Without in any way detracting from the magic that surrounds choral singing: The fact that the shared singing experience has extremely positive effects on performers and listeners has now been proven by numerous scientific studies. A look behind the scenes of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie, a professional Swiss choir, reveals countless examples of what makes this musical genre and its cultivation so valuable to us.

Choral singing is community

Anne-Kristin Zschunke, a classically trained singer, has been part of the core of the Zurich ensemble and the board for several years. For her, choral singing is first and foremost about community: "It means experiencing emotions together, being able to share an experience with others. As a singer on stage during a concert, recognizing the reactions in the audience, seeing and feeling what our singing does to people is simply wonderful!" The moments in which she can build up a tangible closeness to the audience are particularly valuable for her as an artist.

But the choir members also have to get along with each other. For Florian Helgath - artistic director of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie - a good working atmosphere is essential in order to achieve an exceptional result. "Empathy and sensitivity are needed so that the singers feel free." After all, no instrument is as direct as the human voice, if only because singers always work with text.

The Zürcher Sing-Akademie is an extremely flexible ensemble that brings a wide variety of repertoire to the stage. For Yves Brühwiler, bass, one of the choir's great advantages: "There is so much good music! Sometimes we sing a cappella in an intimate, almost family setting, other times with a large orchestra, well-known soloists and conductors. Every project is new and unique. So not only does the work remain exciting, but the result is always fresh and lively."

In cooperation with various orchestras, the singers of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie are not only on tour within Switzerland, the Swiss ensemble has also earned an excellent reputation abroad. "Of course, it is primarily important for us to cultivate choral music within Switzerland," says Franziska Brandenberger, the ensemble's PR manager. However, the international concert activities, CD recordings on renowned labels and collaboration with major conductors and orchestras are also a way of showing the local audience: "What you hear in our concerts is of distinction and quality."

Fall season 2023

The ensemble has two major projects planned for the fall season. A program of romantic works entitled "Herzgedanken", which also focuses on some lesser-known composers from Switzerland, will be performed in September. The choir can be heard sometimes a cappella, sometimes with piano accompaniment, some pieces are only sung by a delicate female choir, some by a powerful male choir. Such a program is an opportunity for conductor Florian Helgath to challenge his choir, but of course also to let it shine with pieces of music that suit his singers best.

In October, one of the great choral symphonic works is on the program: A German Requiem by Johannes Brahms. The special thing about this performance is that it will take place in cooperation with the Orchestra La Scintilla from Zurich Opera House. A romantic composition interpreted by a historically informed orchestra? "I'm really looking forward to the transparency of the instruments and the creative possibilities that the orchestra brings with it," says Helgath. For Anne-Kristin Zschunke, the Brahms Requiem will be a very special project for other reasons. "You go through grief and its various emotions very directly, but ultimately experience a metamorphosis towards so much hope and consolation. This work makes it tangible that death is nothing terrible or bad, but is part of life - grief, on the other hand, can be resolved or transformed!"

Concert dates

THOUGHTS OF THE HEART
September 14, 7:30 p.m. - Lenzburg Castle
September 15, 7:30 p.m. - Florhof Zurich
September 16, 7.30 p.m. - Rudolf Steiner School Wetzikon

A CHORAL CELEBRATION
October 19, 7:30 p.m.-Tonhalle Zurich

BRAHMS REQUIEM
October 20, 7:30 p.m. - Tonhalle Zurich
October 21, 7:30 p.m. - Stadtcasino Basel
October 22, 11:00 a.m. - French Church Bern

sing-akademie.ch

For his article, Hanspeter Künzler received more or less detailed answers to a number of questions from the music scene. As there was not enough space in the printed Swiss Music Newspaper As he is limited in his work, he was only able to publish some of the feedback in his text. Here is the complete feedback in alphabetical order.

Adrian Weyermann, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

I had my big high times with the "bestsellers on the turntable" between 1978 and 1982, when I was between 4 and 8 years old. I could hardly wait for Sunday:

Boney M. with Rivers of Babylon, Blondie Call Me, Stevie Wonder Master Blaster, Robert Palmer Johnny and Mary. For me, this is the deepest musical childhood.

As a 12 to 18-year-old, I didn't really care about the hit parade, my heart was already beating more independently. Although as a musician, I was always kind of in between even then. Too bulky for the hit parade, too pop for the indies.

Seven years ago, when I was writing my last album for the Weyers, I tried to listen through the Top 40 just to know what people are listening to today. Unfortunately, 99 % of the songs made my skin crawl. Too bad. So I came to the conclusion that it's probably not for me (anymore). Today, I always listen to current hits from my daughters' rooms that I somehow like.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

Sometimes perhaps like my daughters, often quite different, I think.

To what extent was/is the hit parade a driving force for your work with The Weyers?

I would say that the measurability of success (clicks, likes, social media, chart positions) almost ruined my enjoyment of music. That's why I consciously left the professional music business as an artist/songwriter five years ago after a burnout and have been an enthusiastic music teacher ever since.

Are click figures more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

See above ...

 

Andreas Rohrer, presenter of "Sounds!", SRF 3

I'll keep it short and sweet!

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

At 12: Great entertainment and information value. Listened to in the car every winter Sunday on the way home from the mountains.

At 18: The hit parade was a yardstick for what was generally considered musically relevant and good. But it was relativized by alternatives.

Today: irrelevant

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

Like Alexander Blunschi

If you ever made music, was the hit parade a kind of beacon or was it more of a deterrent?

For my guitar and vocal skills, which are not worth mentioning, the grunge and pop-punk of the 90s had a big influence, i.e. things that were in the charts at the time.

Are click numbers and likes more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

I think so. The hit parade no longer exists as a gatekeeper. Distribution is more important than sales. The fact that the charts include streams doesn't change their current status.

 

Andreas Ryser, record company manager, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

I recorded the hit parade on cassette as a 12-year-old, made my own covers with photos from Bravo or Pop RockyWhen I was 18, I was already pretty fed up with the Beastie Boys and Living Color. Today I only watch the charts when someone tells us that we're in the album charts with our acts because we've sold a few records ... singles charts, nope ...

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

Since the hit parade is filled with Tiktok virals, which perform very well on the streaming services and thus determine the charts, this is not so much our construction site, hit parades are then simply the top 100 in the world.

To what extent was/is the hit parade a driving force for your work with Filewile today?

No drive. The singles charts have become so global that you don't really have a chance of being on them. Of course, this primarily has to do with the fact that streaming services, such as Spotify, do very little for local music markets. As a result, the charts are much more globalized than they used to be.

Are click figures more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

Of course, charts are still the driving force behind getting onto the big commercial radio stations. The charts differ very little from the Spotify charts. This means that all the charts on streaming services or Tiktok and YouTube are much more relevant, also because a lot of additional usage can happen there if the song is in the charts. Radio used to be something like the communication of most sales, so it was actually a product of the music industry to sell even more music that was already selling very well ...

Of course, we realize that it has a big impact when we have results, for example when we appear in big playlists, concerts are sold out or the groups have a lot of followers. Because people are just very bored and what is heard and seen a lot is automatically considered good.

Funnily enough, this is a phenomenon that is also gaining ground in the indie scene. No matter how experimental the music, we can use reach arguments to get even more reach and thus boost an artist. Just like the purpose of the hit parade. One of the best strategies of all when it comes to live performances is this: It's super important to sell out a few shows quickly, then communicate this over and over again, so you can sell more tickets much faster and better, and social media is of course very helpful.

Annakin, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

In my teenage years, the hit parade was of course an eagerly awaited weekly event. I watched the German hit parade on TV every Saturday evening and at the same time got ready to go out with lots of hairspray. The hit parade heralded the start of the weekend, as we still had school on Saturday mornings. A little later, the hit parade came on Sunday on DRS 3. It was the time when Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence and Sinéad O'Connors I do not want what I havent't got were in the charts, both are still great idols for me today. Today, I'm still interested in the charts because I've had the honor of being represented in them with all my albums. But I no longer actively listen to them.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?  

I think everything has changed massively. Today's kids look different because they have different idols. Today it's the Billie Eilish slob look, as my godson once put it, and in the past the equivalent was perhaps punk and then grunge. It used to be the poppers with gelled hair and today people love the nerds, like Ed Sheeran or Lewis Capaldi. I think it's a nice and above all tolerant development.

Perhaps the hit parade used to be a special event because it was a kind of first playlist that you got to hear. Apart from at the disco, there was no easy way to listen to all your favorite songs in a row back then. You always had to change the tape, CD or record first. One of the first forms of playlist was probably recording on cassette. But you were always too late and usually only pressed the recording button when the song had already started.

 To what extent was/is the hit parade a driving force for your work today?

It's not really a driving force, but I still think it's cool when an album or a song of mine charts.

Are click figures more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

That may be. But I find this tendency problematic because the click figures often don't reflect the truth and they only really generate money if you have an infinite number of clicks.

 

Brandy Butler, musician

How was your relationship with the "hit parade" as a 12- and an 18-year-old? And today? Are you interested in the charts at all today?

When I was 12, I would come home every day after school and watch MTV live. I wouldn't say that I recognized that what I was watching was more or less the charts, but I definitely was interested in what music was popular at that time for social reasons. By the time I was 18, I was in college and no longer watching MTV for the charts. The internet was still in its baby form but downloading platforms like Napster had just started. And so, the charts were more like what was everyone downloading off of the platforms.

Today I am no longer interested in the charts as we have known them at all, except that I watch a lot of old chart-reruns (like Soul Train and Dick Clark's Bandstand) with my dad who has dementia. These days I understand that the charts were/are basically a tool run by the major labels to advertise their products. Even streaming platforms. The major playlists have secret curators, and often they are the major labels. I do think what is interesting is how social media can make a song jump to internet stardom based on how people interact with a song. But still, the charts are just a curated playlist. I prefer to make my own.

During the "glorious" 60s up to the mid-70s, we all (I mean people my age, not you!) followed the charts, even if we had long hair and smoked dope. Who follows the charts today?

I don't think people actively follow the charts anymore. The charts were a kind of reference to what you should be listening to and therefore buying. With the start of streaming apps and curated playlists, this lost its relevance. You can listen to literally all the music all the time for 15.- CHF a month, and if you don't know what you like an algorithm will just automatically pick it for you.

Have the charts ever been a motivational force in your work?

Never ever. I think to make a chart hit in most cases your goal has to be to appeal to the most amount of people possible. In my case I make music for myself, simply because I love to, so that doesn't really give me a lot of mass appeal. (It does give me really true fans, but I think I would fall more under niche music than anything).

Is the number of clicks more important today than the charts? If so, what are the consequences?

Are clicks more important than plays? I think already there you're showing your age. 😉 Most people don't have mouses anymore, so clicks is not a term from the most current generation. Streams and likes are much more important. They are the currency of social media, and in that world, they are worth a lot. You can translate it into sponsorships and ads all which have the potential to generate revenue. However, they also come with barriers. You need access to the playlists or have platform algorithms that push your music (like the major labels do). And still even with all that, it doesn't necessarily translate outside that world to money. The average payment for a stream is .00002.

I think it could be interesting in today's world to redefine what charts are and how they could be calculated. But I think the day of charts are kind of over. The internet makes its own recommendations based on the trends, but this can last literally from a day to a few weeks. Usually within a month it is no longer cool to even like that song.

 

 Daniela Sarda, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today?

As a 12 to 18-year-old, I generally listened to a lot of music. As I was generally interested in music, I naturally had my favorite albums, which I always listened to regardless of the hit parade. The hit parade had more influence on certain trends and the fact that you really liked certain songs for a while. But it didn't influence my personal taste in music. Nowadays, I don't listen to Hit Parade anymore, if I do, I listen to Pop Brandneu or Fresh Finds on Spotify to discover new releases.

 Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

I'm not interested in the hit parade at the moment.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

I think musical tastes have become much more individualized. I could imagine that people who consume music casually still listen to charts, but young people put together their own playlists on Spotify. I took a quick look at the current Swiss hit parade, I still know two or three names from it (Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo).

 To what extent was/is the hit parade a driving force for your work today?

 For my current work, the hit parade was not so relevant, perhaps more for the feeling of togetherness that you had when everyone sang the same song and could dance to it. Even as a young singer, my work was inspired by soul, R'n'B or canzoni, music that wasn't always present in the charts.

Are click figures more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

Both are important. Aren't many artists still trying to get into the charts? Or is this perhaps still a tool of the major labels to be consumed and bought by the masses? Click numbers (likes?) once again represent the interest of individual music listeners, their individual tastes, and give special music styles and niches a platform that would not exist in the charts.

 

Luca Bruno, presenter of "Sounds!", SRF 3

 What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

As a 12 and 18-year-old, I wasn't interested in the hit parade at all. Before that, between the ages of 6 and 10, I was a huge fan and was glued to the radio for four hours every Sunday afternoon. I even got myself a Walkman with a radio tuner so that I could listen in on the go. I recorded a few issues on cassette and listened to them over and over again. The hit parade presenter on DRS 3 was also about the biggest star I could imagine.

Today, I don't really care about the album charts, partly because physical sales have fallen so far that even three-digit sales figures are enough for a top 10 position. I still find the singles charts interesting because they're still a relatively good indicator of what's popular at the moment.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

Only hip-hop fanatics and ultra-fans of Popstars still regularly watch the charts. Circles in which high chart positions still really make an impression - and the various fanbases engage in streaming wars and races over them. Hip-hop acts are still "bluffing" with chart positions - in the alternative circle, of course, this is completely irrelevant.

Are click numbers and likes more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

Definitely. Although the aim of the charts should actually be to be congruent with the streaming figures. Nevertheless, I find the Spotify charts, where you can see exactly how often a song has been streamed, a lot more transparent than the charts, whose calculation key is still pretty nebulous.

 

Michael von der Heide, musician

What was your relationship to the hit parade as a 12- and 18-year-old - and today? Are you still interested in the hit parade at all?

Of course I loved the hit parade as a teenager. I recorded it every Sunday and, like most people, got annoyed when the presenter snorted into the intro or outro. I still have many of the cassettes. It was always incredibly exciting, of course. Like the Eurovision Song Contest, you get annoyed when your favorite song doesn't make it to one or falls out of the top 10 again, and, and, and! But that time totally shaped me.

I followed the hit parade for a long time as an interested musician to see what was still going on. But I'd say I gave up in the last four or five years. There was a lot of music that didn't appeal to me at all, and I realized that I had dropped out of the race, which makes me feel relaxed.

It was never really a big issue for my music. As you can hear on my first album, I never chased after the mainstream musically. I certainly had the odd song that I thought might be suitable for radio. And of course I was delighted when my album Tourist reached number 5 in 2000. Or that I've been in the charts again and again in recent years, even though I'm completely independent as far as record companies are concerned, because I have my own. I'm pleased about that, but it's actually irrelevant. The audience at the concerts doesn't care whether the album is in the charts or not.

Are click numbers and likes more important today than the hit parade? If so, what are the consequences?

The click figures don't affect me much. Right now I have a single with Eve Gallagher where we have wonderful click figures, which everyone is happy about, including me, but that's really totally unimportant for my work, for my music, at the moment.

In the glorious sixties and well into the seventies, we all followed the hit parade, even if we had long hair and smoked pot. What does the hit parade audience look like today?

I suppose I look like I did in the 80s, styled like I was in the 80s. I don't know that many young people today, but they don't listen to the hit parade. I don't know who's really still into it. They listen to Spotify and playlists.

 

Stefan Künzli, music editor at CH-Media

Did the hit parade mean anything to you as a child?

Absolutely! I started in '71, when I was 9, very young, and it had a big impact on me, it was almost the only thing you could hear on Swiss radio back then. The hit parade was very important and formative for me. Not anymore today, of course.

When did that change?

Gradually, in the 70s, when I went in the direction of jazz. Then I wasn't so interested anymore. But I still kept up with what was going on. It was still relevant at the time in that it showed what the most successful songs were, which in turn had an effect on album sales. You can no longer do that today. It's become quite difficult to keep track of it all.

And people were really happy when a Swiss band was in the charts.

I didn't notice much of that. Pepe Lienhard, Sheila Baby, Swiss Lady. And of course Heavenly ClubI think that was in the first Swiss hit parade year.

Do you have memories of certain hit parade songs?

I can remember it pretty clearly. I really soaked it up. Suzi Quatro, for example, terrific, Sweet, Slade, that was the line back then as a teenager. And Deep Purple, Black Nightthe first hard things - I still like them today ...

Toni Vescoli, musician

What was it like for you back then when "Heavenly Club" reached number 1?

That was a crazy summer, of course. We were on tour, as Sauterelles, together with Arlette Zola, one evening she first, the other we. Of course we were curious to see if Heavenly Club would be in the charts. And indeed, it wasn't long before we were in, and the record went up and up and suddenly it was number 1. Christoph Schwegler said: "well, well, well, and at number 1, Les Sauterelles!" Of course that was huge for us. We knew Christoph well personally, he always came to Atlantis when we played there.

It was a crazy thing, and the fact that we stayed in first place for six weeks was a bit of a sensation at the time. It made us very happy. On the other hand, it also tore me apart a bit, because my daughter Natalie was born at exactly the same time as we were in the hit parade. I soon didn't know what I should find more relaxed, hahaha! But the birth of my daughter was more relaxed!

To what extent was the hit parade a driving force for you, before and after the hit?

Drive - of course, as a band we had the feeling that it would be cool if we got into the charts. But we actually just wanted to make records. Heavenly Club wasn't even our favorite. Actually, we should have Montgolfier wanted to be a hit. But of course you think that you would like to have a hit.

Was there pressure from the record company to repeat the formula after the hit?

We weren't under any pressure from the record company. But it was slightly tragic anyway, because soon after the tour we went on, the band started to crumble apart. Düde Dürst, the drummer, started jamming with Hardy Hepp, and at some point he left, in 1968. It was a pity, we could have made a big start in Germany after a record conference in Hamburg. But nothing came of it. I carried on with the Sauterelles, but soon went it alone. It was no longer interesting financially either. The whole scene had changed. The clubs. There were no more week-long engagements, you had to do one-off gigs.

Wasn't it considered uncool in the progressive environment to appear in the charts?

Well, in 1968 we weren't actually in a progressive scene. I would rather say that would have been Düde mit Krokodil. But the Sauterelles were more of a commercial thing anyway, so it wasn't at all uncool to have a hit. It became much more difficult when I entered the charts in the mid-70s, first with the Pfäfflithen Scho root. A few people have already said (mimicking a Bernese accent): "Aha, you're in the hit parade now, aren't you?"

The Bernese Troubadours thought it was pretty bad that a so-called singer-songwriter was now in the hit parade. That was very unusual at the time. Mani Matter and all the others never made the hit parade. Then this Vescoli comes along with the Züri-Schnure and sweeps everything away, hahaha. I followed the hit parade in the 60s, at the time of Heavenly Clubbut not so much later on. When I made my own songs in Swiss German, the hit parade wasn't so important anymore.

 

Table of contents

Focus

Trust yourself and encourage others
Interview with Nicole Johänntgen

Keeping the inner fire burning
Prevent listlessness when learning music

The hit parade: career driver, cult and commerce
Incentive and frustration of the charts
Statements by Adrian Weyermann, Andreas Rohrer, Andreas Ryser, Annakin, Brandy Butler, Daniela Sarda, Luca Bruno, Michael von der Heide, Stefan Künzli and Toni Vescoli

Capturing the forest air in music
What drove composers from different eras?

The "immortal lover" in Solothurn?
A previously unknown entry in a hotel register

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

 

Critiques

Reviews of recordings, books, sheet music

 

Echo

La musique contemporaine dans les grands festivals
Grand plan de Verbier à Lucerne

Sounding byways through the bushes
Rümlingen Festival in Ticino

Picture a day like this
Opéra de George Benjamin

Radio Francesco
La chimère | The Chimera

Do not compromise, nevertheless remain understandable
Martin Derungs - Obituary

A pioneer of choral singing
Verena Scheidegger - Obituary

Ecouter la voix des apprenants
Le concept de " Learner Voice " à Lausanne

Chatting about ...
Ensemble foundation and management

Carte blanche fFor Andreas Wiedmer
Individual performance fuels the collective

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)

 

Child prodigy and triple muse
Puzzle by Chris Walton

________________________________________

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

At the end of the 1950s, Verena Scheidegger-Buser (1942-2023) took her first steps as a choir director after the church choir she had just joined threatened to disband. During her studies as a pianist and choirmaster at what was then the Basel Conservatory, she already conducted three choirs. Her prominent role models and teachers were the Swiss composer and teacher Theodor Diener, who wrote the oratorio Lazarus and Paul Schaller as a choir conducting teacher at the conservatory. As a working woman with a family, she successfully asserted herself among her predominantly male colleagues and put the valuable knowledge she had gained during her studies into practice by founding the Peterskantorei Basel in 1965, making her one of the pioneers of the Swiss choral conducting scene.

New impulses for church choirs

She is working on a new, pioneering "church choir" profile, which, in addition to monthly church services, also performs concerts with soloists and orchestra or secular serenades. For the first time, the singers receive vocal training during choir rehearsals, which was neither popular nor common at the time. Her choice of program is innovative with a clear concept. She knows the limits of her newly founded choir and forgoes the usual repertoire, which she prefers to leave to others, primarily professional institutions. In return, she attracts attention through clever programming, which does not escape the attention of the professional scene. In addition to works that were among the most frequently performed in the 18th and 19th centuries and have fallen into oblivion, including Graun's Death of Jesus or Herzogenberg's Birth of Christshe commissions compositions. These are perfectly matched to the Peterskantorei, while the soloists and orchestra have to deliver highly demanding parts. The oratorio Peter by the Basel composer Rudolf Jaggi (1940-2015). Anyone who gets an earful of it will realize that this is neither utility music nor artistic compromise. Improvisations, aleatoric passages and harsh dissonances are omnipresent. Moreover, this oratorio is an insider tip for today's choirs.

Ü 50

And once again, Verena Scheidegger is ahead of her time. As in all choirs, her own members age with her. In addition, age limits are being drawn in Basel choirs. Scheidegger seized the opportunity and founded the "Chor50" in collaboration with the Senior Citizens University and the Basel GGG. This time, not only Switzerland but also other countries are looking to Basel. The new choir consists of experienced and seasoned singers from existing concert choirs. Scheidegger is convinced that something can be done vocally, and she is right. According to anecdotal reports, people under the age of 50 who wanted to sing were also interested, whereupon the choirmaster asked for patience and put them on the waiting list. This demonstrates yet another strength of character. Far be it from her to compete with other clubs. On the contrary, she took an interest in the work of her colleagues and supported them in word and deed. She was a regular guest at the concerts of the choirs of the Basel University of Music and was always happy to get to know new choral music.

Finally, it should be mentioned that Verena Scheidegger was equally successful as a piano teacher at the Basel Music Academy.

Cantate Domino Canticum Novum - Sing to the Lord a new song, this was Verena Scheidegger's elixir of life. The choral scene mourns the loss of an artist and teacher who had a significant influence on musical life in Basel.

Martin Derungs was born in Chur on May 12, 1943. He was not closely related to the Graubünden musicians Gion Antoni Derungs, Gion Giusep Derungs and Urban Derungs, who were also composers. His father was the teacher Josef Derungs (1914-2002), who also made a name for himself musically, in particular as a choirmaster and music teacher.

Artistic career

Derungs received his first musical influences from his father and Lucius Juon (1913-2015), the charismatic church musician and founder of the Chur Singing School. He went on to study organ (Luigi Favini), piano (Hans Andreae) and composition (Paul Müller-Zürich) in Zurich. Further studies in composition then led him to Günter Bialas in Munich (1967-1971). He recalled that time with the following words: "I did exceptionally well with him. In contrast to Stockhausen or Boulez, he by no means tried to impose a specific tonal language on us - which would probably have been his own - and was very reserved in this respect. Nevertheless, we naturally listened to his works and appreciated them very much. What we learned from him first and foremost was the economy of means. If little comes to mind, you shouldn't write a symphony, but perhaps two miniatures."¹

Derungs taught harpsichord, basso continuo and chamber music at the State University of Music in Karlsruhe from 1980 to 1984. He was an editor at the music department of Swiss radio in Zurich and at the short-wave radio station "Deutsche Welle" in Cologne. However, Derungs was not cut out for this kind of work in the long term. "Radio work was interesting for me for a while, but after three years I'd had enough. A full-time job like this was too much for me. I didn't give any more concerts at all during this time, I just composed. I couldn't take it any longer, I had to get back on stage. So I went back to Zurich without a job in my pocket."²

Freelance musician

Derungs then remained essentially freelance. His largely voluntary commitments in the field of music promotion were numerous. He presided over the Musikerkooperative Schweiz, an association of improvising musicians, for four years. He was also president of the Schweizerischer Tonkünstlerverein for four years. He was a member of the program committee of the Künstlerhaus Boswil for nine years. He also chaired the Music Commission of the City of Zurich, where, among other things, scholarships and work years were awarded. Finally, he was in charge of the Musikkollegium Zürcher Oberland in Wetzikon for several years.

As a concert musician, he preferred the harpsichord. We remember, for example, a memorized rendition of the Well-Tempered Clavier, complemented by a piece of contemporary music in his typical manner.

Composer

To characterize his composing, let's let Martin Derungs himself have his say: "I was about 45 when I had found myself as a composer to the point where I could say: I do what I want, regardless of what others think. That was in the early eighties, when I realized what my style should be. Two factors were important for this: firstly, that I wrote quite a lot for vocals. I never wanted to bully the singers, but I always composed pieces that people liked to sing.

The second is the exploration of so-called early music. In this context, I wrote a whole series of new pieces for historical instruments such as the recorder, harpsichord or baroque violin. In the later eighties, I became interested in the world of music theater. The first major work in this genre that I was allowed to write was Grisons turmoil. Scenes around Jürg Jenatsch for the 700th anniversary celebrations in Davos. Three hundred people stood on stage in the final scene. Amateur choirs and no fewer than five orchestral groups were involved, spread across the huge scene.

I was also fascinated by the two projects that I was able to realize with the choir of the Bündner Kantonsschule. It's not a given that you can get fifteen to nineteen-year-olds excited about something like this. These young people had perhaps previously played a little Mozart on the piano and were now confronted with music that is probably not immediately accessible. In this project, one half was composed by me, the other half consisted of jazz. At first, of course, the young people responded primarily to jazz, but in the end they were rather oversaturated with it. But they told me that they had understood my pieces and enjoyed singing them. As a composer, it's important to me not to make any compromises and still remain understandable."³

 

Notes

1 Thomas, Stephan: Creating music and promoting music - the composer Martin Derungs, in: Grisons Yearbook 2013
2 Ibid
3 Ibid

The daily morning concerts of the Camerata Pontresina in the Taiswald forest are a summer evergreen, according to Pontresina Tourism. They have been held from mid-June to the end of September since 1910. In addition to the "spa orchestra" on the Tais concert square, small and large salon orchestra formations once also played in hotels and in pavilions in the hotel parks. Until the 1940s, they even played on the local ice rinks in winter. The Camerata Pontresina is still in use as Pontresina's official spa orchestra.

 Xaver Fässler, clarinettist with Camerata Pontresina since 1990, has now taken over the directorship from Jürg H. Frei. As "the doctor with the flute", Frei had led the Pontresina spa orchestra since 1989 and ensured the successful continuation of the legendary Camerata Pontresina. Fässler's aim, together with Daniel Bosshard, pianist and librarian of the Camerata, is to continue and further develop the tradition of the Engadin spa orchestras.

 

At the last meeting in May, the 40 or so participants were able to benefit from professionals: They worked with Simon Styles, tuba, Thomas Rüedi, baritone/euphonium and Julien Roh, alto horn, on their basics, specifically on literature or rehearsed ensemble pieces. The participants learned about the care of their instruments, visited an exhibition of sheet music and accessories and attended the final concert.

The Executive Board of the Tuba+ Forum Central Switzerland under President Remo Capra is looking forward to the next events:

October 28, 2023: 2nd Tuba+-Ensemble Day
December 16, 2023: Les Tubas de Noël
May 4, 2024: 3rd Tuba+ Forum Day

The festival has announced that Jacqueline Keller will be stepping down from her role as Director of Murten Classics after 20 years at the end of this year's festival. For the 2024 festival, however, she will still be in charge of the production part, i.e. working with the artistic director and taking care of artist engagements and support. A successor has been lined up and will be announced in due course.

The media release from Murten Classics

How the World Youth Music Festival (WJMF) it offers competitions at the highest level for orchestras in harmony, brass band or big band formations. Other competition disciplines include parade music, the indoor show competition and tambourine competitions in various categories. Youth music formations with members up to the age of 25 can take part (three joker members who are older are permitted).

The jury is made up of renowned musicians from Switzerland and abroad. Trumpeter and Mnozil Brass founder Thomas Gansch is a festival ambassador, while Erich Zumstein, Director of the Zurich Conservatory of Music, is the festival director.

Registration deadline until October 31, 2023

Clubs from Switzerland and abroad can submit their applications via the website until October 31. Register participation. Anyone who has already left adolescence behind them but would still like to be actively involved can register as a helper. Among other things, we are looking for people to support the clubs from Germany and abroad.

World Youth Music Festival

The World Youth Music Festival Zurich (WJMF) was founded on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Jugendmusik Zürich 11 and has since developed into an international festival for amateur musicians between the ages of 9 and 25. Since 1985, between 2,600 and 4,500 young people from all over the world have traveled to Zurich for each festival to meet like-minded musicians from other clubs around the world, to make music with them and to compete with them in various categories. Over the past 33 years, a total of 250 orchestras from around 50 countries have come together for a fascinating musical competition. The last WJMF took place in 2017. The 2021 festival did not take place due to the pandemic.

www.wjmf.ch

The Youth Classics Swiss International Music Academy (SIMA) is a private initiative to promote young musical talent. During the summer vacation period, this year from July 14 to 23, the Academy offers intensive, high-quality musical training to musicians who are studying at a music academy or aspire to study music in the future. 96 musicians from 24 countries - around a third of them from Switzerland - are taking part in the 13th SIMA on the music island of Rheinau.

Individual lessons, rehearsals and special insights

Lecturers from renowned music academies such as the Zurich University of the Arts, the Bern University of the Arts, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin and the Berlin University of the Arts work with the participants during the Academy as part of the solo lessons. In addition to individual lessons, there are rehearsals with accompaniment and chamber music lessons as well as various special events. For example, the participants build a violin as a team in a violin making workshop under the guidance of renowned violin maker Stefan-Peter Greiner and improve their own practicing and performance skills in the workshop "The path to mental strength". Various special and sponsorship prizes will also be awarded.

International encounters at all levels

The participants and teachers from all over the world live in one place during the Academy on the music island of Rheinau. This further promotes the exchange of ideas with important music teachers and like-minded musical talents. As a special highlight, the leading international violin soloist Julia Fischer will give an insight into her work as an artist as part of a special master class.

Public concerts

To various public concerts the young musical talents show off their skills. Some selected musicians will perform at the final concert on July 23, 2023 in the large concert hall of the Zurich University of the Arts in Zurich.

Presentation of the participants of the 13th Swiss International Music Academy 2023
Thursday, July 20, 2023 / Friday, July 21, 2023 - 7.30 p.m. in each case
Mill hall, Klosterinsel 2, 8462 Rheinau
Admission free - collection

Final concert of the chamber music groups
Saturday, July 22, 2023, 2 p.m.
St. Nikolaus mountain church, 8462 Rheinau
Admission free - collection

Closing concert of the 13th Swiss International Music Academy 2023
Sunday, July 23, 2023, 5 p.m.
Zurich University of the Arts, Great Concert Hall, Toni-Areal,
Pfingstweidstrasse 96, 8005 Zurich
Admission free - collection

The fifth Othmar Schoeck Festival after 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2022 will focus on the composer's place of origin and the environment in which Othmar grew up with his three brothers Paul, Ralph and Walter. How have the cultural conditions there changed since the beginning of the 20th century? And what is the current state of culture in the canton of Schwyz?

Motto

"Le plus beau pays du monde?"
Like his colleague Alfred Schoeck (1841-1931), Othmar's father, the landscape painter Alexandre Calame (1810-1864) had studied under François Diday (1802-1877) in Geneva. He was fascinated by the view of Lake Uri and the snow-covered Alps. He described these surroundings as "the most beautiful stretch of land on earth".

The Othmar Schoeck Festival puts a question mark behind Calame's quote, which still adorns a stone in front of the long since burnt down Hotel Axenstein. How were the four Schoeck brothers able to pursue their artistic inclinations there at the time?

Music

Schoeck's songs can be heard in Cornelia Kallisch's master class: how they are first polished and then how they sound when performed.

In concert with the Swiss Symphonic Wind Orchestra, Schoeck's Prelude op. 48 will be performed. The program also includes works by his contemporaries Hindemith and Weill as well as current pieces by Oliver Waespi and Stephan Hodel. The Othmar Schoeck Festival has honored the versatile Swiss composer Stephan Hodel commissioned a work: Information overload will be premiered on September 2 in the Werkhalle Dettling. The Swiss Symphonic Wind Orchestras plays under the direction of Niki Wüthrich.

The former park around the artists' villa and the Hotel Eden invites you to linger each evening from August 31. An installation with light and sound transforms the grounds into a "Garden of Eden".

Discussion

Cultural policy issues from the past and present are at the center of both Heidy Greco-Kaufmann's lecture on Oskar Eberle as well as on the podium Cultural issues under the direction of Bruno Steiner.

Details on the program under this link: https://schoeckfestival.ch/2023-le-plus-beau-pays-du-monde/

 

The Swiss Music Newspaper is a media partner of the Othmar Schoeck Festival.

The mathematical root sign is the theme of this year's Bern Music Festival program. Some people will initially think of mathematical operations, but at the same time imaginary (numerical) spaces and further questions and associations open up behind it. Where do our origins lie, how deep do our roots go: biologically, culturally, musically, biographically? How do we deal with this? Especially today?

The themes that the Bern Music Festival adopts every year are ambiguous and leave a wide range of meanings open. Previous years have been entitled "Irrlicht", "Schwärme" or "unvermittelt". Musicians from the city and canton of Bern are invited to submit their project proposals. The four-member board of trustees, which is responsible for the artistic direction of the festival, selects several concepts, supplements them with its own ideas and uses them to create a program. The scope ranges from concerts with improvised and composed music and music theater to installations, performances, films and discussion events. Communication plays an important role in this.

Root year 2023

Each project takes up the theme in its own way: In the root year 2023, for example, there is the ensemble Mycelium, which already has the mushroom in its name and has already enriched previous festival years in an unmistakable way. The root serves it "as a metaphor for our current rootedness in the (real and virtual) world, we use it as (edible) matter (root vegetables), we eavesdrop on its connections and connections in the communication network of plant ecosystems and we use it as a mathematical component in experimental sound processing".

The vocal ensemble SoloVoices explores the origin of species and therefore also of mankind in L'origine des espèces of the Greco-French composer Georges Aperghis, who was a long-time lecturer at the Bern University of the Arts and played a key role in shaping théâtre musical in Switzerland. Other concerts explore "Back to Bach" or local roots, such as the artist Meret Oppenheim, who once discovered her rebellious side at school here.

Numerous important Swiss composers come from Bern and once studied here with Sándor Veress, including Heinz Holliger, Jürg Wyttenbach and Roland Moser. His Brentano fantasies are the focus of the "Roots in Bern" concert. Moser has also been commissioned by the festival to set a text by Mani Matter to music. Half a century after his death, the chansonnier from the Swiss capital, who died young, is still a shining light on the local cultural scene.

Several epochs

Another important figure on the Bernese scene will be featured in the Arditti Quartet's concert: Daniel Glaus, composer and, until a year ago, cathedral organist. He will be performing a new string quartet. World premieres are therefore an essential part of the Bern Music Festival. However, it is not just a festival for new music, but always brings several epochs into play. For example, Mahler's Song of the earthin the chamber orchestral version by Reinbert de Leeuw. Peter Rundel conducts a collective ensemble.

The Bern Music Festival is thus strongly rooted locally and regionally, but at the same time seeks international comparison and charisma beyond the narrower area. To this end, the French composer Éliane Radigue was chosen as the composer in focus: Her unique, reduced music, which reaches to the fundamentals of sound, will be heard in four concerts at the festival. The Belgian vocal ensemble Graindelavoix, which has found radically revolutionary approaches to the music of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, is a guest ensemble in residence in Bern.

Music and science

The Bern Music Festival thus attempts a balancing act: the direct experience of sound and the communication of extremes. Communication with the audience plays a decisive role in this. A series in which music and science meet can also be seen in this context: Aspects of the festival theme - this year, for example, the Woodwideweb or birth - will be picked out and discussed. A short scientific presentation is artistically complemented by a new piece or performance; both sides then enter into conversation with each other. This always leads to a stimulating exchange of experiences.

The Bern Music Festival " √ " takes place this year from September 6 to 10. Tickets and info: musicfestivalbern.ch

The Ticino Milo Ferrazzini (Munich University of Music and Performing Arts) won first prize and the Guy Fallot Special Prize. Pascale Fallot, the daughter of the famous cellist, presented him with the prize. Ferrazzini's interpretation of works by Dieter Ammann, Ludwig van Beethoven and Nadia Boulanger impressed both the jury and the audience.

The two other finalists in the competition, Clara Schlotz (Conservatoire de Lausanne) and Axelle Richez (Zurich University of the Arts), both won a 2nd prize ex aequo.

One of the special features of the Concours d'Interprétation Musicale de Lausanne is the award for piano accompanists. This year, Guy Fallot's family also donated this prize. It went to Yukiko Tanaka, piano accompanist at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne.

The jury was made up of François Guye (President), Sonia Wieder-Atherton, Ophélie Gaillard, Nicolas Chalvin and Christian Favre.

Schlaefli will be responsible for artistic planning together with the young orchestra members. As an expert, he will accompany the auditions and strategically develop the orchestra.

The sudden death of the long-standing chief conductor Kai Bumann in June 2022 was a great personal and artistic loss and presented the SJSO with challenges behind the scenes. The current appointment of Schlaefli will enable a fair and transparent search for a chief conductor with the necessary lead time. The advertisement will be published in the fall of 2023, and after rehearsals and tours, the selection is expected to take place in May 2026.

Ideal cast

Johannes Schlaefli is Professor Emeritus of Orchestral Conducting at the Zurich University of the Arts and a permanent guest professor at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts.

He is in great demand internationally as a conducting teacher. Invitations to the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, the Aspen Music Festival and music academies in Vienna, Berlin and the Juilliard School in New York bear witness to his strong charisma. He is head of teaching at the Conducting Academy of the Menuhin Festival Gstaad.

Johannes Schlaefli was at the helm of the Serenata Basel (now the Basel Chamber Orchestra), the Bern Chamber Orchestra, the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim and the Collegium Musicum Basel. He has appeared as a guest conductor with many orchestras worldwide. In Zurich, he has also been known for decades as the conductor of various academic orchestras.

As an alumnus of the SJSO, with his immense experience and his artistic and human qualities, he is an ideal choice for the artistic direction of the SJSO.

Talent factory

The Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra SJSO is one of the few cultural institutions in Switzerland. It has been Switzerland's symphonic talent factory since 1969. Talented young musicians aged between 15 and 25 from all parts of the country delight audiences from Geneva to Rorschach in two tours a year. Former members now play in renowned orchestras in Switzerland and abroad.

Dates

• Fall tour 2023: Mahler 7 with Christoph-Mathias Mueller
• Spring tour 2024: Firebird with Modestas Pitrėnas
• Autumn tour 2024: Sibelius violin concerto with Johannes Schlaefli
• Next audition for new orchestra members: January 2024 (dates from fall under www.sjso.ch)
• Applications for the position of Principal Conductor of the SJSO can be submitted from the fall via www.sjso.ch be submitted.

The Unite Classics association organized this year's Steinway Piano Competition Switzerland together with Musik Hug. Stefan Szypura, Jonathan Ng and Alexander Sahatci were awarded first prizes in the three age groups thanks to their outstanding musical performances. Alexander Sahatci also emerged as the main winner. This gives him the opportunity to perform at the international Steinway final concert in Hamburg in mid-September.

The jury consisted of Jun Kanno (Japan/France), William Fond (England) and Benjamin Engeli (Switzerland). It was chaired by Tamara Kordzadze (Switzerland/Georgia) and praised the high standard of the young participants. The jury president is convinced that the competition motivates young pianists to discover and develop their full potential.

 Master classes, during which participants were able to benefit from experienced artists, complemented the competition.

In addition to the main prizes, Unite Classics also awarded special prizes to recognize exceptional achievements in various areas. For example, "The best teacher" prize went to Arta Anricane and Fernando Viani in recognition of the crucial role teachers play in the artistic growth of young talents.

A particular highlight of the competition was the use of the Steinway Spirio-R grand piano, which combines the world of classical music with cutting-edge technology. The Steinway Piano Competition Switzerland was the first piano competition in the world to use this technology in 2020/21 and again this year. High-resolution recordings of the performances were made at the preliminary rounds, allowing the jury to evaluate participants in unprecedented sound quality, whether they were performing live in Zurich or in a digital preliminary round. The recordings, combined with high-resolution video recordings, were transmitted digitally to the jury. This approach can contribute to the modernization of international competitions and has proven to be extremely useful, especially during the pandemic two years ago.

The next Steinway Piano Playing Competition Switzerland will take place in spring 2025. Initial information can be found at https://www.uniteclassics.com/steinway