Five years ago was the last time that the European Youth Choir Festival Basel was held in its entirety with international choirs. After a long (corona) dry spell, the time had finally come again: youth choirs from all over the world could be experienced over five days. The crowds were huge, with a total of around 40,000 people attending the events.

"Obviously, after years of doing without, the need is huge," said the organizers. It is also worth mentioning the growing confidence in the high quality of what is on offer since the last festivals, which encouraged people to attend. And last but not least, the excellent organization of this major event.

From Belgium to the Philippines

A total of 19 choirs from Belgium, Finland, France, Georgia, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Switzerland and the Philippines presented their performances. Many of them were not content with just singing. They often included choreography, which added even more expression and atmosphere.

The children's and youth choir Baao from the Philippines presented an exciting mix of rhythm and melody, with stomping on the floor, slapping on the arms or thighs and strangely touching tunes. One girl's solo was reminiscent of a prayer call and, supported by bamboo instruments, the choir transported the audience to a tropical rainforest with deceptively real rain sounds and birdsong.

The performance was part of the "Country Focus", in which youth choirs from Georgia and Finland also presented their musical culture. "This format has always existed," explains festival director Kathrin Renggli, "what is new is that we are placing more emphasis on openness. In the past, these events took place at the Music Academy and were more intellectually oriented. This time, we are forming collaborations with people from the respective country who live here."

Join in yourself

An idea that was well received, with up to 300 visitors having to be turned away. Those who managed to get a seat could not only enjoy the choirs, but also try out short songs, practise dances and taste culinary delights from the respective country. There were plenty of opportunities to join in. The highlight was "Body Percussion en gros" on the "splash-filled" Münsterplatz, where thousands of people moved to the same rhythm.

How should the situation of youth choirs be assessed internationally after the pandemic? Renggli's answer comes immediately: "No choir has broken up at this level. Of course, there were difficulties for them too. A number of young people dropped out because they simply couldn't sing anymore." The children's choir Zvezdice from Serbia, for example, had to cope with a "three-year gap" and therefore arrived with fewer children than planned. The phenomenal Shchedryk choir from Kiev, however, presented choral music from classical and folklore under the direction of Marianna Sablina with around 40 girls selected from the local choir school.

From the Zäuerli to contemporary music

The Jutz youth choir is dedicated to interpreting traditional yodel songs. The high standard and fervor with which the ensemble dedicates itself to this music, which is often considered old-fashioned, was demonstrated in St. Peter's Church. The story of Maiteli and Büäbli, who meet at the Chilbi, was told. A Zäuerli started things off, then Müntschi and Heimetli were sung. Finally, there was also a little dance.

The variety of musical styles and the number of high-quality musical performances was enormous. Most of the choirs were invited, explains Kathrin Renggli: "I know the choirs and have visited them, and a large network helps me with recommendations." But there are also applications, such as from the boys' choir Mdzlevari from Georgia.

The Chœur national des jeunes de France offered a taste of its skills at the lunch concert in the Clarakirche. The opening with the Chanson triste by Henri Duparc in sustained, polyphonic singing and the garland-strong piano accompaniment by Hervé Noirot made the listener sit up and take notice. With flawless diction, Mendelssohn's Grant us peace. The undisputed highlight was Seán Doherty's (born 1987) very difficult Under-SongThe young women and men, standing in a semi-circle around the pews in the church, each voice on its own, developed a differentiated and compelling singing. They were professionally led by their renowned Swiss conductor Dominique Tille. "Without excellent choirmasters, such performances would not be possible," concludes Kathrin Renggli. The festival has shown how fascinating and appreciated choral music is for performers and visitors alike.

We are in the large hall of the LAC Luganoon the stage the Orchestra 900presente of the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana with its conductor Francesco Bossaglia. Most of the orchestra members are female, with men only sitting at the back on percussion, harpsichord, trombone and trumpet. Between the players in the foreground there are numerous lamps, as you would find in any household: Floor lamps, bedside lamps, desk lamps and other lamps. Together with the discreet, color-changing stage lighting, this creates an almost private atmosphere, completely atypical for a public concert. And at the end, the lights slowly go out and you sit in the dark.

The dispositive - half music theater, half pure concert performance - is characteristic of what Heiner Goebbels calls a "scenic concert". The lighting he used for his full-length composition Songs of Wars I Have Seen based on texts by Gertrude Stein, is intended, in his words, to create an atmosphere "like an evening reading before you go to bed. You could also play it as a late program at 10 pm." He came to Lugano to attend the final rehearsals with the young performers and is full of praise:

They are very open and extremely grateful and immediately understood how to deal with these texts. For example, the absence of theatricality, which is so important to me. Sometimes you have to push it through against resistance. That was no problem at all here. The collaboration was super pleasant.

The texts by Gertrude Stein are not sung, but spoken by the female members of the orchestra in turn, sometimes in a small choir. The non-theatrical, quasi private speaking and the domestic intimacy of the light sources emphasize the character of the texts as personal notations and lend this scenic concert an air of familiar closeness. But the coziness is deceptive. The texts are about war. The discrepancy between content and form that emerges is rooted in the literary source and is a fundamental aesthetic feature of the work.

The war in your own home

The American Gertrude Stein, writer, publisher and art collector, wrote her notes in 1943-44 in Paris, which was occupied by Nazi troops at the time. The war as a concrete horror is far away, but omnipresent in the writer's consciousness. Her thoughts, written down as if in passing, revolve around everyday experiences. Thoughtfulness is paired with precise observation, uncertain assessment of the situation with literary memories and the feeling of an existential limbo. This rubs off on the music. The transparent and seemingly weightless orchestral writing is thinned out by instrumental solos as an expression of individual reflections and by moments of silence in which the recited texts are embedded. The listener's attention is kept permanently alert. In addition Heiner Goebbels:

Gertrude Stein basically wrote all of this from a private, female perspective, and that is quite provocative. She looks at things from different angles. As a listener, you should also consider this and then decide what your own opinion is. It is a highly subjective text, written in an attempt to put the perception of war into words. And it was precisely this subjectivity that aroused my interest.

Wars I Have Seen, the title of Gertrude Stein's book, refers to the general character of her reflections; it is not about a specific war, but about war as it always was and always will be - an eternal shadow of human existence. Goebbels illustrates this idea in a paradoxical way with a banality. The composition begins with the statement that honey is now added to all desserts due to the lack of sugar, and ends with the assumption that people will have had enough of honey by the end of the war: "That's how it was in the last war, and that's how it is in this war. That's how wars are. Funny, actually. But that's how wars are." A fatalistic tone is unmistakable. But so is her humor.

Appeal to critical reason

Goebbels wrote the piece back in 2007 without any specific external reference, and at the time he could not have imagined that a situation like today would suddenly arise in which it would become topical. Today, he is all the more concerned that the composition does not degenerate into a ritual of consternation. Distance from the text is important to him. He does not want to appeal to emotions, but to critical reason and give room for reflection.

He found access to Gertrude Stein's text not through the content, but through the structure. He was interested in the casual and sketchy nature of the thoughts, and was particularly fascinated by the frequent repetition of individual words and phrases, signs of spontaneous writing. He translated these rhythmic qualities into precisely notated musical structures. Of course, these composed speech rhythms can only be understood in the English original, and by having the text excerpts read by the musicians in their respective mother tongues in Lugano, some of these speech rhythms were lost. Instead, a personal relationship between the speakers and the text came into play. This is entirely in the spirit of the composer, who wants to activate the performers and audience with his pieces.

Dialogue between different layers of time

Several quotations from the English baroque composer Matthew Locke (1621-1677) are incorporated into the musical progression. Goebbels came up with the idea because Gertrude Stein also referred to cruel rulers from Shakespeare's plays such as Richard III. and Macbeth and because the premiere took place in London in 2007. In addition to the London Sinfonietta, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, which plays on period instruments, also commissioned the work. The latter had Goebbels play in the somewhat lower historical tuning and the Sinfonietta in the modern tuning used today. The confrontation was very much to the composer's taste.

I generally find it interesting when different times are in conversation with each other. Also in Stifter's things For example, there are different layers of time that run in parallel or catch up with each other. I find dealing with the phenomenon of time in this way more exciting than just settling in the here and now.

Since London, Goebbels has repeatedly had two differently tuned orchestras at his disposal, most recently in Stockholm this February. The 900presente orchestra now played in the same tuning and on modern instruments. This did not stand in the way of a successful performance. The work, in which text and music, the inner and outer worlds, scenic elements and different time periods combine to form a multi-layered whole, also found an enthusiastic audience in Lugano.

(Editor's note: The concert took place on April 18, 2023).

According to the ZHdK, Theo Bleckmann is one of the most sensational and innovative jazz musicians of our time. As a singer and composer, he pursues a stylistically broad concept of music and moves in artistic areas whose conventional understanding of jazz goes beyond the traditional genre boundaries.

The multi-award-winning artist has made numerous recordings and collaborated with renowned musicians, artists, actors and composers. He has experience as a lecturer at several US universities.

http://theobleckmann.com

The narrative is persistent: the pandemic was a lean period for the "most professionally fulfilled people", the musicians. They were barely able to pursue their profession and, especially as freelancers, had to struggle with great existential fears. But now all that is over and the good life is returning to them. They can turn their wonderful hobby back into a profession, as people who - unlike those who are usually dying - can reconcile their personality with their everyday working life.

Music psychology has long doubted the idea that music strengthens positive emotions and helps us to have a fulfilling everyday life. The renowned music psychologist Patrik N. Juslin, who teaches at Uppsala University in Sweden, warned back in 2013 that we should be "more open to the possibility that much of what makes musical experiences unique is in fact non-emotional aspects", such as the intellectual interest in musical structure or form. The emotional impact of music is largely disconnected from this.

Current studies seem to indicate that the opposite of what previously seemed to be a cliché is actually true: making music not only means exceptional professional and social stress, which causes quite a few people to break down. It also seems to fascinate personalities who have a higher genetic risk of emotional imbalance. At least this is what studies conducted by an international research team with the participation of the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt am Main suggest. Their conclusion: on average, musically active people have a slightly higher genetic risk of depression and bipolar disorder.

 

Music and mental health problems

According to the MPIEA, in 2019 the team was able to prove a connection between musical engagement and mental health problems for the first time in a large population study: Around 10,500 Swedish test subjects had provided information about both their musical activities and their mental well-being. In addition, the data was linked to the Swedish patient register so that psychiatric diagnoses could also be evaluated. It was found that musically active people actually reported depressive, burnout and psychotic symptoms more frequently than those who did not make music. The results were published in the open access journal Scientific Reports published.

The team subsequently expanded its research to include methods of molecular genetics. They discovered "that genetic variants that influence mental health problems and those that influence musical commitment overlap to some extent". Individual indicators for the genetic risk of mental illness and the genetic predisposition to musicality could be calculated.

The analysis of the data showed that people with a higher genetic risk of depression and bipolar disorder were on average more musically active, practiced more and performed at a higher artistic level. Interestingly, the MPIEA writes further, "these correlations occurred regardless of whether the individuals actually had mental health problems".

Flow experiences (states that are felt when you are completely absorbed in an activity) appear to play an important role in overcoming such predisposition-related psychological stress. According to the institute, initial results show that they can have a positive influence on the psyche, even when family and genetic risk factors are taken into account.

 

Literature

Patrik N. Juslin: "From every day emotions to aesthetic emotions: Towards a unified theory of musical emotions", Physics of Life Reviews 10 (2013), Elsevier.
Wesseldijk, L. W., Lu Y., Karlsson, R., Ullén, F., & Mosing M. A. (2023). "A Comprehensive Investigation into the Genetic Relationship between Music Engagement and Mental Health", Translational Psychiatry 13, Article 15. DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02308-6

 

Various activities are planned under the heading "Follow-Ups" in order to deepen the competition experience of award winners. The weekend with hundreds of live performances and just as many consultations with the various expert juries is a thing of the past. This year's jazz and pop competition also took place on April 16, and in three weeks' time, the actual conclusion of the 2023 competition will take place in Lugano with the finals and live performances of the Free Space and Composition competitions. However, this is by no means the end of the youth music competition's activities for 2023. Under the heading "Follow Ups" on the competition website, there are various activities that have become increasingly important in recent years and make a decisive contribution to the sustainability of the competition.

New projects

An innovation in this area is that these activities will be carried out for the first time in 2023 together with the Loc.Artium association (www.locartium.ch) are offered. The non-profit association serves to promote and support young musical talent. In collaboration with partner organizations, it organizes artistic projects with a special focus on interdisciplinarity. The organization is still under construction. The direction in which future projects can go is shown by the three activities about which the homepage already provides information: From August 28 to September 2, a workshop for contemporary music and music technology entitled "Inventions - Out of the Box" will take place at the Zurich University of the Arts. 36 participants will explore various aspects of contemporary music creation in an interactive way.

From August 2 to 4, the "Worlds Beyond Orchestra" will be working on the cross-style concert project "The Jazz Symphony" under the direction of Daniel Schnyder. From August 4 to 10, the string players will perform in clubs and at festivals in Switzerland and Austria.

The third project that Locartium is organizing this autumn is also under the direction of Daniel Schnyder. It is called "The Other Concert" and is aimed at young musicians, composers, improvisers, actors and dancers who are researching creative new forms for concert formats. The workshop will conclude with an original concert on September 7 at Moods in Zurich.

The projects "Inventions" and "The Other Concert" are supported by the Fondation SUISA and the Accentus Foundation, the project "The Jazz Symphony" by the Hirschmann Foundation. All projects are organized by the Loc.Artium association and take place in collaboration with the Swiss Youth Music Competition and the Association of European Music Competitions (EMCY). Selected young people between the ages of 17 and 24 are eligible to take part. The participation fee is moderate. The registration deadline is April 16. However, there are still a few places available for those who are quick to decide.

Proven activities

The existing range of "Follow Ups" will largely continue in 2023: There is the Ruth Burkhalter Foundation, which enables selected prizewinners to take part in the Junior Baroque Academy in Gstaad and awards an associated scholarship. The Hirschmann Foundation has been supporting participation in European masterclasses for years, and in 2023 will be supporting Daniel Schnyder's workshop.

In the European environment, there is also the opportunity to obtain an EMCY profile. EMCY, the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth, publishes on its homepage www.emcy.org The festival raises the profile of selected prizewinners and paves the way for them to perform at home and abroad.

The prizewinners also greatly appreciate the many opportunities to perform, including as part of the Herbst concert series at the Helferei, at the Lucerne Festival, at the Swiss Music Schools Association's Forum for Musical Education, at the Arbon Cultural Center and at the ESSE-Bar jazz club in Winterthur.

In the jazz and pop category, individual prizewinners are also given the opportunity to make a professional studio recording at the Jazz Campus Basel or the Zurich University of the Arts. Further activities for winners of the music competition can be found on the homepage www.sjmw.ch.

Table of contents

Focus

Between violin making and watchmaking
Harp maker David in the Jura

The misunderstood niche instrument
The harp is becoming more and more popular today

 Style is just a word in music
Julie Campiche is one of the rare female jazz harpists

Changing the image of the harp
Joel von Lerber easily refutes the harp clichés

 (italics = summary in German of the original French article)

 

Critiques

Reviews of recordings, books, sheet music

 

Echo

Progress in awareness issues
m4music music festival

A mass with an unusual sound
Franz Adam Stockhausen's op. 6 with two harps

Clavardon's ...
au sujet des vidéos sur les réseaux sociaux

Radio Francesco - Soldiers

Préluder à la harpe
Un projet de l'HEMU

Solmization in instrumental lessons

Inspiring night
The New Orchestra Basel's program for the promotion of young talent

Arrived in Leipzig
Johann Sebastian Bach and Andreas Reize

A male choir breaks new ground
The "Rieischs" project with the Cor viril Surses

Review with phantom pain
HKB Conference "Music Discourses after 1970"

Carte blanche for Matthias Mueller da Minusio
How to get out of the classical crisis?

 

Base

Articles and news from the music associations

Swiss Federal Orchestra Association (EOV) / Société Fédérale des Orchestres (SFO)

Konferenz Musikhochschulen Schweiz (KMHS) / Conférence des Hautes Ecoles de Musique Suisse (CHEMS)

Kalaidos University of Music / Kalaidos Haute École de Musique

Swiss Music Council (SMR) / Conseil Suisse de la Musique (CSM)

CHorama

Swiss Society for Music Medicine (SMM) / Association suisse de Médecine de la Musique (SMM)

Swiss Musicological Society (SMG) / Société Suisse de Musicologie (SSM)

Swiss Musicians' Association (SMV) / Union Suisse des Artistes Musiciens (USDAM)

Schweizerischer Musikpädagogischer Verband (SMPV) / Société Suisse de Pédagogie Musicale (SSPM)

SONART - Musicians Switzerland

Swiss Youth Music Competition Foundation (SJMW)

Arosa Culture

SUISA - Cooperative Society of Authors and Publishers of Music

Swiss Association of Music Schools (VMS) / Association Suisse des Écoles de Musique (ASEM)

 

Anarchic plucking brother
Puzzle by Dirk Wieschollek

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Order issue for CHF 8.- (+ CHF 2.- shipping costs)

The music competition took place for the fourth time this year. It is considered the largest competition in the world for the two woodwind instruments oboe and bassoon. It was founded The Muri Competition 2013 by Renato Bizzotto, Matthias Rácz and Martin Frutiger.

This year, 400 candidates registered, 102 of whom qualified for the final rounds. The final rounds on April 23 were contested by two finalists and four finalists:

Oboe

1. Leonid Surkov (Russia)
2. Max Vogler (Germany)
3. Marlene Vilela Gomes (Portugal)

Bassoon

1. Enrico Bassi (Italy)
2. Only Meisler (Israel)
3. Hana Hasegawa (Japan)

Renato Bizzotto, the overall director of the competition, states: "The artistic level of this year's competition was very high and it was not easy for the jury to choose the right winners." With The Muri Competition, Muri is consistently expanding its position as a cultural center.

"The music teachers who teach at our music schools do an outstanding job," says Michael Schönbächler, President of the Nidwalden Music Schools Association. This is the reason for the pleasingly high number of applications for the entrance examination for gifted students. The level of the auditions is roughly comparable to that in other cantons, Schönbächler continues.

Classical, pop and yodeling

The pieces of music performed by the well-prepared music students were just as varied as the instruments. Rock and pop, classical and folk music wowed the jury, who decided at the end of the day which candidates would be accepted into the sponsorship program.

High motivation

The talented musicians are between 10 and 18 years old and are characterized by a high level of motivation. In addition to school, they attend instrumental or singing lessons, take part in ensembles or orchestras and perform at concerts. Participation in regional and national competitions is also on the program. Daily practice is a matter of course for them. "We demand a lot of commitment from our talented musicians. However, they are highly motivated because music is very important to them," says Toni Rosenberger, Managing Director of the Talent Promotion Program.

First year

After the summer vacations, the program starts for the talented students who have been accepted. In addition to additional instrumental or vocal lessons, they will attend theory lessons and other courses. "We are now looking forward to the first cohort of Nidwalden music talents and are excited to see how the program gets off the ground," says Michael Schönbächler.

The Cone Quartet consists of the Bernese musicians Christian Kobi, Fabio Oehrli, Jonas Tschanz and Stefan Rolli. Since its foundation in 2003, it has specialized in the latest contemporary and experimental music. The internationally renowned ensemble works intensively with contemporary musicians and has premiered numerous works, for example by Aargau composer and Swiss Music Prize winner Jürg Frey.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Konus is presenting a varied showcase of its work on three concert evenings in Bern, inviting the audience into the musical cosmos of the quartet: For the anniversary, the ensemble has commissioned four pieces from personalities who have been particularly influential in their artistic development to date. Pieces by the Berlin-based Canadian composer Chiyoko Szlavnics, by the Zurich-based electronic musician and composer Tomas Korber together with the Austrian percussionist and composer Martin Brandlmayr, by Klaus Lang and by the American composer and sound artist William Dougherty will be premiered in Bern. They will all be present during the performance of their pieces.

A program that looks to the future without ignoring the past - for example, the concept of Austrian organist and composer Klaus Lang interweaves the precise, minimalist sound of the Konus Quartet with the impressively archaic singing of the Georgian women's choir from Gori. Another guest is the string quartet Quatuor Bozzini, which is considered one of the best in the world - together with the Konus Quartet, it will perform the world premiere of the new composition by Chiyoko Szlavnics.

The program in detail

Interlaced Resonances: Friday, May 5, 2023, Bern, Aula in the PROGR, 7.30 p.m.
The Konus Quartet will perform the newly composed work by Chiyoko Szlavnics (UA) with the Quatuor Bozzini, as well as Continuité, fragilité, résonance by Jürg Frey.

Voltage Cracklings: Saturday, May 6, 2023, Bern, auditorium in the PROGR, 7.30 p.m.
Together with the two musicians Martin Brandlmayr (percussion) and Tomas Korber (electronics), the Konus Quartet will play a collective composition (UA). In addition, the quartet will present a new piece by William Dougherty (UA) with the inclusion of live electronics.

Air Vibrations: Sunday, May 7, 2023, Bern, Church of St. Peter and Paul, 7:30 p.m.
Together with the Gori Women's Choir and Tamriko Kordzaia (synthesizer), the Konus Quartet will perform a composition by and with Klaus Lang (UA).

Tickets

Rainer Heldwho conducts this venerable Graubünden choir, which often wins awards at singing festivals, had already started planning in 2018. However, the coronavirus pandemic temporarily paralyzed the "Rieischs" (German for roots) project. Now, finally, the Choir viril Surses with the Graubünden Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and the bass-baritone Flurin Caduff as a soloist to a broad public.

New work for a timeless sense of home

From the outset, the idea was to symphonically arrange Romansh songs on the theme of "roots", not only from the past but also from today. The main work commissioned by the choir is a 40-minute new composition by Philip Henzi and is entitled Rieisch's Surmiranas. The area where the choir comes from is called "Surmeir". Henzi is a very accomplished composer and arranger, he conducts the Swiss Jazz Orchestra and teaches jazz at the music academies in Bern and Lausanne.

For this piece, a small group of singers first went in search of suitable folk songs. Seven out of 20 were selected and arranged by Henzi for his work. Three new a cappella compositions were woven into these seven arrangements, which the men's choir commissioned from young musicians from Graubünden: Katharina Mayer (*1982), Mario Pacchioli (*1981) and Flavio Bundi (*1987). Poems by the young Grisons composer Dominique Caglia-Dosch (*1995) were set to music.

Gradually, a complete work was created with the dramaturgy "Singing the praises of home - going abroad - living there and putting down roots or coming home with great homesickness and longing - singing the praises of home again". Placing the theme of love of one's homeland at the center is perfectly suited to the people of Graubünden. Not only do they have a wonderful home in the mountains, they also sing about it joyfully to this day.

Impressive totality

The performance on March 17 in the sold-out Martinskirche Chur turned out to be a real event. The sound power and agility of the choir was remarkable, and the Romanesque language lent the music a slightly archaic tone. Flurin Caduff stood out impressively from the sonorous, well-balanced choral sound with his warm, radiant bass-baritone.

Henzi's treatment of the traditional songs is refreshingly simple and harmonically and rhythmically refined. In any case, the choir and orchestra mastered this music perfectly. And although the three new a cappella pieces each had their own signature, they fitted harmoniously into the whole. The audience thanked them for this original and impressive evening with a standing ovation. Radio SRF recorded the concert.

How the Publisher MusicLyrics writes, Gisela Gronemeyer has "created a unique fund of writings on new music" as an author, translator and editor since its foundation in 1983. She has also championed the work of female composers for decades

Max Nyffeler pays tribute to her personality with a detailed obituary: beckmesser.info/gisela-gronemeyer-an-obituary

The Pop music festival of the Migros Culture Percentage, m4music, has grown once again at its 25th edition: The two-day event at Zurich's Schiffbau attracted almost 1500 professionals and a total of over 6000 music fans this March. Festival director Philipp Schnyder von Wartensee is delighted that the event welcomed around 2000 more guests than last year. "In terms of our capacities, however, we are now close to the ceiling." Whether we should aim for further growth is one of the key questions that will need to be answered in the coming months.

Presence in Latin Switzerland

According to Schnyder, this year's festival edition was extremely beautiful, colorful and, last but not least, extremely diverse. "This was reflected not only in the music program and our demo tape clinic, but also in the conference." As in 2022, m4music once again decided not to open its festival in French-speaking Switzerland. Instead, efforts are still being made to maintain a presence there throughout the year. "In November, we were represented with a panel discussion at the Geneva festival 'Les Créatives' and broadcast three concerts from there on Couleur 3.

And two months ago, around 100 professionals came together at an m4music event in Lugano to discuss how smaller cities could promote the music scene." From Schnyder's point of view, the event in Ticino was not only an effective signal for the local scene, but also for the responsible cultural promotion institutions in the region. "For 2024, we want to think fundamentally about how we should continue with our activities in French-speaking Switzerland and what we can offer as an extra."

A festival in the learning process

Various festival content - including some panels - can be discovered on the m4music website, its Soundcloud or YouTube channel. "But despite the digitalization push, we have refrained from turning ourselves into a hybrid event," says Schnyder. Not least because such an undertaking would be too costly. According to the press release, there was a palpable desire at this year's m4music to make progress together on issues of diversity and awareness, sustainability and social justice. "We are in a learning process, we are aware of that. It is also clear that we need to make further progress in this regard." When it comes to air travel for invited guests and performers, m4music does not yet have any clear guidelines. "However, if I compare the number of flights taken by our guests today with the number before the pandemic, it has become significantly less."

The value of music

While the networking workshop "Crossing the Röstigraben" discussed how the music scene can bridge the gap between German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, the panel "Tomorrow's Warriors" focused on the question of what the local jazz scene needs to do to appeal more to the younger generation. Musician Julie Campiche was once shocked to discover that her young daughter was convinced that the saxophone was not an instrument for girls, but exclusively for boys. Campiche attributed this mainly to the fact that too few women are employed as teachers at local training centers. "If we acknowledge that we have a problem in this respect, that would be a first step."

Meanwhile, the panel "What value does music have?" mainly debated the extent to which pop will be valued in 2023. Cultural scientist Maximilian Jablonowski noted that more money is currently being made with pop again and raised the question: "Is pop still creative at all?" WoZ-Editor Bettina Dyttrich described the current pop music system as "perverse". "Bands used to be able to make a living from their shows and albums. This is becoming increasingly difficult, even for well-known acts."

 

The next edition of the festival will take place on March 22 and 23, 2024. Further information can be found at: www.m4music.ch

With a total prize money of 25,000 Swiss francs and a Swiss-wide concert placement for three years for the prize-winning ensembles, targeted and sustainable support is offered to outstanding young chamber ensembles. The sponsoring association is the Förderkreis Kammermusik Schweiz in collaboration with the Paul Juon Gesellschaft, and the venue is the Kunsthalle Appenzell. The composition of the jury will be announced in June. Application deadline: September 1, 2023.

According to artistic director Martin Lucas Staub, the organizers' declared aim is to use this chamber music competition with concert placement to close the gap in the promotion of young Swiss chamber ensembles that has arisen since the Migros Chamber Music Competition was discontinued.

Sustainable promotion

The concert placement for three years and coaching on the management of their own ensemble are sustainable promotional measures. They allow the winning ensembles to expand their concert experience and raise their profile by introducing them to a wide audience throughout Switzerland. This makes it much easier for them to embark on a successful career.

In addition, concert organizers receive substantial financial support from the Förderkreis Kammermusik Schweiz if the winning ensembles are engaged. This encourages small and medium-sized concert organizers in particular to offer high-quality concerts with talented young ensembles. At the same time, the Förderkreis Kammermusik Schweiz guarantees the musicians appropriate remuneration.

Ensembles from trio to sextet are eligible to take part in the competition, performing a work by Swiss composer Paul Juon in addition to two pieces of their choice. With the compulsory piece by Paul Juon, the competition aims to make his great music better known, especially among the younger generation of musicians. Paul Juon's extensive catalog of works includes pieces for all relevant chamber music ensembles.

The Paul Juon Chamber Music Competition will be held every three years in future. Further information on the competition and online registration can be found at www.fkms.org

Since March 28, 2023, anyone who owns an iPhone has been able to use the Apple Classical App Access to the "largest classical music catalog in the world" in the "highest available sound quality" (self-promotion).

Max Nyffeler attended the presentation of the app at the company's London headquarters. Read Nyffeler's informative report including classification directly on its website

As announced by the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) Christoph Grab "has been a fixture on the national and international jazz scene for decades.

He holds a professorship at the ZHdK, works as a freelancer in the Swiss jazz scene and is a member of many permanent formations. Now he is being honored with the Swiss Jazz Award 2023. The award ceremony will take place on June 24 as part of the JazzAscona festival, where he will perform in three different formations.

The Swiss Jazz Award has been presented annually at JazzAscona since 2007 to outstanding personalities from the Swiss jazz scene."