Germán Echeverri has been a professor of Baroque violin at the ESMUC (Barcelona) since 2024. He comes from a family of musicians in Colombia and grew up in Spain. After studying with Raquel Castro and Pablo Valetti at ESMuC, he pursued a master’s degree with a major in Baroque violin at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis under Amandine Beyer, which he completed with honors in May 2012.

In 2011, he founded the ensemble with violinist Karoline Echeverri Klemm The Musical Garden. The ensemble won several international competitions in 2013 and recorded several CDs. Germán Echeverri serves as concertmaster in several ensembles, including Musica Fiorita, the Freitagsakademie Bern, and La Cetra Basel, and performs with various orchestras and ensembles, such as the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra.

Starting in the fall semester of 2024–25, students at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis were able, for the first time, to take subject-specific pedagogy courses for the violin in the historical scale as part of their music education program. This specialized didactics course will be permanently established at the Schola beginning in the fall semester of 26-27.

In the «World Premiere» category, the opera *L’Agamennone* by Salvatore Sciarrino (libretto: Sciarrino/Turroni) was nominated in the «World Premiere» category; it celebrated its world premiere on May 30, 2026, at Bühnen Bern, directed by David Hermann and conducted by Clément Lonca. In addition, Raimund Orfeo Voigt has been nominated in the “Designer” category. Voigt is currently responsible for the direction and set design of the new production of *La Traviata* as well as the revival of *Tosca* at Bühnen Bern.

The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, November 21, 2026, at the MusikTheater an der Wien and will be live-streamed worldwide via the OperaVision platform. The award is considered one of the most prestigious international honors in the world of opera.

According to Christoph Louven of the Institute for Musicology and Music Education at the University of Osnabrück, about 30 percent of students were affected by physical pain related to playing music; about 27 percent suffered from performance anxiety that limited their performance. It has also become clear, Louven said, that despite these high prevalence rates, there are no programs or structures in place during the course of study to identify emerging problems in a timely manner. According to him, this increases the risk of developing crises that threaten one’s professional and personal well-being.

For the approximately 250 music students at the University of Osnabrück, a program of courses, workshops, and counseling will therefore be created to provide timely prevention of physical and mental health issues specific to musicians. It is also intended to enable students to continue making music in a healthy way throughout their lives. Furthermore, students are expected to pass on the skills they have acquired to their future students in their later careers as music teachers.

Entitled «Healthy Music-Making: Promoting Physical and Mental Health for Music Students,» the university’s research project aims to address these issues early on. The project is scheduled to last 2.5 years and is funded by Techniker Krankenkasse with 75,000 euros.

Original article:
https://www.uni-osnabrueck.de/campusleben/uni-news/detailseite-news/2026/09/gesund-musizieren-koerperliche-und-mentale-gesundheitsfoerderung-fuer-musikstudierende

According to a press release, the canton of Thurgau will focus on four areas of cultural policy over the next four years. These include the promotion of structures and projects, the further development of the cantonal museums and the canton’s museum landscape, cultural participation, and close collaboration with other cultural stakeholders. Overall, the planned funding contributions and withdrawals from the lottery fund for the years 2027 through 2030 will increase from the previous annual amount of 13.2 million Swiss francs to 17.2 million Swiss francs.

In the field of music, the canton enters into performance agreements with the Kaff Cultural Association, the Kartause Ittingen/Ittinger Pfingstkonzerte Foundation, the Thurgau Cantonal Music Association, the Kreuzlingen Symphonic Wind Orchestra, the Thurgau Youth Orchestra, the Presswerk Cultural Association, the Arbon Symphony Orchestra, the Cantemus Vocal Ensemble, the Eastern Switzerland Concert Choir, the Thurgau Cantonal Choral Association, the Swiss Chamber Music Promotion Association, the Frauenfeld City Orchestra, the Amriswil Chamber Orchestra, the Frauenfeld Oratorio Choir, and the Kreuzlingen Oratorio Choir.

Enrico Bassi prevailed against his international competitors in the high-caliber bassoon competition and was awarded first prize. The prize is worth 15,000 euros.

Born in Parma in 2001, Bassi began his musical training at the «Arrigo Boito» Conservatory in his hometown. In 2024, he successfully completed the Master’s program in Specialized Performance (Soloist) at the Zurich University of the Arts under Matthias Rácz. That same year, accompanied by the Argovia Philharmonic Orchestra, he won «The Muri Competition.».

The ARD International Music Competition is one of the most prestigious and largest classical music competitions in the world. In its 75th anniversary year, young musicians from around the world competed in the categories of bassoon, organ, percussion, and string quartet.

Under the leadership of Numa Bischof Ullmann, the orchestra has undergone comprehensive development and expansion, the ensemble writes. With «a clear artistic vision, consistent internationalization, and structural expansion,» he has established it as one of Switzerland’s leading orchestras with international appeal. His tenure as artistic director will end at the close of June 2028 after 25 years. The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra (LSO) Association will «initiate the process of filling the artistic director position in a timely manner.».

Among the key milestones of Bischof’s tenure as music director are the expansion of the orchestra to its current size, guest performances in over 30 countries, numerous recordings and composition commissions, the founding and development of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra Foundation, the financing of the orchestra’s home, and the launch and artistic direction of the Le Piano Symphonique piano festival.

After his tenure as music director ends, Bischof will remain associated with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra. He will continue to serve as artistic director of the Le Piano Symphonique piano festival and will be responsible for managing the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra Foundation.

According to a press release from the Federal Statistical Office, the number of cultural enterprises stood at 69,441 in 2024. This represents a 1.8 percent increase compared to the previous year and marks a new high since the first year of data collection in 2011. Compared to 2019—that is, before the COVID-19 pandemic—Switzerland had 7.2 percent more cultural enterprises—and a quarter more than in 2011. By contrast, the number of enterprises in the overall economy has risen by only 15.6 percent since 2011. The share of cultural enterprises is also growing: while they accounted for 9.8 percent of all companies in 2011, that figure rose to 10.5 percent in 2019 and 10.7 percent in 2024.

The increase between 2023 and 2024 was noticeable in the cultural heritage and performing arts sectors, and was even striking in the creative fields of audiovisual and multimedia as well as advertising. In the arts and crafts sector, the number of companies declined slightly, while it fell significantly in the book and press sector. In the latter sector, there were 12.3 percent fewer companies in 2024 than in 2019, although this figure had already been declining steadily since 2015.

Compared to the overall economy, where the number of employees has grown more rapidly since 2011, the cultural sector has seen a slow decline: In 2011, the cultural sector still accounted for 4.7 percent of all employees; in 2019, the figure was 4.4 percent; and in 2024, it was 4.2 percent—despite a rising number of cultural enterprises. The ever-increasing number of enterprises in the cultural sector are thus becoming smaller and smaller.

More info: https://www.bfs.admin.ch/news/de/2026-0198

The three-part competition presented the nine participants with a variety of challenges. In the preliminary round, they spent twenty minutes rehearsing a composition unknown to the WindOrchestra Baden Wettingen. The jury focused primarily on evaluating their rehearsal techniques. Six talented conductors qualified for the semifinals. There, they had five minutes to rehearse a piece they were familiar with alongside the elite Brass Band Emmental, which was then performed immediately afterward. The focus was on conducting technique. Julia Wyser, Luca Belz, and Romain Gili qualified for the finals. The competition requirements are “extremely high,” according to the SBV; for this reason, the jury—consisting of Annick Villanueva (F), Chiara Vidoni (I), and Stefan Roth (CH)—did not award a first prize.

Romain Gili won second prize. Gili studied trumpet, piano, and orchestral conducting and holds a master’s degree in orchestral and choral conducting (Lucerne, 2024). He conducts the Orchestre Bis Repetita Lausanne, the Affoltern a. A. Orchestra Society, the NAK Switzerland Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Mühlau Music Society, the Alpenrösli Unteriberg Brass Band, the Sooregosler-Chörli Oberkirch, and the choir of the Entlebuch Theater Society.

Luca Belz, who also received second prize, conducts the Wasen i. E. Music Society. He is active in the Swiss music scene as a trumpeter and conductor and holds degrees in music education and wind band conducting. In 2023, he founded the project orchestra Blasorchester Region Bern, with the goal of performing symphonic music at the highest level. That same year, he conducted the Swiss Army Wind Orchestra at the aVENTura Festival.

Julia Wyser, who won third prize, plays the trumpet. She conducts the Stadtmusik Dietikon (ZH) and the Musig Sulgen (TG). She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Wind Ensemble Conducting and Trumpet from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and will begin a master’s program in Trumpet Pedagogy with a minor in Orchestral Conducting at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in September.

Streaming fraud refers to the manipulation of digital music services to generate revenue from fake streams. This often occurs on a large scale, undermines trust in streaming services, and deprives artists, songwriters, record labels, music publishers, and other stakeholders who support the music industry of revenue.

Music distribution services played a crucial role as a gateway to the digital music ecosystem, according to the IFPI, the industry trade association. These services also possess the «unique ability» to prevent infringing content from appearing on streaming platforms. The newly launched «Streaming Integrity Initiative» (SII) therefore aims to establish a common foundation for industry-wide measures through five key commitments.

Participating sales partners agree to the following:

• Verifying rights ownership and customer identities through reliable procedures;
• reviewing content using effective tools and procedures to detect legal violations, fraudulent activities, and AI-related risks;
• identifying, investigating, and curbing suspected cases of fraud, including taking action against repeat offenders;
• Sharing information, to the extent permitted by law, to prevent criminals from moving between different services and platforms;
• Evaluating and continuously strengthening anti-fraud systems to counter new threats.

More info: https://endstreamingfraud.com

Savannah Harris earned a dual degree in journalism and jazz from Howard University and a master’s degree in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She is also a teaching artist in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz for Young People program and leads workshops and master classes. She is currently touring with Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Kenny Barron, and works as a musical director with the rapper MIKE.

Kendrick Scott studied at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and at Berklee College of Music. He is also a member of the jazz faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, has taught at The New School in New York, and gives workshops and masterclasses internationally. He has toured and collaborated with Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd, Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano, Kenny Garrett, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Gretchen Parlato, and Robert Glasper, as well as with the SFJAZZ Collective and the Blue Note All-Stars. Beyond jazz, he has shared the stage with Philip Bailey and Angélique Kidjo.

After graduating from high school, Patrick Lange studied conducting with Hans-Rainer Förster and Peter Falk at the Würzburg University of Music and with Johannes Schlaefli at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). He began his career as an opera conductor in Zurich and Lucerne. Since then, he has regularly appeared as a guest conductor at leading opera houses worldwide, including the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and the Opéra National de Paris. Other engagements have taken him to the Royal Opera House in London, the Opéra du Capitole in Toulouse, the Semperoper in Dresden, Opera Australia, the Zurich Opera House, the Canadian Opera Company, and the Korean National Opera in Seoul.

Opera North is an English opera company based in Leeds. Its home venue is the Grand Theatre there. The company's orchestra performs not only in Leeds but also in Nottingham, Salford, Newcastle upon Tyne, and other cities in northern England.

The final round of the 2026 George Enescu International Competition in the cello category took place on September 7 at the Athenaeum in Bucharest. The 28-year-old Swiss cellist Samuel Niederhauser was awarded first prize, worth 15,000 euros, following his performance of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1. He also won 2,000 euros for the best interpretation of the commissioned work ’Waves of Gravel« by Malika Kishino, as well as the audience prize of 1,000 euros.

As part of his prize package, Niederhauser will have the opportunity to give a concert at the Teatro Fraschini di Pavia in Italy in February 2027; in addition, he will perform in other concerts and solo recitals in Romania and receive professional guidance and counseling. Niederhauser studied with Thomas Demenga at the Basel University of Music and with Thomas Grossenbacher at the Zurich University of the Arts. He is the principal cellist of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra.

Arto Noras served as chair of this year’s jury; other members included Claudio Bohórquez, Marin Cazacu, Enrico Dindo, Elena Dubinets, Frans Helmerson, Dan Prelipcean, Valentin Răduțiu, and Inbal Segev. Held in Bucharest since 1958 in memory of the Romanian violinist George Enescu, the competition features the categories of piano, violin, and cello. This year, 645 young musicians from 55 countries registered to participate.

Eleven graduates were honored with awards: Three received the Strebi Memorial Prize. The Canton of Lucerne awarded six ST.Art Young Talent Awards in the Arts. The Foundation for Music Promotion at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Music awarded a prize for excellence in piano pedagogy from the Hella Siegrist Fund. And the Foundation for Swiss Folk Music and Folk Culture awarded the Jörg Moser Prize for Folk Music for the first time.

In the Bachelor of Arts in Music program, 59 graduates received their degrees—43 in the Classical track, 14 in the Jazz track, and 2 in the Folk Music track. The Bachelor of Arts in Music and Movement program had 2 graduates, and the Bachelor of Arts in Music/Church Music program had 2.

A total of 154 degrees were awarded in the Master of Arts in Music program, with the majority—50 degrees—in the Classical Performance major. In the Master of Arts in Music Education program, 60 graduates earned the professional qualification needed to teach at music schools or high schools in the future.

In addition, 97 people completed continuing education programs in music education, the arts, or music management, in the form of a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS), Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS), or Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS). Three people also received the VMS Diploma in Music School Administration.

In collaboration with the Departments of Design, Film, Art, and Music at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the Canton of Lucerne honors outstanding final projects by bachelor’s and master’s students. The ST.Art Young Artists Award for Culture encourages emerging artists at the beginning of their careers to continue and deepen their work and supports them as they embark on their professional artistic careers.

This year’s recipients are: Luis Greipl, Master’s in Jazz Performance with a major in percussion, Zurich; Paulina Pitenko, Master’s in Classical Solo Performance with a major in saxophone, Latvia; Sophie Knöchelmann, Master’s in Classical Solo Performance with a major in violin, Büren (Solothurn); Daria Bocharova, Master of Performance in Classical Music with a major in piano, Israel; Philomène Michel, Master of Performance in Classical Music with a major in violin, Bern; Hleb Sidaruk, Master of Interpretation in Contemporary Music with a major in cello, Belarus.

At the graduation ceremony, three prizes from the Strebi Foundation—each worth 2,000 Swiss francs—were also awarded to outstanding Bachelor’s degree graduates: Johanna Christen (Bachelor of Music & Movement), Horw; Flavia Meyer (Bachelor of Arts in Music, Jazz Vocals, Singing), Meggen; Leonard Spyrou (Bachelor of Arts in Music, Classical Instrumental, Piano), Meggen.

The Music Promotion Foundation at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Music awarded prizes for excellence in piano pedagogy from the Hella Siegrist Fund during the graduation ceremony to Roman Lukas Staubli of Oberurnen. The Folk Music Award is being presented for the first time this year; it goes to Daria Occhini (Master of Arts in Music Education, majoring in yodeling) from Ins.

According to a press release from the canton, approximately 4,000 young people in Valais will benefit from this measure, which stems from a recommendation by the Youth Parliament. This initiative aims to promote access to culture and raise awareness of existing cultural offerings. At the same time, the beneficiaries are to be encouraged to explore these offerings together. ​​​​​​​

As part of its 2024–2025 recommendations, the Valais Youth Parliament pointed out that the younger generation is still not sufficiently aware of the cultural offerings available. This also applies to the Kultur-GA for people under 26. It was also emphasized that access to culture varies greatly depending on one’s sociocultural background, education, or place of residence. Based on these findings, the Youth Parliament recommended promoting access to culture for all young people by giving them their first Culture GA card when they turn 16 to 18 years old.

The Canton of Valais will implement this recommendation at the start of the 2026–2027 school year. Thanks to a collaboration between the Kultur-GA association, the Office of Culture, and the Kultur Wallis association, all young people born in 2010 and residing in the canton—approximately 4,000 people from both language regions—will receive a Kultur-GA worth 100 francs as a gift. A similar initiative had already been carried out in 2021 as part of economic stimulus measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; it is now set to become a permanent program.