University of Zurich honors Johannes Schläfli
Johannes Schlaefli has been appointed Permanent Guest of Honor by the University of Zurich for his work as conductor of the Academic Orchestra at this year's Dies Academicus.
According to the University of Zurich, Schläfli "served as conductor of the Academic Orchestra for over three decades, enriching the everyday life of the university with unforgettable musical performances at a high level".
Johannes Schlaefli began his career as artistic director of the chamber orchestra Serenata Basel, now the Basel Chamber Orchestra (1984-1999) and was subsequently also chief conductor of the Bern Chamber Orchestra (1995-2012). He has been chief conductor of the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim since the 2013/14 season.
He has been a visiting professor at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, at Rice University Houston, at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and at the Hanns Eisler University Berlin, and gives courses as part of the German Conductors' Forum. The center of his teaching activities is the conducting class at the Zurich University of the Arts.
On April 26, the University of Zurich held its annual graduation ceremony for the 181st time. Nine people were awarded honorary doctorates - including Penny Boyes Braem, the founder of sign language research in Switzerland, the economist Anat Admati and the zoo curator and conservationist René E. Honegger.
