Born in Perth, Australia, in 1966, Liza Lim is Professor of Composition and holds the first Sculthorpe Chair in Australian Music at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she also directs the Composing Women program. She has received commissions from some of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ensemble intercontemporain, Ensemble Modern, Arditti Quartet and Klangforum Wien. Lim last appeared at the Lucerne Festival in November 2023 with the world premiere of her work Multispecies Knots of Ethical Timea composition for 15 musicians, gestural performers and video.

The Grawemeyer Awards, currently endowed with 100,000 dollars, are presented once a year by the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Winners are nominated in the categories of education and teaching, ideas that improve the world order, music composition, religion and psychology. In 2015, one award went to Wolfgang Rihm, then director of the Lucerne Festival Academy.

According to the festival's press release, Chailly will continue to conduct concerts in spring and summer, including the official opening. Riccardo Chailly has been Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra since 2016, succeeding Claudio Abbado. With the founding of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, which was presented to the public for the first time in August 2003, conductor Claudio Abbado and Festival Director Michael Haefliger took up where the Lucerne Festival left off in 1938, when Arturo Toscanini formed an elite orchestra with the Concert de Gala.

The orchestra members perform as soloists outside of the festival season, take up positions with renowned orchestras, teach at universities or come from the ranks of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the Filarmonica della Scala. Claudio Abbado was the orchestra's artistic director until his death in January 2014.

According to the study, around 14,700 music school staff will retire by 2035 (projection based on current figures from the Association of German Music Schools and the German Music Information Center). In contrast, there are only around 4,000 students of instrumental and vocal pedagogy and elementary music pedagogy. This means that in ten years' time, around three quarters of vacancies could not be filled by suitably qualified music school teachers. In view of constantly rising demand, this means that at least 500,000 children will no longer be able to receive music school lessons.

The study was a joint initiative of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Leitenden pädagogischer Studiengänge (ALMS) and the Committee for Artistic-Pedagogical Study Programs of the Rectors' Conference of Universities of Music (RKM). With the participation of numerous universities of music and study institutions as well as the Association of German Music Schools (VdM), causes, challenges and approaches to action were examined in a broad-based crowd research project with over 50 research groups.

More info:
https://www.musikrat.de/fileadmin/redaktion/news/2025/11_2025/DMR_PM_MiKADO-Musik-Studie_belegt_existenziellen_Nachwuchsmangel_an_Musikschulen.pdf

A second prize went to the Mars Quartet from the Zurich University of the Arts. The Ensemble Brisae, with students from the Haute école de musique Lausanne and the Lucerne and Basel music academies, was awarded a sponsorship prize. A total of 15 ensembles took part in the competition.

The top three finishers will win prizes of 4000 and 2000 francs. In addition, they can each win one of the Fondation Nicati-de Luce financed composition commission. These three new works will be premiered at the next Swiss Chamber Music Festival Adelboden (September 11-20, 2026). The ensembles will receive further support through a joint workshop with the commissioned composers and the opportunity to take part in a master class in Rheinau.

Since 1974, the Orpheus Swiss Chamber Music Competition The Swiss Chamber Music Award recognizes outstanding chamber music ensembles every year. Around 800 award-winners have been supported to date - many of whom now belong to the Swiss, European and global elite.
The prizewinners' concerts always take place as part of the Swiss Chamber Music Festival Adelboden. Other organizers are constantly including Orpheus prize-winning ensembles in their concert series.

As part of a revision of the university ordinances, the cantonal government of Bern has decided to increase tuition fees at Bern's universities. The increase affects the University of Bern and the universities of applied sciences (BFH) in equal measure. Tuition fees at BFH will rise from CHF 750 to CHF 850 from the fall semester 2026/27. Students who are foreign nationals and were not officially resident in Switzerland or Liechtenstein when they obtained their university entrance qualification (vocational or technical baccalaureate or baccalaureate) will pay CHF 2550 per semester instead of CHF 950.

Students in the last category who started their studies at BFH before the fall semester 2026/27 will now pay a fee of CHF 1050 until they complete their Bachelor's or Master's degree. According to the UAS Ordinance, a change from a Bachelor's to a Master's degree is considered a new start of studies, which is why the new fees (of CHF 2550) apply in this case.

More info:
https://www.hkb.bfh.ch/de/aktuell/news/2025/kanton-bern-erhoeht-studiengebuehren/

Trained at the Hamburg University of Music and Drama, Rademacher was engaged as a conductor in Basel and Freiburg, among other places. Most recently, as GMD, he gave new impetus to the concert life of the city of Detmold with innovative concert formats and ambitious music theater programs.

Since the summer semester of 2024, Lutz Rademacher has passed on his knowledge as a lecturer in orchestral and ensemble conducting at Martin Luther University Halle/Wittenberg. He was also a lecturer for Ensemble New Music at the HfMT Hamburg. No cause of death is given in the announcement.

Meinrad Schütter is one of the most fascinating Swiss composers of the 20th century. Four years after Schütter's death, Ute Stoecklin published the book "Meinrad Schütter 1910-2006" in 2010, which deals with the life's work of the composer from Chur. (Link to the review in the SMZ)

In 2024, Chris Walton's book was published under the title Meinrad Schütter - Maverick Swiss Composer translated into English. It is the first English publication to deal with the life of Meinrad Schütter. It was published by the ARSC (Association for Recorded Sound Collections) 2025 in the category with the Award "Best Historical Research in Recorded Classical Music - Best History" excellent.

The two compositions now identified as early works by Bach, the Ciacona in D minor BWV 1178 and the Ciacona in G minor BWV 1179, have been known to Leipzig Bach researcher and director of the Bach Archive Leipzig Peter Wollny for over 30 years. He found them in the Royal Library of Belgium. Over the course of his research career, the musicologist has collected numerous clues which, together with the final piece of the puzzle - the identification of the scribe by name - now form a complete picture.

The identification was made as part of the work on the "BACH Research Portal", an academy project of the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig, in which all available archival sources on the entire Bach family of musicians are being digitally indexed and made publicly accessible for the first time.

The anonymously transmitted pieces Ciacona in D minor and Ciacona in G minor are located in the Bibliothèque royale de Belgique de Bruxelles / Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België (Royal Library of Belgium), Brussels, call number: Ms II 3911 Mus (Fétis 2013). The sheet music edition is available from Breitkopf & Härtel (EB 9648).

Just over a year and a half ago, Switzerland submitted its candidacy to Unesco for the inscription of yodelling on the "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". Inclusion on this list would recognize an important form of folk music expression for the whole of Switzerland, writes the canton of Schwyz.

Unesco will decide on the candidacy at an international conference in the Indian capital in December. Regardless of this, the musical tradition will be celebrated on December 13 at the Mythenforum Schwyz with a special "Yodeling Day". The Canton of Schwyz and the participating sponsors, the Swiss Yodelling Association, the Lucerne School of Music and the Roothuus Gonten - Center for Appenzell & Toggenburg Folk Music, are inviting you to attend.

The "Day of Yodelling" aims to offer different approaches to yodelling and focus on various aspects of the tradition.

More info:
https://www.sz.ch/kanton/medien-und-datenschutz/medienmitteilungen.html/8756-8757-8803-10391-10392/news/24175

Robert Grossmann from Sils receives the grant for his project "Der Stadtbrand von Chur", while Stefan Kägi, who lives in Winterthur, receives the grant for his sound installation "Undersized empire". The other recipients are Ella Moana Bürkli (Chur, dance), Sandro Livio Straube (Vella, visual arts) and Jan-Andrea Bernhard (Strada/Ilanz, history and memory).

The competition for professional cultural creation (small projects) in the canton of Graubünden is announced every July. The closing date for entries is the end of August. In this competition, work grants or free scholarships of up to CHF 10,000 are awarded. The competition for professional cultural creation (large projects) is announced each January. The closing date for entries is the beginning of March. In this competition, work grants or free scholarships of up to CHF 20,000 are awarded. The same person can receive a scholarship or work grant a maximum of three times. Training courses are excluded from the competition.

Müller will take over the role at the Graubünden festival on November 1, 2026, succeeding David Whelton, who will retire as artistic director with the upcoming festival edition (July 31 - August 9, 2026). From 2027, Müller will launch an additional project as part of Klosters Music, the "Klosters Fine Violin Summit", which combines music and the art of violin making. The new project he has planned is also linked to Müller's work as Vice President of the Swiss Stradivari Foundation Habisreutinger-Huggler-Coray, the most important Swiss institution for the preservation and awarding of historical string instruments.

Klosters Music is organized by the Art & Music Foundation, Klosters. With the establishment of the foundation and the support association of the same name in spring 2019, a basis was created to develop a cultural offering. In future, the foundation will realize various styles and formats in the fields of art and music in Klosters, Prättigau and beyond.

Müller directed the Gstaad Menuhin Festival from 2002 to 2024. He will also take over the artistic direction of the Settimane Musicali Ascona in 2026. Born in 1970, the cultural manager is a trained cellist and has held various positions with the Basel Chamber Orchestra since 1996. He has been the orchestra's artistic delegate and concert manager since 2011.

There were 36 candidates at the start. The jury selected eight of them for the semi-finals. The finalists were Brian Isaacs, Sarah Strohm and Ayaka Taniguchi from Japan. Sarah Strohm won seven special prizes in addition to the main prize of CHF 20,000. The jury consisted of Tabea Zimmermann (chair), Tomoko Akasaka, Ettore Causa, Cynthia Phelps, Pauline Sachse, Jean Sulem and German Tcakulov.

Sarah Strohm began viola lessons with Noémie Bialobroda at the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève at the age of seven. Soon afterwards, she took part in the Conservatoire's intensive program, where she gained her first experience with chamber music projects under the guidance of renowned artists such as Leonardo Garcia Alarcón. She perfected her skills in masterclasses with Frédéric Kirch and Garth Knox as well as with Jean Sulem at the Cervo Summer Academy. Sarah was the winner of the Concours suisse de musique pour la jeunesse in 2018 and gained international attention when she won the Aims Foundation Competition in 2019 and performed as a soloist with orchestra in Solsona.

The "Culture and social cohesion" funding instrument aims to strengthen synergies between culture, social and health services by placing culture at the service of inclusion and social cohesion. It supports "innovative projects that promote active participation in cultural activities and strengthen social cohesion at the same time".

The first part of the funding instrument is aimed at so-called transversal projects. It supports innovative cultural initiatives that strengthen social inclusion and dialog between cultures. The second strand, "Inclusion in culture", supports the transformation of cultural structures in Valais towards greater inclusion and representation. Funding is provided for projects that are supported by cultural institutions in partnership with actors from the social or healthcare sectors.

More info:
https://www.vs.ch/de/web/communication/e/com-et-media/10108/43211147

Gaffigan will serve as Music Director Designate of Houston Grand Opera (HGO) in the 2026/27 season, then assume the role of Music Director in the 2027/28 season, with his contract running for five seasons through 2031/32. He will take over from Patrick Summers.

Gaffigan's previous positions include Music Director of the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. He regularly works with young musicians at the Juilliard School, the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Music Academy of the West and the Verbier Festival.

Huston Grand Opera is one of the largest opera companies in the United States. General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor assumed leadership of the organization and responsibility for its strategic direction in 2021. She has toured extensively and won a Tony, two Grammy Awards and three Emmy Awards. HGO is the only opera company to have won all three awards.

In January 2025, a total of 54 talented young musicians registered for the entrance exam for the cantonal talent promotion program. 45 of them passed and will now receive special support until spring 2026. They can also look forward to receiving financial support from the canton.

The funding that the canton pays out to the talented musicians comes from the federal government. The Federal Office of Culture (BAK) has made almost 80,000 francs available for talented young musicians from the canton of Schwyz through its "Young Talents in Music" program, which also sets out the guidelines. The talents are divided into four different support levels: Basic (approximately kindergarten and elementary school in terms of age), Advanced 1 (secondary school), Advanced 2 (middle schools and vocational schools) and Pre-College (preliminary course for music studies).

A talent at the Basic level receives CHF 1000 per year, at the Advanced 1 level CHF 1500, at the Advanced 2 level CHF 2000 and a talent at the Pre-College level CHF 2500. This money is freely available. For the current year, 14 received support at Basic level, 18 at Advanced 1 level and 12 at Advanced 2 level. There was one support at Pre-College level.

More info:
https://www.sz.ch/kanton/medien-und-datenschutz/medienmitteilungen.html/8756-8757-8803-10391-10392/news/24137