New Impluse for New Music
In Zurich, the sponsorship and artistic direction for a three-year pilot project of a festival for contemporary music has been selected. The "Sonic Matter" will run from 2021 to 2023 and replace the "Tage für neue Musik".
In the two-stage selection process, the jury in Zurich - consisting of Cultural Director Peter Haerle (Chair), Uli Fussenegger (Head of New Music at the FHNW), composer Cathy van Eck, Festival Director Björn Gottstein and composer and performer Cathy Milliken - chose the "Sonic Matter" concept by Katharina Rosenberger, Julie Beauvais and Lisa Nolte. Twelve concepts that met the formal criteria had previously been reviewed and four teams were invited to present their concept in person.
The future artistic management team of "Sonic Matter" is repositioning the festival in a local and international context. In addition to the festival in Zurich, a variety of formats will allow the public to participate in the pulse of new music throughout the year. "Sonic Matter" represents a broad concept of new music, attaches great importance to the artistic process and is experimental and research-oriented. It is sponsored by a newly founded association.
The city is supporting the festival during the three-year pilot phase with a one-off contribution totaling CHF 850,000. This is divided into an initial contribution of CHF 100,000 in 2020 and operating contributions of CHF 250,000 for each of the years 2021 to 2023. The festival will be evaluated during the three-year pilot phase. After that, further support from the city in the form of annual operating contributions will be reviewed.
