Unfortunately, Beethoven has a bad reputation when it comes to the singability of his works. Too high, too loud, too fast - these are common prejudices based on the fact that his choral symphonic works such as the 9th Symphony or the Missa solemnis place very high demands on the performers. However, one must also bear in mind that the extremely high registers do not represent a technical inability, but a deliberate compositional calculation that transcends boundaries. His Mass in C major op. 86, for example, is just as vocal as great masses by Haydn or Mozart. In terms of quantity, however, there is unfortunately very little choral music by Beethoven compared to the latter.

Carus-Verlag, in collaboration with the German Choral Association and Jan Schumacher as editor, has now published a new edition for the upcoming Beethoven anniversary in 2020 (250th anniversary of his birth). Choirbook Beethoven has been published. In addition to little-known early a cappella works and piano versions from his choral symphonic repertoire, it contains sacred and secular arrangements of Beethoven's music from three centuries. Among them are interesting arrangements by Beethoven's contemporaries, some curious arrangements by composers of our time (do you really need For Elise as an Alleluia choral piece?) and also new compositions commissioned by Carus such as a successful canon quodlibet by Gunnar Eriksson. All in all, this choir book is an interesting addition to the repertoire and a treasure trove.

Like Bach's Mass in B minor or Mozart's C minor Mass, which remained a fragment, Beethoven's Missa solemnis is one of the greatest sacred works of all time. It places very high demands on the performers, goes beyond the liturgical framework and can hardly be used for a church service. Some of the pioneering compositional ideas of the time include the vocally far-reaching, immeasurably escalating Gloria in excelsis Deothe unique Et incarnatus est with the solo flute breathing lifeblood, the mystical conclusion of the Et vitam venturi saeculi with the never-ending calls of Amen, the solo violin floating between heaven and earth Benedictus and the Agnus Dei, which depicts a war scene with the impressive solo timpani and sets Beethoven's express plea for "inner and outer peace" to music.

Bärenreiter Verlag has published the Missa solemnis in a highly recommended, exemplary edition. The new Urtext edition of the work takes all sources into account, including the old and new complete editions. The renowned Beethoven specialist Barry Cooper arrives at different readings in a number of places, for example in the Sanctuswhere the choir enters instead of the soloists and not only in the Pleni sunt coeli. Also worth mentioning is the inclusion of soloists in addition to the choir in most of the Credos. These facts and numerous editorial decisions are documented in the detailed Critical Report.

Beethoven-Chorbuch, 41 choral works SATB; choir director's volume with CD, CV 4.025, € 33.90; choir book, CV 4.025/05, € 12.80; Carus, Stuttgart 2019

Ludwig van Beethoven: Missa solemnis op. 123, edited by Barry Cooper; score, BA 9038, € 98.00; piano reduction, BA 9038-90, € 13.50; Bärenreiter, Kassel 2019

Encyclopaedic editions are a sign of seniority. They usually carry considerable weight (both in the real and figurative sense), but are also sold at comparatively low prices, provided the publisher is in a good festive mood. It is a special distinction when a package of this kind includes the work of a living composer. To mark Krzysztof Penderecki's 85th birthday (on November 23, 2018), Schott-Verlag has published a slipcase containing the study scores of Symphonies Nos. 1-8.

Composed between 1972/73 and 2008/17, they describe the oeuvre of this composer, who was in a constant state of stylistic change: from the search for sound through chromatic clusters to harmless neo-romanticism. The representative genre designation once again catches on - and this despite the fact that the last works were conceived as a series of songs (based on texts by Hans Bethge, Latin models or German-language poems about transience). It is astonishing to see the path Penderecki took in the decades recorded here and where there were obvious problem areas. This applies above all to the 6th Symphony (Chinese songs), whose date of composition is given as 2008/2017, whereas the 7th Symphony was already completed in 1996. This also reveals what the impressive publication lacks at the end: an essay, a small documentary, meaningful original sounds. Like these words: "When I write symphonies, the architecture of the whole is the most important thing." (quoted from BR Klassik)

Krzysztof Penderecki: Symphonies Nos. 1-8, study scores in slipcase, ED 23098, € 99.00, Schott, Mainz

MvO - Valentin Gloor is very familiar with the Swiss music academy landscape. Before working at the Winterthur Conservatory, he was the founding rector of the Department of Music and later a member of the Board of the Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences Switzerland.

Valentin Gloor, how do you see the current Swiss conservatoire scene?

Highly professional institutions are at work here! Over the last twenty years, they have managed to constantly develop the image of music education, the content and the profiles in the great transition to universities of applied sciences. And the professional field itself is also undergoing change - these aspects have also been integrated into the degree courses, and the "market" is being shaped by the courses. The fourfold performance mandate of training, continuing education, research and services has certainly contributed to the wide range of perspectives we see today. And it is also a field with strong international relationships. I perceive this "scene" as lively, diverse and eager to learn.

Where are the biggest challenges in this market?

This "market" has always been very demanding when it comes to establishing oneself professionally. In addition to artistic or pedagogical skills, graduates are required to make an enormous effort in terms of their own profiling and positioning. And social developments in terms of demographics, migration, educational demands, digitalization - please excuse these buzzwords! - will certainly change the professional reality of musicians in the next twenty years, both artistically and pedagogically. How can conservatoires anticipate such developments and integrate them into the training programs of the future?

You have a very diverse CV, ranging from practical music-making to research activities and management tasks. How will you combine these interests in the future?

I actually always come across a variety of activities and areas of interest when I talk to people who fulfill leadership roles in music education. Diversity seems to be a normal prerequisite. It also reflects the professional reality of musicians: artistic creation, teaching music in many facets, organization, conception, project management... the whole range is lived by most musicians. The management function of a conservatoire encompasses all these strands. Sometimes, however, they are "transposed": Artistic activity perhaps translates into aspects of creativity, presence and performance...it would be exciting to think about this in more depth. In any case, this task actually bundles my interests per se.

Is there still time for your own creative work?

As a transposed activity in the previously mentioned sense: Yes, guaranteed! Understood in the conventional sense: I hope so and am working on it.

What importance do you attach to research activities at Swiss music academies?

A central one! Research is essential for understanding what we do, who we are, where we are and where we are heading. How do we manage to integrate research as a field, but also the "research mindset" into our education and training? This is a big question for me.

As Director of the Lucerne School of Music, you are now also a member of the KMHS (Konferenz Musikhochschulen Schweiz). What do you see as the opportunities and possibilities of this body?

The KMHS bundles the interests of institutions that cooperate and compete with each other at the same time. This is highly demanding! However, if the balancing act in terms of sector policy is successful, the KMHS has great potential to contribute to improving the framework conditions in music education and training, but also in the music profession. I believe that it would ideally do this together with strong partners.

The KMHS also recently commented on the Federal Council's cultural message (see September issue of the Schweizer Musikzeitung). What is your personal position on this message?

This cultural message is close to my heart - I hope it is close to the heart of all of us! Because it is about promoting young talent and cultural participation. The new cultural message is an important further step on the way to full implementation of Article 67a of the Federal Constitution. A long way to go. But we must not forget that over 70% of the Swiss electorate voted in favor of the constitutional article on music education. Over 70%! This is an expression of a powerful mandate to politicians. A first step has been taken in the 2016-19 Dispatch, particularly with regard to broad-based promotion. That is good. And this new cultural message has the potential to take Switzerland a big step forward in the area of promoting musical talent and to further strengthen the important partnership between educational institutions such as music schools and conservatoires. But in the area of general access to music education for all children and young people and in the area of music education in schools, there is still a lot of work to be done to improve the framework conditions. And the Cultural Message 21-24 is not yet a done deal. We have to keep at it!

Politics and political influence in the field of music academies should not be underestimated. How do you perceive this situation in Switzerland?

If politics is the social negotiation of relevant topics and positions, I can live with that. We are convinced that what we do at conservatoires is important to society. And if it really is socially important, social demands are formulated - to a large extent via politics.

Lucerne has a diverse cultural life - where would you like to position your music academy in the future?

The Lucerne School of Music is already positioned in this cultural life and is an important part of it. Of course, it is my task and my goal to maintain and expand the existing partnerships and to enter into new ones. But it is important to see the outstanding work that has already been done here. I see this positioning in cultural life as very convincing.

The work is on schedule, thanks to the enormous commitment of my predecessor Michael Kaufmann and the dedication of the many people involved in working groups, project management and execution. The opening will take place in summer 2020. And a completely new situation awaits us as a university of music. We are moving together, we are moving closer together. It is a logical step in a long process - several institutions with a long history, tradition and their own culture have come together in our conservatory. Now we are coming together to form a new culture. We will all meet each other much more. This will inspire us to new ideas, new projects, new perspectives. We will continue to move forward. That would be my wish. A vibrant music venue will emerge - we are embedded in a great campus at the Südpol in Kriens: the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, the Südpol event venue with its independent scene, Lucerne Theater, the School of Music - and the School of Music. All together. We will therefore embark on a more intensive, inspiring collaboration internally - but also with partners.

The Lucerne School of Music offers musical and artistic education and training in the heart of the lively cultural environment of Lucerne, the city of music. Students benefit from a flexible training system that allows for individual objectives and a wide range of subject combinations. Concert and stage practice are important components of the course right from the start: The university's numerous ensembles and regular cooperation with the Lucerne Theater, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, the Lucerne Festival Academy, the Willisau and Schaffhausen jazz festivals and the Lucerne Jazzkantine provide a practical and varied environment.

The wide range of Bachelor's and Master's degree programs includes classical music, jazz, church and folk music, conducting, wind music direction, composition, theory, music education and music & movement. This is supplemented by the PreCollege. In addition, the Lucerne School of Music offers numerous CAS, DAS and MAS programs as well as individual courses, workshops and academies for further qualification.

In the two competence centers CC Music Performance Research and CC Research Music Education, the Department of Music researches aspects of music production and reception as well as music education and the consumption of music.

The Lucerne School of Music will move into the new building in the south of Lucerne in the 2020/21 academic year. This will bring together all institutes, a public library, research, teaching and event rooms under one roof. Among other things, the new building has its own chamber music hall, a jazz club and a multifunctional black box. Thanks to the mixed use, an open, lively working and meeting place is created for students, staff, partners and a music-interested public.

At the request of the municipal commissions for visual arts, literature, theater, dance, jazz/rock/pop and serious music, the City of Zurich will present the 2019 cultural awards. The work years and awards are a central instrument of the City of Zurich for promoting the independent scene. In addition, the award for special cultural merit is presented to David Basler on behalf of the City Council.

In the jazz, rock and pop category, the first three years of work go to Sibylle Aeberli, Janine Cathrein and Tapiwa Svosve (CHF 48,000 each). In serious music, one year of composition goes to Lara Stanic and one year of interpretation to the Zurich Baroque Orchestra (also CHF 48,000 each).

As the festival writes in today's press release, Graziella Contratto and Barbara Betschart "want to develop the festival further, explore new themes and concert formats and emphasize the Uri character of Alpine tones strengthen". In addition to their artistic and musical backgrounds, they "also bring a wealth of experience as music educators to the artistic direction. While Graziella Contratto, as a conductor, festival-tested dramaturge and head of music at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), primarily contributes classical music, sound arts and transdisciplinary ideas, violinist Barbara Betschart, as former director of the Uri Music School and current managing director of Roothus Gonten, is a connoisseur of the (research) scene, particularly in the field of folk music, whose new insights she implements musically in regular performances.

The co-directors bring a complementary network to Altdorf, which extends from the folk music of the Middle Ages to new folk music and experimental forms of Alpine culture."

In mid-October 2021, it was announced that Graziella Contratto and Barbara Betschart would be handing over the reins after the successful 2021 edition of the festival.

The SRF Regionaljournal reported: Link to the program

"Flügelschläge" was launched in 2013 by the Belgian pianist, organist and artistic director at Zurich's Bühlkirche and Predigerkirche and has been directed by her ever since. This year, Els Biesemans and her guests are organizing four "Soirées musicales" in honour of Clara Schumann (1819-1896): the literary-musical dialogue with actress Mona Petri, the song recital by tenor Julian Prégardien, the chamber music evening with violinist Chouchane Siranossian and the Ensemble Elsewhere and the final soirée on two grand pianos together with pianist Dmitry Ablogin.

The movie Spring Symphony (Nastassja Kinski as Clara Wieck and Herbert Grönemeyer as Robert Schumann), Jesper Christensen's master class (rare shellac recordings of Clara's piano students) and the exhibition "Flower Book for Robert" provide a further insight into Clara Schumann's eventful life as an outstanding pianist and composer and wife of Robert Schumann.

Three fortepianos bring the world of sound from around 1840 to life: a Brodmann grand piano from 1825, an Érard fortepiano from 1850 and a grand piano by Conrad Graf from around 1840. The special construction of these historical instruments means that the intimate atmosphere of the festival differs from performances on modern grand pianos in large concert halls.
 

Photo: zVg

Festival director Els Biesemans creates an intimate atmosphere at the soirées by playing fortepianos.

For eight years, Rolf Keller "has shown great personal commitment to the promotion of contemporary art in Aargau and has raised awareness of the work of the eleven-member funding committee among politicians and the public", writes the Canton of Aargau.

Rolf Keller's term of office includes the reorientation of the Canton of Aargau Art Prize and the establishment of a recognition prize for cultural mediation, the development of the first cultural concept for the Canton of Aargau and this year, on the occasion of 50 years of cultural legislation and the Board of Trustees in Aargau, the anniversary event and the anniversary book "Oxygen for Art and Culture". The position will be advertised publicly.

Due to the immediate resignation this week of Board of Trustees member and Vice President Stephan Diethelm, Keller will continue to manage the business beyond the resignation date at the end of the year until a successor takes office.
 

If there was a prize for the smallest opera house in the world - the Opera in the buttonhole would be a hot candidate for this. Twenty years ago, mezzo-soprano Rosina Zoppi wanted to do "something Spanish" with her Spanish pianist and staged a zarzuela by José Serrano in Keller 62: "It came out well, then we just carried on," Zoppi reports laconically. At the time, the performers took part out of idealism and for a small fee: "Foundations are understandably cautious at first. If it works once or twice, the money flows more easily." Today, Zoppi can pay reasonable fees and hire good people. Right from the start, the concept was "small but mighty", although the original work does not always have to be small and mighty. On the contrary, the singer often brings grand opera to the stage, albeit radically scaled down.

Last year, for example, she chose the Grand Opéra Marie Stuart by the Swiss composer Louis Niedermeyer: a five-act romantic opera with almost 20 soloists, ballet, chorus and orchestra. At the Stok Theater, what remained was a heavily abridged score, six singing performers and a four-piece wind ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon): "It worked wonderfully," beams the artistic director, although she admits that such radical downsizing is not possible with all composers: "I love Ravel, for example, but for the life of me I don't know how you could reduce this music to just a few instruments."

"When I look for pieces, I first look for themes. Then I look for suitable settings. Many libraries just throw their treasures at you on the internet," says Zoppi. It's more difficult in Italy: "For the score of our next year's production, the Hamlet opera Amleto by Saverio Mercadante, we had to go through the publisher. But they only had the first two pages of the play". They finally found what they were looking for at the Scala library. There was a handwritten score there, which first had to be digitized.
There are some well-known names among the composers who have come to the fore in the last two decades; less well-known, however, are the pieces, such as The Zoo (Arthur Sullivan), Marc'Antonio e Cleopatra (Johann Adolf Hasse), Bunbury (Paul Burkhard), Prestami tua moglie (Ruggero Leoncavallo), The Bear (Willam Walton), Ô mon bel inconnu (Reynaldo Hahn), L'importanza di esser Franco (Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco), Geneviève de Brabant (Jacques Offenbach).

The director is personally responsible for the dramaturgy. She doesn't skimp on the red pencil, cuts entire parts, merges others, has men sing trouser roles and vice versa. Choruses are often omitted completely or are given to the soloists in the ensemble. And then there is the orchestra: anyone who can reduce a romantic orchestra to four wind instruments can arrange a baroque opera for flute, lute, double bass and harpsichord, as was the case with this year's production.

The buttonhole anniversary production, the five-act and originally five-hour opera Angelica, vincitrice de Alcina was composed by Johann Joseph Fux in 1716 to celebrate the birth of Prince Leopold in Vienna. The premiere of the opera, subtitled "Festa teatrale", took place outdoors on two islands in Vienna's Augarten park. The story comes from The speeding Roland (Italian: Orlando Paladino), the heroic epic from 1516 by Ludovico Ariost, which formed the basis for a number of musical stage works.

The best known are perhaps Handel's Alcina and Haydn's Orlando Paladino. In Fux's adaptation, Roland is missing, but the benevolent Princess Angelica appears, who at the end of the play is characterized by her magnanimous mercy towards the deceitful Alcina. Alcina loves both Medoro and Ruggero, both of whom she keeps on one of her islands. Medoro loves Angelica and Angelica loves Medoro. She therefore sets off for Alcina's island kingdom to free her lover. Meanwhile, Ruggero, who actually loves Bradamante, temporarily falls for Alcina's charms. Bradamante, disguised as a knight, and Angelica, whose magical powers are dwindling, finally prevail and are able to embrace their beloved.

The chamber-music realization of the piece by Oper im Knopfloch concentrates on the finely played and sometimes virtuoso singing aspects as well as the intimate interactions between the characters. Props and stage set pieces are almost completely dispensed with. Recited interludes allow the scenes to be placed in context. The dramaturgical trick of casting Bradamante with a pop singer translates the baroque sensory world into the present in an immediate way.

Photo: Niklaus Rüegg

Proximity to the public is the program

The designated President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, presented the European Commission's portfolio distribution in September: None of the newly nominated EU Commissioners is responsible for culture in their title.

In contrast, the three national music councils of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) are calling on the European Parliament and the future EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to increase the visibility of culture and to see it as a cross-cutting task.

According to the statement, "a cultural impact assessment for the Commission's projects, as already laid out in the Maastricht and Lisbon Treaties, could contribute to this". In view of the fact that societies are drifting apart, the European Union is more dependent than ever on seeing itself as a community of values. Balancing the right to national cultural policies enshrined in the Unesco Convention on Cultural Diversity with the socio-political dimension of a European cultural policy was one of the challenges facing the future Commission.

The German Music Council, the Austrian Music Council and the Swiss Music Council (DACH) claim to represent the interests of around 15 million people in all areas of musical life.
 

Donaueschingen is a grab bag. Even festival director Björn Gottstein can only influence what comes out of it to a limited extent. And that was particularly evident this year, right from the opening concert. It began with a kind of table bomb: Happy, happy, joy, joy is what the Australian Matthew Shlomowitz calls his attempt to compose happy music, with lots of keyboard sounds and allusions to light music, playful, cheeky, quirky and also a little rough, yes, it could have been more refined and refined, but it gave the festival a direction: towards entertaining music, which is rather rare in these circles.

His piece was topped in the same concert by the Trio for big band, choir and orchestra by the Dane Simon Steen-Andersen. These three bodies of sound were joined by a video. It was the starting point of the piece. Steen-Andersen went down into the archives of Südwestrundfunk and watched hundreds of hours of music film recordings, including symphony and choir concerts, but also rehearsals with conductors such as Sergiu Celibidache and Carlos Kleiber, as well as jazz concerts with Duke Ellington, for example. He has filtered out the tiniest snippets, words, notes and chords, and reassembled them into a coherent musical sequence. Two notes from a jazz bassist, for example, merge into "Till Eulenspiegel" or a conductor's commentary. At the same time, the "KomPonist" has notated these snippets, transformed them into a score and given them to the three orchestras for live performance. For example, the music switches back and forth between orchestra and film soundtrack at a horrendous tempo. It was a virtuoso performance, perhaps a little redundant towards the end, but in any case a great amusement.

The composer actually composes less in the conventional sense than by taking something that already exists and placing it in a new context. It is a reflex to the sampling technique. What was new here was that the sampled material was not only played back, but also transcribed and transformed. This year, a number of composers followed this working model in their own independent way. Gordon Kampe asked members of a church choir to sing songs from their childhood to him and wove them into his ensemble piece Remember Me one. Canadian Nicole Lizée used the noises and sounds of the defective appliances in her father's electrical store to create a Sepulchre - and the Swiss composer Michael Pelzel transferred the tolling of the dead from Varanasi in India to the orchestra. Melancholy slowly mingled with the amusement. It is a game of self-reference and intertextuality. At times, one might think that the composers distrust the invention of sounds and prefer to recompose what already exists.
 

It was as if they were solemnly attending a Sunday service: the composer and his family under two large dark umbrellas on their way from the hotel to the concert. What followed resembled a high mass of sound in an almost cathedral-like, albeit not very high concert hall, almost monumental, carried by a faith in sound that seemed almost lost in the other concerts. With his Poética del espacio created the most expansive work of the festival, an exploration of sound space in various directions, multi-layered in space, with wonderful passages, at best, if you look at the sound-gestural detail, almost a little old-fashioned. Yes, I asked myself again: on what level can the sound still renew itself?

Photo: SWR/Lukas Beck

Alberto Posadas: "Poética des espacio"

The Swiss participation this year was pleasing. In addition to Pelzel, there was a lively clarinet concerto by Beat Furrer, which, however, was not completed and could only be partially premiered. In the end, the festival ended in melancholy without sinking into it. A delicate and heterogeneous orchestral landscape called Sound Gate was presented by Lidia Zielińska from Poland. At the very end, there were the quiet ones, leaning towards silence Elemental realities by Jürg Frey from Aarau. Elementary indeed, tones, motifs, chords in often steady movement, over half an hour long and yet also making you forget the time. Sometimes almost inaudible - and surprising, because the many tonal elements caught the ear, as if a late Mahler Andante wanted to continue into Feldman, even Pärt. And then into the free.

Photo : SWR/Astrid Karger

"Elemental realities" by Jürg Frey (right) at the closing concert

The law regulates the objectives and tasks of music schools as well as the organizational and financial framework conditions and thus secures music education outside of elementary school. The music school law submitted by the initiators only partially convinced the committee, as some provisions were in need of interpretation and other important sub-issues were completely missing. In addition, the majority of the committee considered the proposed cantonal contribution of 20 percent - currently 3 percent - to be too high.

In the end, the majority of the committee decided against the votes of the SP, Greens, AL and EVP in favor of a cantonal contribution of 10 percent and at the same time parental contributions, which should cover a maximum of 50 percent of the operating costs. The remaining costs will be borne by the municipalities.

With regard to the objectives and tasks of music schools and the criteria required for recognition by the canton, the new law is largely based on previous practice and the greatest possible municipal autonomy. The music schools should provide a minimum offer and cooperate regionally with regard to a more extensive offer.

The services provided by music schools cover all levels from basic musical education to preparatory courses for music studies for particularly talented pupils, the latter in coordination with the universities of applied sciences. A minority (SVP and partly FDP) would grant music schools even more freedom with regard to their market positioning, for example in relation to the training requirements for music teachers, and has tabled several amendments to this effect. A minority (FDP) demands a legal obligation for the financial participation of parents instead of an optional formulation at the discretion of the municipality, as well as clarifications regarding the composition of the chargeable operating costs.

A minority (SP, Greens, AL, EVP) would like to make the financial framework conditions more generous for music schools by requesting a cantonal contribution of 20% and parental contributions to cover a maximum of 43% of operating costs. The SP and AL also support the popular initiative.

The portal swissfoundations.ch brings together comprehensive, up-to-date information on organizations, projects, events, jobs and statistics from the Swiss philanthropy and foundation sector in a central location that can be accessed at any time. It also offers them a range of digital tools.

In addition to institutional stakeholder groups, private donors can now also get their money's worth. The portal brings together over 5,000 organizations and projects that are represented with their own microsite and to which donations can be made directly online (including via Twint). A personal dashboard provides an overview of donation activities and receipts at any time.nfor the tax return.

In addition to the new platform and numerous digital services, StiftungSchweiz is also launching "The Philanthropist" magazine at the end of October, the first and only publication of its kind in the Swiss philanthropy and foundation world. "The Philanthropist" is published four times a year with a print run of 35,000 copies and as a web magazine (thephilanthropist.ch).

All offers on stiftungschweiz.ch are available to all users free of charge until January 15, 2020.

Contact us
Philanthropy Services AG | StiftungSchweiz | Rittergasse 35 | 4051 Basel
Media Relations: Claudia Dutli, Phone +41 78 888 91 70, claudia.dutli@stiftungschweiz.ch
Management: Dr. Peter Buss, Phone +41 79 639 32 35, peter.buss@stiftungschweiz.ch

The accreditation is valid for seven years and is subject to conditions that also represent areas of development for internal quality assurance. The path to institutional accreditation took around two years. The procedure was carried out by the Swiss Agency for Accreditation and Quality Assurance AAQ.

Following a comprehensive self-assessment process, a team of experts visited the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in March 2019 and conducted interviews with employees, students, external partners and members of the top management bodies. A total of around 100 people were involved in the interviews.

In their report, the experts gave the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts a good report and, according to the official press release, "particularly emphasized the culture of quality and dialogue". Michael Eidenbenz (Head of the Department of Music at the Zurich University of the Arts) was the assessor for the music department.
 

Music is still a "political nonvaleur", said the President of the Parliamentary Group for Music (PGM), National Councillor Stefan Müller-Altermatt. Nevertheless, he is passionately committed to music, which he once again demonstrated at the meeting between parliamentarians and association representatives in Bern on September 11. Séléna Plain introduced the harp as an instrument for various musical styles and divided the event into meaningful sections with her impressive presentations.

The outlook revolved around the coming legislative period and the upcoming elections, and the hope that the music sector will be well represented in the Federal Parliament. Stefan Müller-Altermatt and Rosmarie Quadranti, National Councillor and President of the Swiss Music Council (SMR), have opened a number of doors for music in Bern over the past four years. In order for this work to continue, numerous music-loving parliamentary colleagues are needed. This is why the SMR and Sonart, together with other associations, initiated the clap4culture.ch platform with recommendations for the 2019 elections.

To strengthen the music sector, three initiatives were also bundled into a charter and submitted to the Federal Parliament: National Councillor Thomas Ammann demands an annual Tax allowance for compensation for volunteer work. Rosmarie Quadranti wants the Federal Office of Culture and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation are jointly responsible for tasks relating to both the cultural and educational sectors. concern. Finally, Stefan Müller-Altermatt calls for reliable Statistical data on the economic performance of the music sector.

The factual review of the topics dealt with over the past four years culminated in a highlight with Sandra KünziThe "poetry slammer of the first hour" summarized the topic of music and politics in federal Bern in an "oratorio for poor musicians in six pictures". Keywords: youth and music, backstage, money, copyright, cultural message, parliament is an orchestra. Listen to the version for the Swiss Music Newspaper here:

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Postscript on October 22, 2019: Unfortunately, Rosmarie Quadranti and Thomas Ammann were not re-elected.

Jörg Köppl lives and works as a freelance musician and composer in Zurich. In his works, he expands the concept of new music by combining it with sounds from real life. In his works with disabled people in particular, the canton writes, he succeeds in showing the physically impaired performers in such a way that the result is not a theater of consternation, but a very unique aesthetic statement.

Electronic music and the associated nightlife are dominated by male promoters, DJs and club owners. This is where Les Belles de Nuit comes in: the association aims to promote and network women and other underrepresented groups in the electronic music and culture scene.

The promotion of cultural participation is one of the priorities that the Canton of Zurich has set for its cultural policy. The recognition grants are endowed with CHF 10,000 each.