50 years of the Swiss Youth Music Competition
On September 13, the SJMW celebrated its anniversary at the Tonhalle Zurich. Many alumni took part, including as soloists in the world premiere of SJMW commissions by Richard Dubugnon and Daniel Schnyder.
The Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich has special ties to the Swiss Youth Music Competition (SJMW). Its chief conductor at the time, Gerd Albrecht, initiated the founding of a music competition for children and young people in 1975. The aim was to identify potential young professional musicians at an early stage and promote them accordingly. Over the years, the disciplines tested have multiplied. Categories such as jazz, pop, experimental music and composition have been added to the classical instrumental subjects. Today, the SJMW stands for broad-based promotion and support for young musicians. The aim is to promote personality.
Transporting the joy of music
Valérie Probst, SJMW Managing Director until February 2025, has been instrumental in shaping and developing the competition for 18 years. She conceived and organized the anniversary event in a three-year process. Thanks to the support of the Tonhalle Zurich and funding from the Förderstiftung Musik Zürich for the publication, the Hirschmann Foundation and the Ruth and Ernst Burkhalter Foundation for the soloists, the Ruth Burkhalter Foundation for the promotion of young musical talent for the children's concert, the Mobiliar Jubilee Foundation and SRF 2 Kultur, the event could be realized at all. Many active and former competition participants could be seen in various performances: making music on stage, as part of a sound installation or sensitively portrayed in photographs in the anniversary book.
The highlight was the anniversary concert in the large hall of the Tonhalle Zurich with the two world premieres. Brahm's Academic Festival Overture opened the program in a striking manner. Festive, full, virtuosic and joyful sounds dominated the evening. In Richard Dubugnon's commissioned work Helvetia III - Le feu de la jeunesse Eight former first prize winners were heard as soloists in Frank Martin's Concerto pour sept instruments à vent, timbales, batterie et orchestre à cordes seven and in Daniel Schnyder's new composition Quadruple Concerto for Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Bass Trombone and large Orchestra four. The joy of making music could be felt everywhere - in keeping with the spirit of the competition, where the focus is not on competition, but on the shared joy of music.
The concert was broadcast on Thursday, September 18 at 20 on SRF 2 and can be listened to here: https://www.srf.ch/audio/im-konzertsaal/das-musikfest-zum-50-geburtstag-des-sjmw?id=AUDI20250918_NR_0002
