Tschumi prizes for Schwarzl and Spitzenstätter
The 2020 Eduard Tschumi Prize of Bern University of the Arts (BUA) goes to flautist and music educator Johanna Schwarzl and bass clarinettist Christian Spitzenstätter (pictured below) from Ernesto Molinari's class.
The Masters in Specialized Music Performance at the Bern University of the Arts HKB is the highest level of classical music education in Switzerland. Every year, the Eduard Tschumi Prizes are awarded for the best overall scores. In the current 2020 edition, the flutist Johanna Schwarzl in the "Music in Context/Music Mediation" specialization and the clarinettist Christian Spitzenstätter in the "Soloist" specialization each won a prize of CHF 6,000.
In her educational project "The Last Miller", Johanna Schwarzl and the male choirs Büren zum Hof and Kirchberg performed a version of Schubert's "Die Schöne Müllerin" that she had arranged in an old flour mill in Kirchberg.
In the soloist concert accompanied by the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, Christian Spitzenstätter interpreted his own composition, in which he incorporated his musical role models from contrasting genres of the 20th century not only as a bass clarinettist, but also as a saxophonist. He continued his recital in the Reithalle Bern as a concert installation with world premieres and a folk brass band.
With the support of the Bürgi-Willert Foundation, the two musicians will now also have the opportunity to perform chamber music or as soloists in the Bern Symphony Orchestra's seasonal program.
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- Christian Spitzenstätter. Photo: Peter Kraut
