Soirée (work introduction): April 1, 2025

Editor's note: The text by Herbert Büttiker was first published on March 12, 2020. The current version has been revised to reflect the new circumstances.

For the first time since its digital reorientation, the Swiss Yearbook of Musicology is presenting a special edition guest-edited by the two ethnomusicologists Helena Simonett and Patricia Jäggi from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) and resulting from their research project Seeking Birdscapes. Four main articles and two artistic contributions approach birdsong from different perspectives.

In their introduction, Helena Simonett and Patricia Jäggi introduce the topic of "Birdscapes" and present the Lucerne research project. In his essay "The Anatomy of a Benign Failure", Gergely Loch deconstructs Péter Szőke's anthropocentric assertion that both birdsong and human song are the result of identical neurological and physiological processes. Andrew Whitehouse's essay "Inquisitory Birds" questions the ethics of the method of playback of birdsong when it comes to luring rare bird species out of hiding for research purposes. A walk through the Swiss sound forest Tùn Resùn forms the basis of the article by Nathalie Kirschstein and Helena Simonett, which documents and categorizes the multisensory experiences of various witnesses.

Emily Doolittle introduces her compositions Gannetry, a multimodal work inspired by the sounds of Scottish gannets and created in collaboration with the poet Dawn Wood. Finally, Matthias Lewy and Helena Simonett will present the exhibition Birdscapes, which is closely linked to the research project at HSLU and was on display at Naturmuseum Luzern in 2022.

Animals making music?

It seems no coincidence that the "music-making" of animals is now the focus of a musicological publication. The growing concern about our environment - caused by the current climate crisis and the increasingly dwindling and changing natural habitat and associated soundscapes - calls for a closer look and listen, a radical rethink about the role of the Anthropocene and the search for new ways of dealing with our world.

Musicological research, particularly in human-animal studies, sound ecologies and ecomusicology, is becoming increasingly important, which led to the establishment of an international research group in Nuremberg last October dedicated to the research focus "Multispecies Sound and Movement Studies". With its focus on birdsong, the special volume of the Swiss Yearbook of Musicology fits in well with the current research debates.

The Arosa Culture Association has been offering the Arosa Music Course Weeks for 39 years. Every summer and fall, around 1450 participants find their way to the magnificent mountain world of Arosa. Around 200 experienced instructors from Switzerland and abroad are involved. The courses, most of which last 6 days, are aimed at amateur musicians as well as professional musicians and students.

Not only music courses on offer

Around 80 instrumental courses are offered for a wide variety of string, wind, keyboard and percussion instruments. A varied program awaits participants in the various choir and singing weeks.

But Arosa Culture doesn't just offer music courses. The program also includes painting courses, various dance courses, an instrument making course and a literature weekend. Once again, there are also various beginners' courses and special courses for children and young people.

New in the program

The following courses will be offered for the first time in 2025: Indian flute with Samuel Staffelbach - Handpan for advanced students with Kay Rauber - Tango for string instruments with Katharina Deissler - Contemporary music for flute with Rebecca Blau - Folk music for existing formations with Madlaina Küng and Thomas Aeschbacher - Mongolian horsehead fiddle and throat singing with Bayanzul Damdinsuren - Viola da gamba with Soma Salaat-Zakariás - Baroque violin with Claire Foltzer - Historical basso continuo playing on the harpsichord with Andreas Westermann - Chamber music for strings and guitar with Nicolas Corti and Han Jonkers - Music by Hannes Meyer with Matthias Gubler - Chamber music with Trio Degas - Body-Music-Mentales with Ivo Prato - Dance course for beginners:innen ü45 with Peter Wingling - Wedding dance course with Valeria Klaus - Literature weekend on Hermann Hesse with Reto Bonifazi - The A - Z of time with Anna Jelen - Singing and making music in Zwergliland with Bettina Boller and Christina Schwerzenbach (for children aged 2 - 5).

Arosa Music Academy and master classes

The Arosa Music Course Weeks are also an international player in the area of top-level promotion. 14 different master classes and two Arosa Music Academies will take place in Arosa in summer and fall 2025. Several prizes from the Hans Schaeuble Foundation will be awarded to participants.

Information and registration

All information about the courses and registration can be found at . The printed course program can be ordered from Arosa Kultur (see contact). There is a CHF 40.00 discount for early bookers until the end of February.

The annual scholarship competition of the Kalaidos University of Music took place on November 11, 2024. This funding instrument honors outstanding young artists and complements the services of the Kalaidos Scholarship Fund, which supports students in difficult financial situations.

Students from all study programs at the Kalaidos University of Music were invited to give an approximately twenty-minute performance of pieces in various styles in order to qualify for the scholarships and prizes. From virtuoso violin sonatas to pop songs, a wide variety of pieces, interpretations and very personal styles could be heard on this concert day.

Students from the classical and jazz/pop departments sang and played violin, viola, double bass, trumpet, piano and flute. Music education students also applied for the scholarships on offer. Experts were invited for each of the different instruments to assess the performances of the individual students. Of course, it was not easy for the jury to award the scholarships and prizes - they had to compare many excellent performances of different styles and instrument groups and the teaching samples with each other and give special recognition to some of them.

We are therefore particularly pleased to announce the musicians who have been awarded prizes in this year's Kalaidos University of Music scholarship competition! A total of 10 scholarships were awarded by the jury, consisting of Prof. Dr. Michael Bühler, Dr. Leslie Leon, Jens Bracher, Dr. Stefan Häussler and Erna Ronca. The scholarships provide the winners with full tuition fees for 6 or 12 months.

Our heartfelt congratulations go to:

- Nicola Angileri - Master of Arts Kalaidos FH in Music Education

- Immanuel Brunner - Bachelor of Arts FH in Music with a specialization in Classical Music

- Adeline Favre - Bachelor of Arts FH in Music with a specialization in Classical Music

- Aida Jauslin - Master of Arts Kalaidos FH in Music Education with specialization in Jazz & Popular Music

- Lilla Krájer - Bachelor of Arts FH in Music with a specialization in Classical Music

- Elisabeth Kulmer - Master of Arts Kalaidos FH in Music Education with a specialization in Classical Music

- Milana Perduv - Master of Arts Kalaidos FH in Music Education with a specialization in Classical Music

- Zhixin Zhang - Master of Arts Kalaidos FH in Music Performance with specialization in Classical Music

- Zeyu Zhao - Master of Arts Kalaidos FH in Music Performance with specialization in Classical Music

- Tatiana Zubova - Master of Arts Kalaidos FH in Music Education with a specialization in Classical Music

We wish all prizewinners much success and joy on their musical journey and are delighted to be able to support them in achieving their goals! We know from our own experience what great commitment, perseverance and creative energy musicians need to learn a musical instrument from an early age, to spend countless hours perfecting their technique and musical interpretation and to persevere through all obstacles, not least financial ones, to become enthusiastic about music and to share this enthusiasm with an audience. Our love of music sometimes makes us forget the great effort that goes into giving everything for a profession that is sometimes associated with challenging working conditions.

We are delighted to be able to financially support the work of these young artists and hope that our work will help these musicians to continue to develop in their own individual style and to continue to infect their audiences with their enthusiasm for music and enchant them with their richness of expression - after all, we have learned in recent years that, especially in moments of uncertainty and fear of the future, deeply felt artistic expression and the commitment of a young generation can give us strength and hope to face the future more optimistically and turn it into something positive.

For the fifth edition of the new digital Swiss Yearbook of Musicology (vol. 42 (2025)), the editorial team invites authors to submit articles on the topic of "Temporality in Music". At the same time, the editorial team encourages researchers who are currently working on music projects at Swiss research institutions to present them as research reports.

Time and temporality in music

In this issue, various aspects of time and temporality in music will be examined culturally, geographically, historically, conceptually and theoretically. Music has a unique effect on our perception of time. In the concert hall or at the disco, time is perceived to run differently than in everyday life. This flexible and hybrid character of time has been used consciously and unconsciously by composers, performers, musicians and (inter)national institutions throughout history and around the world.

In order to understand how music and temporality are linked in a unique way, it is necessary to transcend the boundaries of narrow musicology. Contributions are therefore required from various sub-disciplines. In addition to musicology, ethnomusicology and music education, these include literary studies, cultural history, film studies, gender studies and social sciences.

We ask ourselves, for example, how are musical phenomena shaped and changed in the form of memory, anticipation or nostalgia? What role does time play in the revival of an old folk song, how did it sound then, how does it sound today? How do narrative devices such as acceleration and flashback function within certain conventions in different historical and cultural contexts? How can we understand the complex interplay of different temporalities in music, e.g. how is a story that takes place over several days or years presented musically within a few hours in an opera?

Such musical time phenomena are not bound to a particular musical style or epoch: they can be examined on the basis of a symphony, a rock concert or a jazz improvisation.

Three formats for publication

The main articles of max. 40,000 characters (including spaces and footnotes) on the subject of time and temporality in music form the main part of the issue and are subject to a double blind review. In the "Contemporary Witnesses" section, shorter contributions of max. 10,000 characters (including spaces and footnotes) are published that are dedicated to the topic of musical temporality. These can take different formats, e.g. a written, acoustic or visual presentation of an original historical or musical source, an interview with an artist or expert or a statement on current events. The "Werkstatt-CH" section publishes selected contributions that highlight current approaches and issues from Swiss research institutions. These can also have different formats, such as posters or other digital formats. These contributions are not tied to the main topic of the issue.

Fully edited article proposals in German, Italian, French, Romansh or English should be submitted by February 15, 2025 at the latest via the website to be submitted. Notification of acceptance will be sent in March 2025 and the issue will be published at the end of 2025.

For 20 years, around 70 young people have been meeting twice a year at the Künstlerhaus Boswil - in summer and over New Year - for a week of rehearsals, followed by three to four concerts. What sounds banal has been one of the most exciting orchestral projects in Switzerland since 2005 and a laboratory in which the future of orchestral music-making is explored and the classical repertoire is expanded in a pioneering way. To mark the anniversary of the Jugend-Sinfonieorchester Aargau (JSAG), the SMZ editorial team spoke to its director, conductor and violist Hugo Bollschweiler.

Hugo Bollschweiler, when and how did you join JSAG?

I took over the management of the JSAG in 2013. It was a dream come true. Since my time in the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra, it had always been a wish of mine to be able to work with young people. I can't imagine anything more fulfilling, exciting and inspiring.

Why did you stay? What is different about the JSAG?

There is an infinite amount of curiosity, openness and dedication at JSAG. Here I can try out things that would be unthinkable in other places: unusual repertoire expansions, conceptual freedom, new forms of rehearsal. And I love the lasting human exchange.

Who plays in the JSAG?

The age range is 16 to 26 years. The catchment area extends beyond the canton of Aargau to the cantons of Solothurn, Lucerne, Zurich, Basel and Bern. The mix of members is special in that it brings together aspiring professional musicians, talented music students, young students from non-musical fields and enthusiastic amateurs.

The exchange of experiences is particularly intensive and valuable against this colorful background.

Would you outline the recently realized project "Vogue" with works by Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944), Eric Coates, Darius Milhaud, Maurice Ravel and Camargo Guarnieri? How did you come up with the program?

"Vogue" deals with the fashion trends in classical music at the beginning of the 20th century: salon music, British Light, the meteoric rise of the saxophone, the musical discovery of South America and even the collapse of old forms, as celebrated by Maurice Ravel with the waltz death in his hit of the century La Valse. The idea for "Vogue" came to me while studying Ravel, when I suddenly realized what social and cultural upheavals took place in the interwar period and how exciting it would be to pack the musical shifts of this era into a programme.

What was the highlight of the tour with "Vogue" with concerts in Boswil, Aarau, Bern and Zurich?

There were too many! Our soloist Lisa Wyss made a wonderfully straightforward plea for the saxophone as a classical solo instrument, Cécile Chaminade's ballet suite Callirhoë was brought out of its undeserved slumber and the communication between audience and musicians was palpable as emotional electricity in every moment of the concert.

My personal highlight was the renewed confirmation that classical music also works without the big warhorses of the repertoire and that we as program makers far too often criminally underestimate the curiosity of the audience.

What will happen in the summer? What do you wish for the future with the JSAG?

Our big anniversary project is coming up this summer: We are going on tour with three guest concerts in Italy, a performance in Lindau on Lake Constance and home concerts in Boswil and Aarau, with Anton Bruckner's mighty 7th Symphony, Giacomo Puccini's early stroke of genius Capriccio Sinfonico and Doreen Carwithen's brilliant Bishop Rock Overture as a Swiss premiere.

For the future with the JSAG, I hope for this unbroken spirit of discovery, which is based on the wonderful energy that arises in the Künstlerhaus Boswil when 70 young people can be themselves in a "safe space" with and through music.

What else did you want to say?

Happy birthday, Aargau Youth Symphony Orchestra. Thank you for 20 years of curiosity, humanity, hope, solidarity and all-nighters.

We at the EOV would also like to congratulate the JSAG on its 20th anniversary and wish them continued joy in making music together!

You're standing on stage with weak knees, your pulse is racing and your hands are sweaty. You actually wanted to focus on making music, but now your thoughts are all about your nervousness. Does this situation sound familiar?

Stage fright can severely impair performance. When the body is under stress, the stress hormone cortisol is released, which triggers symptoms such as trembling, sweating or shallow breathing. Although the stress reaction takes place subconsciously, it can be influenced by specific techniques - for example, conscious breathing.

A helpful technique for conscious breathing is "square breathing", which works as follows:

Position yourself comfortably and turn your attention "inwards". Breathe in and out calmly. Then count to five as you inhale and mentally follow the first side of an imaginary square. Hold your breath for the same length of time without tensing (the second side), then exhale and follow the third side of the square. Hold the breath again to complete the fourth side. Repeat this cycle. Adjust the duration of the side lengths to suit your needs.

There are many different breathing techniques and each person reacts differently. It is important to find out which technique best calms or activates you so that you can regain control over your nervousness.

In addition to breathing technique, dealing with distracting thoughts also plays an important role. "Distracting thoughts" are thoughts that distract us from the task at hand in stressful situations or have a negative impact on us - during a concert or audition, for example. An effective approach to dealing with such thoughts is the WAVE principle developed by sports psychologist Jörg Wetzel (from "GOLD - Mental stark zur Bestleistung", Jörg Wetzel, 6th edition, 2019). "WAVE" stands for:

1. perceive: Consciously recognize your thoughts, feelings and physical reactions.

2. stop: Actively stop the flow of thoughts by saying "stop" or "halt".

3. change: Replace negative thoughts with positive, constructive thought patterns.

4. practise: Repeat the new thought and check its effect.

Examples: Instead of "I didn't hit a note cleanly again, how embarrassing!" you could say, "I can do better than that. Check it off and move on!" Or instead of thinking, "If I get nervous now, I'm sure it won't work", the thought could be, "I'll stay calm and make music like I do at home." By learning to actively direct your thoughts, you can get a grip on your nervousness and focus better.

Mental training also offers the opportunity to practise concert situations. Visualization techniques help you to relive a positive concert experience with all your senses or to mentally rehearse a future performance in front of an imaginary audience. This method prepares you mentally for the "special moment" so that you can better anticipate the nervousness and face it calmly. In many cases, the third or fourth performance is much easier than the premiere.

The moments just before the performance are crucial for success. Careful planning and training of this process, supported by mental techniques, are just as important as the technical and musical preparation.

Nervousness cannot be completely eliminated, but with mental techniques you can learn to control it and develop a positive approach to dealing with it. This will enable you to perform reliably even in stressful moments and appear calm.

Sebastian Rosenberg
... advises musicians and gives courses and workshops in the field of mental training, teaches trumpet and leads ensembles at the Rontal LU music school.

Arosa Sounds promises an energetic program from the end of January to the beginning of February. The festival kicks off on Wednesday evening with the Afro Jazz Sextet of the young Bernese singer Malika Kaita. Afrobeat meets bouncy jazz, performed by young and highly motivated musicians. To set the mood, a talk with Malika Kaita on the subject of intercultural musical collaborations will take place before the concert. Singer Andreas Lareida, who grew up in Chur, has woken his old band project "Andreas Lareida Agorà" from its 10-year slumber and will take to the stage as a septet with a new freshness. Ladunna can be described as the Grisons discovery of 2024. Two young women from Romansh combine pulsating rhythms with jazz vocals. The double bassist Marc Jenny plays somewhat quieter music in the Bergkirchli. The festival will conclude with two concerts in the "Bündner Sounds" format: singers Andreas Lareida, Malenco, Anna Bläsi and saxophonist Gianna Lavarini will arrange and rehearse their own compositions with an accompanying band, the result of this collaboration will be presented exclusively at Arosa Sounds.

The motto of this year's Arosa Classical Music Festival is "Voices as guests in Arosa". At the opening, former director of Swiss television Ueli Haldimann and actor Christian Sprecher will give Hermann Hesse a voice. Haldimann has researched Hesse's stays in Arosa in 1928/29 and Sprecher reads from the wonderful texts about skiing and the Arosa sun that Hermann Hesse wrote. The baritone Samuel Zünd is a guest in Arosa with the "Galgenlieder" by Christian Morgenstern. The Swiss conductor and composer Enrico Lavarini has taken on the cheerful, morbid texts. Zünd will be joined on stage by clarinettist Emil Scheibenreif and pianist Nilgün Keles.

"The most important thing is the music you have in your head," said Madame Flo, the imperturbable, self-confident and fabulously talentless soprano. But unfortunately, she sang wrong for pity's sake, the audience loved her anyway and came in droves to be amused by her. The play "SOUVENIR" by Stephen Temperley about Jenkins' career is a wonderfully heart-warming tribute to this legend of American show business. The actress Ute Hoffmann plays Jenkins. Nikolaus Schmid and Marco Schädler are also part of the cast.

While zoologist and museum educator Flurin Camenisch from Chur talks about how animals communicate with each other, the film "Sibel" shows a young woman whose voice has gone silent. She can only communicate to a certain extent by whistling. The film is set in the rugged mountainous region on the Turkish Black Sea coast, where people still speak and cultivate the traditional whistling language.

As in previous years, the winners of the Hans Schaeuble Award will give concerts as part of the Arosa Classical Music Festival. In two groups, they will each prepare a concert program in Arosa, which will be performed not only in Arosa but also in Chur, Boswil and Zurich.

The Arosa Mixed Choir, under the direction of Ursula Müller-Weigl, sings choral passages from well-known operettas at the end of the Arosa Classic Festival. The soloists are mezzo-soprano Stefanie Schaefer and pianist Kristina Ruge.

In the heart of Switzerland in 1975, where musical traditions met a lively quest for innovation, a dream was born that would last half a century: the Swiss Youth Music Competition (SJMW). With an ambitious goal, the then director of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Gerd Albrecht, wanted to create a national platform for young musical talents to express themselves, receive valuable feedback from a top-class jury and - above all - "to recognize their place in the national comparison". This environment for promoting talent has always captivated generations of musicians.

An ally for life

From the very beginning, the SJMW was aimed at children and young people in the field of classical music - a revolutionary idea at a time when music competitions were mainly reserved for adults. Since the first edition, the competition has attracted young musical talent from all over Switzerland and provided an inspiring environment for artistic growth.

Over time, the SJMW has expanded its disciplines to include new forms of musical expression - from composition to jazz and music technology. Its goal remains to enable young talents to live their passion to the full in order to let their artistic fire shine.

One particularly valuable aspect of the SJMW is the strong sense of community it creates. Participants from different backgrounds come together to compete with each other, but also to learn from and inspire each other. Music becomes a common language, as Nadia Boulanger put it: "Music knows no boundaries, only encounters" - and these encounters form the basis for the success of the SJMW, which has created lifelong artistic partnerships.

In 50 years, the SJMW has been the springboard for many of today's world-famous musicians. But even those who have not stayed in music carry on the values of the competition - discipline, dedication and creativity. Zoltán Kodály said: "Music not only forms the heart, but also the character" - a legacy embodied by the SJMW.

"Impulses for a whole life"

This is the motto of the 50th anniversary, which underlines the lasting impact of the SJMW on thousands of children and young people: an impulse that is anchored in the life choices, character and values of the participants.

The anniversary will be celebrated on September 13, 2025 at the Tonhalle Zurich. The event will kick off with a children's concert by young prizewinners, followed by a jazz concert by former winners. An interactive exhibition will bring the history of the competition to life. An anniversary publication will also present portraits of former prizewinners.

The highlight is a gala concert in the Great Hall of the Tonhalle. The Tonhalle Orchestra, conducted by David Bruchez, will accompany former winners as soloists. Two world premieres composed especially for the event by Daniel Schnyder and Richard Dubugnon round off the program.

50 years is a milestone, but also a promise for the future. The SJMW is committed to looking to the future, in the spirit of the words of our compatriot Yehudi Menuhin: "If the future teaches us anything, it is that music will never cease to unite." The competition will continue to be an important focal point for young musical talents from all over Switzerland in order to promote their talent and enrich our musical culture.

The craft of a musician is and has been (almost) the same for decades. The situation is different when it comes to their role in society: everything here is in a state of permanent change. And with these changes, the terms used by universities to respond to the social challenges facing the arts are also changing. No sooner had we realized that "music education" had become a relevant discipline for which specialists urgently needed to be trained than we had to get used to the term "cultural participation". At the same time, there was also talk of "audience development", "community music", "co-creation" or "musicking". What all these terms have in common is that musicians contribute to society as artists in addition to their craft. Or as Augusto Boal, the Brazilian director and theorist, puts it: "Being a citizen is not living in society, it is changing it." These trends are being discussed intensively not only at universities, but also in international associations such as the AEC (music academies) or ELIA (art academies).

The Bern University of the Arts recently held an interdisciplinary course on "Artistic Citizenship" to address students' interest in social engagement that goes far beyond music education. During a week of research, we investigated theoretically and empirically whether and how the model of "artistic citizenship" is suitable for this: can concepts such as artistic citizenship, social responsibility and civic mission enter into a fruitful connection with artistic excellence, imagination and creativity? What happens to our art when we understand its practice as a social process or as a "tool in society"? We also looked at global megatrends that are identified under keywords such as "global migration" or "down-aging" (older people feeling increasingly younger). Students from all disciplines conducted their own qualitative experiment, which they linked to one of the megatrends discussed. They were able to present the results, including performances, project and workshop concepts, to concert organizers at a public event.

In this context, one student has specifically dedicated herself to the dialog group of the very elderly and has placed her experiment in the "Silver Society" trend. The ageing of society today is both a challenge and an opportunity for a new socio-cultural vitality. The student - a flautist - regularly visited a 90-year-old lady suffering from dementia, who used to play the flute, at the retirement home. She was deeply impressed by the great and gratifying response of the lady to her flute playing, especially to her freely arranged folk songs.

In order to develop new methods and innovative strategies as a university, Bern University of Applied Sciences has been focusing on three strategic fields for some time: digital transformation, sustainability and caring society. The aim is to respond to challenges and enable students to share classical music with the elderly, for example. A team from the Departments of Music and Social Work is currently working on how to respond to the need of elderly people for musical expression and creative, process-based exchange with young people. In the longer term, this should be taught and learned in a university context.

For some time now, the Department of Music at the University of the Arts has offered students the opportunity to study topics relating to mediation and participation as part of the MA in Specialized Music Performance. Part of the final thesis is a tailor-made project, which can include new concert formats or the inclusion of non-classical groups.

So if we understand music not just as a performative act by performers for a passive audience, but think, research and expand its practice in a socially comprehensive way, then this strengthens the importance of this music as a whole, it brings previously rather separate social groups into active exchange and it increases the legitimacy of our universities as educational, communication and cultural institutions.

Barbara Balba Weber is Head of "Music in Context", Bern University of the Arts

The publisher can look for labels to produce a recording. The publisher can ensure that music is used in a new recording for advertising, film or computer games or arrange composition commissions. The publisher can also allow or encourage adaptations such as translations or changes of style for a fee. Traditionally, a publisher also prints sheet music, publishes songbooks or gives a streaming service a license to display the lyrics during streaming. However, it is not part of the publisher's remit to take care of the exploitation of recordings. This is typically one of the core tasks of a label or distributor.

Good music publishers usually have a large network, ideally also abroad, which makes these tasks possible or easier for them. When deciding whether or not to work with a publisher, an artist should also consider whether the network suits their own needs and musical style.

In order for the music publisher to be able to perform its tasks, the author (composer, lyricist or arranger) transfers the copyrights to it for a defined period of time in a defined territory.

For its work, the publisher receives a percentage of the author's income from the use of the compositions. The amount of the percentage depends on the type of use. The publisher and composer are both members of a collecting society such as SUISA. The publisher is registered there for the individual works and in the publishing agreement the income is divided in the same way as in SUISA's distribution regulations. This applies to all rights except synchronization (e.g. use of the music in films, games etc. but also combining the music with choreography, embedding it in a play etc.), editing (e.g. translating texts, changing styles etc.), "graphic" rights (e.g. printing sheet music or the texts shown on the Internet). For the rights managed directly by the publisher, the publisher and the author freely agree on a revenue share.

Because the publisher receives a revenue share instead of a fixed fee, it bears the risk of working a lot but achieving little and therefore earning little. However, it is also possible that the publisher does little for the exploitation of certain music and still earns well because the artists, for example, play major tours on which their songs are performed. In this case, the publisher always receives a share of the SUISA income.

Publishing contracts have a minimum term of three years, but are also regularly concluded for the "term of protection", i.e. up to 70 years after the death of the author. Publishing agreements are also usually concluded for the entire world.

The law does regulate the most important basic features of a publishing agreement. However, the rules are designed for typical book publishers and are hardly suitable for music publishers. Due to the long commitment and the lack of legal requirements, it is advisable to clarify all essential topics in the contract. In addition to duration and territory, this also includes clear obligations of the publisher, royalties and possible grounds for termination. It is also recommended that an author has a say in deciding for which types of films, advertising, games, etc. the music may be used. The association of music with other productions inevitably has an impact on artists and their reputation.

Since publishing contracts have very long terms and there are hardly any opportunities for artists to terminate a publishing contract, the respective person must carefully examine in each individual case whether the collaboration is worthwhile for them. The biggest challenge are the constructs in which organizations such as labels, music commissioners, etc. want to take over the publishing rights in order to refinance their own investments such as the commission fee. Sometimes the assignment of the publishing rights is a condition for obtaining the commission or marketing the recording in the first place. Although this is usually legally permissible, artists should check particularly carefully whether the overall package makes sense from their point of view.

As always, ask a specialist about the risks and side effects of the contract before signing it.

Chantal Bolzern ... is a lawyer, mediator and co-president of Helvetiarockt.

That's what you call consistency: the Orchesterverein Wiedikon (OVW) has been rehearsing every Monday evening in the Bethaus in Zurich-Wiedikon for 100 years. It is the first and so far only rehearsal venue for the orchestra, which was founded in 1924. Even on Whit Monday - when the EOV representation was a guest at the rehearsal - there was no exception. Most of the 30 or so permanent members of the orchestra were present in the Bethaus and worked diligently on the pieces for the centenary concert under the direction of Francesco Cagnasso.

For its 100th birthday, the OV Wiedikon gave its audience and itself a symphonic program with pieces by Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns and Gounod. The normally all-string ensemble was expanded to include wind instruments. The renowned cellist and HKB professor Chiara Samatanga was recruited as a soloist. At the festive concert in Neumünster church in June, the OVW presented itself to its large audience with confidence, self-assurance and enthusiasm. "We had a lot of fun," confirmed orchestra president and violinist Annette Prieur after the concert. Led by concertmaster Flurina Sarott, who exuded calm and confidence, the orchestra quickly came together for Felix Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture.

Touching play by Samatanga, carefully accompanied

Chiara Samatanga's experienced but touching interpretation of Camille Saint-Saëns' cello concerto was carefully accompanied by the jubilant orchestra. And in the virtuoso First Symphony by Charles Gounod (1818-1893), the Wiediker finally really turned up the heat and showed all their skills, spurred on and held together by conductor Francesco Cagnasso.

Since August 2022, the OVW has been conducted by Cagnasso, who comes from Ticino and is currently studying for a Master's degree in orchestral conducting at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

It has been a specialty of the OVW since 2010 that it always recruits its conductors from Professor Johannes Schlaefli's conducting class at the ZHdK and then works with the young talents for a few years until they move on to pursue their careers. Before Cagnasso, the OVW was led for four years until 2022 by Holly Hyun Choe, then also assistant to Principal Conductor Paavo Järvi at the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich.

Arranged by conductor Christopher Morris Whiting

"The arrangement with the ZHdK students came about through the mediation of our conductor at the time, Christopher Morris Whiting," explains Annette Prieur. At the start of the new millennium, Whiting conducted the OVW for ten years and the orchestra was able to benefit technically and musically from his wealth of experience as first violinist in the Tonhalle Orchestra. "We made great progress during this time." Whiting, who is also a lecturer at the ZHdK, then began working with the conservatory as a kind of succession plan.

"So far, we've always been very lucky with our young conductors, who have always been very motivated to work with us," says Prieur. "Our repertoire has also expanded enormously as a result of these collaborations." For example, a work by a female composer has been performed at most concerts for several years now. The inclusion of female composers has become a matter close to her heart. The OVW recently started rehearsing again for its next concert on January 25, 2025 in the Bühlkirche in Zurich. The program includes the piano concerto by Venezuelan composer Teresa Carreno (1853-1917).

The next concert of the Orchesterverein Wiedikon will take place on January 25, 2025 together with organist Els Biesemans in the Bühlkirche in Zurich. The restored organ will be inaugurated. Works by Teresa Carreno and Francis Poulenc. www.orchesterwiedikon.ch