Bischof's successor at Pro Helvetia is Kinzer
The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia will be headed by Michael Kinzer from July 1, 2025. He is currently Head of the City of Lausanne's Culture Department.
Born in 1972, Michael Kinzer has been Head of the City of Lausanne's Culture Department since 2017 and is Co-President of the Cities Conference on Culture. According to the Pro Helvetia press release, his CV is characterized by a variety of different positions in the cultural sector, both in artistic direction and management.
He began his career in programming at the Fri-Son concert hall in Fribourg. He then worked as general event coordinator for Expo.02 and co-director of the Cargo project at the Arteplage in Neuchâtel. He then took over the administrative and later the general management of a foundation that includes the Théâtre Populaire Romand as well as the music hall and the L'heure bleue theater in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
From 2009 to 2015, he directed the Festival de la Cité in Lausanne. He has also served on numerous juries and cultural commissions at regional and national level, including as chairman of the Federal Jury for Music.
