Max Peter Baumann honored with honorary Ruth
Swiss ethnomusicologist Max Peter Baumann, who teaches in Germany, is awarded an honorary Ruth. The 2017 Ruth World Music Prize goes to Bavarian musician Georg Ringsgwandl, while the Dresden-based Banda Comunale receives a promotional Ruth.
How does (traditional) music develop in times of globalization? This is one of the core questions that the Swiss ethnomusicologist Max Peter Baumann has been dealing with for years. This was the case during his teaching activities in Bamberg (later: Würzburg) and Berlin, and is reflected in numerous lectures and publications.
According to the citation for the award, he has repeatedly stimulated and advanced the discourse on related issues; in doing so, he has challenged colleagues academically and influenced countless students for their future careers. "We walk the paths without borders" is the title of one of his publications (on the music of the Sinti and Roma). It could also stand as a motto for Max Peter Baumann's own (professional) life.
Born in 1944 in Altdorf, Uri, Max Peter Baumann completed his doctorate at the University of Bern and is now Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Bamberg. Since 1988, he has published the journal "the world of music", which appears three times a year.
