase in line with the increase in the average life expectancy of the Swiss resident population at the age of 65. According to forecasts by the Federal Statistical Office, life expectancy is likely to increase by more than two years between now and 2050. Looking at the labor market, where people over 50 rarely find a job if they are affected by unemployment, and seeing that companies are reluctant to retrain them as part of a professional reorientation, one gets the impression that this initiative by the young guard of the liberal right is far removed from the reality of the working world. These future lawyers, bankers or entrepreneurs seem unaware of the physical exhaustion of physically demanding professions or those that require special skills. It is not possible for all musicians to retain the same skills, the same speed of reaction and the same good hearing well beyond the age of sixty, and raising the reference age for drawing AHV would be problematic for quite a few of them. High-earning bosses, on the other hand, will still be able to afford to take early retirement very comfortably... In response to the argument put forward by the proponents of this project that the increase in life expectancy would sooner or later lead to difficulties in financing the AHV, the President of the SGB Pierre-Yves Maillard recalled during the 2020 parliamentary debates that if the percentage of people over 65 has doubled since the introduction of the AHV in 1947, the number of contributors has also doubled. In the middle of the last century, the vast majority of women did not receive a salary and their work consisted mainly of housework and family duties, whereas today the majority of them are in paid work. The future of the AHV is therefore not at risk and there is no good reason to raise the retirement age.

www.ahvx13.ch

The Network Young Ears (NJO) based in Berlin, has been the forum for experts and practitioners in music education in German-speaking countries since 2007. It brings together professionals from the fields of music, education, cultural policy and the creative industries from Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Luxembourg. The NJO advises individuals, projects and institutions in the field of "music education & communication". The aim is to open up access to music for as many people as possible with modern formats of musical practice. As a podium, the NJO communicative structures between institutions and people in the music scene. The team of cultural managers and music mediators develops its own projects such as the Young ears price, KLANGRADAR and The Power of the Arts and is a cooperation partner in a wide variety of productions. It is financed by Young Ears Network through project work, member and participant contributions as well as private and public third-party funding. The network is managed by an interdisciplinary team of six, with Katharina von Radowitz and Alexander von Nell as directors. The team is supported by an expert advisory board, which includes Andrea Tober, former head of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra's education program and Vice-Rector of the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin, Anke Fischer, head of the education department at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, and cellist Oliver Wenhold, Deputy Chairman of the Board of unisono, the German Music and Orchestra Association. Johanna Ludwig, who heads the music education program of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, will be joining from Switzerland. Over 250 organizations and individuals in eight regions have joined the NJO have already joined. The network is supported by some of the most important musical associations in German-speaking countries, with both employers and employees represented: Bundesverband Musikindustrie, Deutscher Bühnenverein, Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland, orchester.ch - Verband Schweizerischer Berufsorchester, Schweizerischer Musikerverband, Stiftung Zuhören, unisono Deutsche Musik- und Orchestervereinigung, Verband deutscher Musikschulen and Younion - die Daseinsgewerkschaft. Cooperation partners also include the newly founded Arbeitskreis Musikvermittlung Schweiz, the successor organization to the association of the same name, which was dissolved in 2022.

Acoustic search for traces

KLANGRADAR has been aimed at school classes in grades 5 to 10 since 2019. In weekly workshops or project weeks, pupils go on an acoustic search with extracurricular experts, open their ears to the unknown and unexpected and develop their own audio and music pieces together. This gives new impetus to everyday school life and teaching practice. On June 14, 2023, almost 300 pupils, teachers, participants and external interested parties came together in Berlin for the Hör.Fest! where the sonic results were presented.

Young ears price

Due to the pandemic, numerous digital formats of music education have been developed. For the 15th Young Ears Award 2021, innovative projects with digital technologies as an integral part were therefore sought in order to make music and/or concert life tangible in a new way. Over 80 concepts were submitted - a huge amount of interest! First prize went to the Berlin-based Zafraan Ensemble and LOUDsoft for the interactive performance "SCHRUMPF/Like Tears in Rain". The second prize was shared by the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden for the virtual music theater project "Things Fall Apart - Diggin' Opera II" and the Ensemble Quillo (Uckermark) for the digital "Werkstatt Quillo". The award-winning concepts make it possible to experience how diverse music education can be today.

There needs to be a rethink

The field of music education is extensive, demanding and in a constant state of transformation. In the annual magazine Best of throws the NJO Highlights what is currently on the minds of those involved with a view to a sustainable musical life. The articles reflect challenges and topics of current practice on an artistic, mediatorial and strategic level. In the very interesting new issue Best of #10 the magazine deals with different dimensions of "excellence" in musical life (the magazine can be downloaded from the website of the NJO can be downloaded). In the magazine The orchestra each issue presents projects of the NJO presented on a separate page. Today, music education is no longer just for children and young people: Offers are designed to be inclusive and diversity-oriented and appeal to people of all generations in different ways. Katharina von Radowitz, the managing director of the NJOrightly writes that "when it comes to making a lasting mark on the musical present and future of a city or region, it means getting moving, scouting the landscape, getting to know those you haven't met yet, seeking out conversations with those you haven't yet spoken to, to be open to new themes, living environments, places and feelings" and wonders "how long the public will be prepared to bear the consequences of the despondency that leads to music remaining in its traditional spaces, reproducing the same old things on well-trodden paths and thus reaching fewer and fewer people?"

www.jungeohren.de

"You have decisively moved and changed the SMV," said Hans Martin Ulbrich in his speech on the occasion of Heinz Marti being awarded honorary membership of the SMV. This statement is absolutely true when one remembers all that Marti has achieved for the association: Not only was he responsible for the revision of the SMV statutes, but he also initiated the establishment of the SMV Foundation and prepared the SMV's transfer to the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions. The design of a new SMV mission statement and logo and the introduction of the association's own homepage can also be traced back to his initiative, as can the establishment of the members' conference for freelancers and the introduction of a pension scheme for this group of members. Marti was also involved in the founding of the Schweizer Musikzeitung, which you are holding in your hands and which was created through the merger of various trade journals. The reorganization of the Biel orchestra courses and the co-founding and support of the SON Foundation also fall within his term of office as SMV Central President. He also represented the SMV on the board of the FIM, the International Federation of Musicians, and took part in meetings and congresses worldwide.

Violist, trade unionist and composer

As a violist, Heinz Marti first played in the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, then in the Zurich-based Radio Orchestra, from 1968 finally in the Tonhalle and Theater Orchestra, and after the separation of the two orchestras in 1981/82 in the Zurich Opera Orchestra until his retirement in 1996. He was a member of the board of the Zurich section of the SMV, later as president, and was the orchestra's staff representative on the Tonhalle board. His work as a composer was by no means a sideline for him: he even revealed to an interviewer that he had always seen composing as his main priority. After training with two of the most important Swiss composers, Sándor Veress and Klaus Huber, Marti created an oeuvre of around 80 works, some of which have been performed numerous times. In his speech on Marti's 80th birthday, Alfred Zimmerlin described his composing as follows: "Heinz Marti consistently went his own way, even early on, when he was still considered an avant-gardist. In retrospect, the fact that he then wanted to become more comprehensible and easier to understand is no longer perceived as the aesthetic break that it was perceived as at the time, but rather as a logical continuation of what Marti was already doing: composing with a certain rigor of construction, building with simple elements, comprehensible in its structure and yet complex in its result. And the human element was and is always his yardstick." In his compositions, Marti also dealt with the world around him. In his own commentary on the large orchestral work Growing threat (1984/85), he writes that his play was created "under the oppressive impression of the unstoppably advancing destruction of the environment by modern civilization". In his Muotathal night music for Schwyzerörgeli and string orchestra from 1998, he convincingly combines Swiss folk music and new music.

Diverse interests

His companions describe Marti as a man with a sense of social responsibility and a pronounced sense of justice, both humorous, warm and critical, who was concerned about improving the working conditions of musicians and their pensions. However, it was no less important to him that the musician's profession was increasingly perceived, recognized and appreciated. In all his diverse activities, Marti remained focused on life, was very well-read and appreciated other cultures (and their cuisine). In 1978, he bought an alp in Ticino, which he farmed every summer.

In Heinz Marti, Swiss musical life has lost an outstanding instrumentalist, composer and champion of our wonderful profession.