At this year's competition, which took place in Bern from February 4 to 7, 2013, two first prizes (together with a Prix Collard) of CHF 10,000 each were awarded. They went to Rafał Żółkoś (flute) and Andri Dragan (piano). The flautist Tatiana Pimenova received a second prize (8,000 Swiss francs). Angel Soria Diaz (saxophone) and Milan Siljanov (voice) each received two third prizes (6,000 francs).

Sponsorship prizes of 4000 francs each were awarded to: Ior Andreev (piano), Joaquin Saez Belmonte (saxophone), Elena Graf (violin), Vladimir Guryanov (piano), Nicolas Indermühle (tuba), Yair Klartag (composition), Filipa Nunes (clarinet), Vito Alessio Pianelli (violoncello), Araksya Sargsyan (piano), David Silva (clarinet) and Pedro Pablo Camara Toldos (saxophone).

A total prize money of 84,000 Swiss francs will be awarded. The 2014 auditions will take place in Bern from February 3 to 6, 2014. The registration deadline is October 31, 2013.

More info: www.asm-stv.ch/de/prix-etudes-asm-khs

The Arosa Culture Association is holding its Arosa Music Course Weeks for the 27th time in summer 2013. Compared to previous years, the infrastructure has been significantly expanded with the purchase of several grand and upright pianos. With this quality offensive, Arosa Kultur aims to consolidate its position as one of the largest providers of music courses in Europe.

The courses in the Grisons vacation resort of Arosa are aimed at amateur and professional musicians as well as students. Interpretation courses are offered for a wide range of string, wind, keyboard and percussion instruments. Orchestra weeks are once again held for string and wind players. A varied program awaits participants in the various choir and singing weeks. The offer also includes beginners' courses for harmonica and alphorn as well as adventure weeks for dance enthusiasts. The course program has been expanded again compared to the previous year, when over 1200 musicians came to Arosa for the first time.

Most courses take place in July and August. In addition, master classes for various instruments with renowned lecturers are offered in September. With around 1300 participants each year, the Arosa Music Course Weeks are the largest festival of its kind in Europe.

www.arosakultur.ch
 

In a press release sent out by the Department of Education of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, the Basel-Stadt Central Music Conference opposes the new HarmoS timetables, which would mean a significant reduction in music at lower secondary level.

Music and visual arts, write those affected, would be massively devalued by the shift to the compulsory elective area. Preparation for grammar school is no longer guaranteed and Curriculum 21 is far from being fulfilled. The development is contrary to the new federal constitutional article on music education adopted by the electorate.

There will be a panel discussion on the topic on February 27, 2013, at 7:30 pm. Chaired by Christina Caprez, editor at Radio SRF2 Kultur, the discussion at Volkshaus Basel will feature Stephan Schmidt (Director of the Basel Music Academy), Martina Bernasconi (GLP member of the Grand Council), Stéphanie Cron (Cantonal Conference for School Music Basel-Landschaft), Regina Kuratle (Basel-Stadt Education Department) and Benno Graber (Basel-Landschaft Office for Primary Schools).

The ICMA are the successor prizes to the MIDEM Classical Awards and the Cannes Classical Awards. The jury consists exclusively of professional music critics for classical music, currently 17 media representatives from leading magazines, radio stations and internet services from 13 countries. They selected 15 CDs and DVDs from 275 nominated productions. The jury also presented six Special Awards to recognize outstanding musicians and producers.
The pianist Aldo Ciccolini received a lifetime achievement award, while the German violinist Carolin Widmann was named Artist of the Year. The Young Artist of the Year award was presented in the vocal and instrumental categories to the Romanian countertenor Valer Barna-Sabadus and the Italian pianist Alessandro Mazzamuto. The German company Audite was named Label of the Year, and the founder of the Swedish label BIS, Robert von Bahr, and the Orchestra LaVerdi in Milan were honored for special achievements. The prize for the Classical Website of the Year goes to the Philharmonia Orchestra: www.philharmonia.co.uk
 

Award-winning CDs and DVDs 2013 by category: 

EARLY MUSIC
Amarcord - to St. Thomas; Two Gregorian Masses from the St. Thomas Gradual - St. Thomas Church Leipzig, around 1300; Amarcord Ensemble; RKap 10112

BAROQUE INSTRUMENTAL
Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonatas & Partitas BWV 1001-3 (Vol. II); Isabelle Faust, violin; Harmonia Mundi HMC 902124

BAROQUE VOCAL
Polychoral Splendour; Music from the four galleries of the Abbey Church of Muri by Giovanni Gabrieli and Heinrich Schütz; Cappella Murensis (Siri Karoline Thornhill, Stephanie Petitlaurent, Rolf Ehlers, Jürgen Ochs, Mirko Ludwig, Manuel Warwitz, Simon Schnorr, Kees Jan De Koning), Les Cornets Noirs, Johannes Strobl; Audite 92.652 Review

VOCAL RECITAL
Christian Gerhaher - Distant Beloved; Beethoven - Haydn - Schönberg - Berg; Christian Gerhaher, baritone, Gerold Huber, piano; Sony Classical 88691935432

CHORAL WORKS
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - Sacred Choral Work; Kammerchor Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius; Carus 83020

OPERA
Stanislaw Moniuszko: Verbum nobile; Aleksander Teliga, Aleksandra Buczek, Leszek Skrla, Michal Partyka, Janusz Lewandowski, Chor i Orkiestra Opery na Zamku / Warcislaw Kunc; Dux 783

SOLO INSTRUMENT
Serge Rachmaninov: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28, Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36; Nikolai Lugansky, piano; Naïve AM208

CHAMBER MUSIC
Olivier Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Carolin Widmann, violin, Jörg Widmann, clarinet, Nicolas Altstaedt, cello, Alexander Lonquich, piano; Orfeo C 840121 B

CONCERTOS
Dances to a Black Pipe; Copland - Brahms - Fröst - Piazzolla - Hillborg - Högberg; Martin Fröst, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Richard Tognetti; BIS SACD 1863

SYMPHONIC MUSIC
Albert Roussel: Le festin de l'araignée (The Spider's Banquet), Padmâvatî
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stéphane Denève
Naxos 8.572243

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Einojuhani Rautavaara: Cello Concerto No. 2 'Towards the Horizon', Modificata, Percussion Concerto 'Incantations'; Truls Mørk, cello, Colin Currie, percussion, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds; Ondine ODE11782

BEST COLLECTION
Anton Bruckner: Symphonies No. 1 - 9; Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Herbert Blomstedt; Querstand VKJK 1230

HISTORICAL RECORDING
Les Ballets Russes; Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring
Moscow Philharmonic, Moscow State Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Pierre Boulez, Vladimir Fedoseyev; Melodiya 1001990

DVD PERFORMANCE
Francesco Cilea: Adriana Lecouvreur; Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann, Olga Borodina, Alessandro Corbelli, David Soar, Iain Paton, Janis Kelly, Sarah Castle, Maurizio Muraro, Bonaventura Bottone, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Mark Elder (conductor) & David McVicar (stage director); Decca 0743459

DVD DOCUMENTARIES
John Cage - Journeys in Sound. A Film by Allan Miller & Paul Smaczny; Accentus ACC 20246

As the Canton of Zurich writes, "due to construction delays in the completion of the Toni site, the contractually agreed handover dates cannot be met". The construction company Allreal and the Canton of Zurich have therefore agreed, in consultation with the universities, to postpone the move by one year.

The canton's rental agreement comes into force on July 1, 2014. This will allow the universities to start operations in September 2014. ZHdK and ZHAW can continue to use existing premises for the most part until they move into the Toni site.

There is still no definitive solution for the Department of Applied Psychology at the ZHAW and two small locations of the ZHdK. However, solutions should also be found for these in the coming weeks, the canton added.

After professorships at the Hochschule für Musik Saar and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, Tabea Zimmermann has been a professor at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin since October 2002.

In the Hindemith memorial year 2013, she is playing works by the composer in various programs, including as soloist in the viola concerto "Der Schwanendreher", with which the Osnabrück Symphony Orchestra was the first German orchestra to visit Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) in Russia in January 2013.

She is currently preparing a complete recording of all of Hindemith's sonatas and concertos for the CD label myrios classics.

The Hindemith Foundation was established by Hindemith's widow and heir Gertrud Hindemith. The foundation established the Hindemith Institute Frankfurt in 1974 and founded the Hindemith Music Center Blonay in 1978. In addition to Zimmermann, the five-member foundation board includes Andreas Eckhardt, François Margot, Hans-Dieter Resch and Andreas Schober. Andres Briner is an honorary member.

After Zurich, Schaffhausen and Lausanne, the 4th Swiss Children's and Youth Choir Festival (SKJF) will take place in St.Gallen. Over 50 children's and youth choirs with around 1600 singers from all over Switzerland have registered for the three-day festival from May 10 - 12, 2013. This is a record number.

The public concerts will take place in the Athletik Zentrum St.Gallen, which will be transformed into a spacious concert hall with a stage as the main venue. This will provide sufficient space for the more than 50 participating festival choirs and the audience. In addition, the choirs will sing throughout the city at various concerts, in squares, church services and matinees during the festival weekend. The musical program will be developed under the direction of Bernhard Bichler from the music commission.

During the festival, there will be the opportunity to take part in the Study Tour for choir conductors led by Michael Gohl. The following points are on the program:

• Introduction to the festival program
• Attendance at selected concerts and workshops
• Discussion of the concert performances, taking into account various criteria
• Literature exhibition (with purchase option)
• Suggestions for choir conductors regarding the choice of literature and forms of performance
• Starting points and criteria for assessing the quality of children's choir conducting

The association Schweizer Kinder- und Jugendchor-Förderung SKJF was founded in Zurich on March 7, 2006. It ensures the regular organization of the festival, which takes place every two years, alternating with the European Youth Choir Festival. SKJF promotes the networking of Swiss children's and youth choirs with other projects across language borders.

www.skjf.ch
 

According to a report by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) and the Mercator Foundation, the potential of cultural education has often remained untapped. Overall concepts need to be better interlinked.

The German Cultural Council agrees with this demand. One way to improve the situation of cultural education would be to lift the ban on cooperation between the federal and state governments in the education sector. According to the Cultural Council, the federal government is currently not allowed to directly support cultural education projects in schools and daycare centers. This obstacle must be removed. 

The Interessengemeinschaft für die Volkskultur in der Schweiz und dem Fürstentum Liechtenstein (IG Volkskultur) is an association of eleven national folk culture associations with a total of around 250,000 members. The Government Council has decided to continue the annual contribution of CHF 70,000 to the House of Folk Music for 2013 to 2015.

From August 1 to 18, 2013, the Waldweidli in Seelisberg will also host an open-air musical performance of Tell and Wagner. The aim is to make the mountain community of Seelisberg more attractive. The Munich writer Ursula Haas and the Swiss writer Guy Krneta have been engaged, as well as Beat Toniolo for the artistic festival management.

In addition to financial support, the recipients receive a portrait CD produced according to their individual wishes in cooperation with the Viennese label col legno. Hefti will be presented with the award at a musical ceremony in Munich's Prinzregententheater on June 4, 2013.

The Board of Trustees of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, whose members include the composers Wolfgang Rihm (Hefti's composition teacher) and Helmut Lachenmann, sees Hefti as one of the up-and-coming composers.

In addition to Hefti, the Canadian Samy Moussa and the Serbian Marko Nikodijevic will receive a sponsorship award from the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation. The international Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for lifetime achievement in the service of music, endowed with 250,000 euros, goes this year to conductor Mariss Jansons.

The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation awards a total of 3 million euros. In 2013, over one hundred contemporary projects that have made an outstanding contribution to contemporary music will be supported worldwide.

The Swiss Drum Academy prepares motivated young drummers for careers as professional drummers and drum teachers in a short space of time. Classes are mainly held at weekends and can be attended on a part-time basis. All musical styles are taught with a focus on modern music such as pop, jazz, rock, metal, etc. Subjects such as Cubase, studio drumming, percussion, basic piano, harmony, drums & bass, band, music business, mental training, cajon, pedagogy/didactics etc. are also taught. The focus is clearly on practice-oriented drumming.

The lecturers include Christoph Beck, Mario Caspar, Paolo Fedrigoli, Peter Haas, Rico Horber, Roman Schmon, Sascha Kaisler, Stefano Gus, Willy Günther, Wim Dykstra, Dani Löble, Sven Quartier, Felix Müller, Jan Moser and Andrea Tinner.

The new training year starts in August. Anyone who would like to ask questions about the training courses can do so at the information event. It will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., on the SDA premises at Wehntalerstrasse 6 in 8154 Oberglatt. Registration is required at least one day before the event at info@swiss-drum-academy.ch desired.

The SDA offers the following training courses:
- 1-year preparatory course (start August 2013)
- 2-year, part-time study program (start August 2013)
- and other interesting courses (see www.swiss-drum-academy.ch)
 

The 23rd Bernese Cantonal Music Festival will take place in Aarwangen from June 13 to 15 and from June 20 to 22, 2014. The population, the authorities and the Aarwangen Music Society are looking forward to hosting this major event. The festival is under the patronage of the Bernese Cantonal Music Association with President Claude Muller, the OC is chaired by Marcel Cavin and the Music Committee is headed by Bruno Schüpbach.

The motto of the festival is "wunderbAare Musik". The atmosphere will benefit from the short distances between the performance venues, the parade music route and the marquee in the historic village.

The call for applications has been open since January. All registration forms can be found on the website www.bkmf14.ch. The provisional schedule and current information can also be found there. Please note the schedule overview form. Participants will be invited in writing for the starting block draw and for the submission of the task pieces.
 

With the German Musical Instrument Award, the founder, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, emphasizes the importance of craftsmanship for the musical instrument industry and the German economy. The prize has been awarded for 22 years during the International Music Fair, the world's largest trade fair for musical instruments and accessories. This year it will take place in Frankfurt from April 10 to 13.

The two categories in which instruments are awarded prizes change every year. This year, the winning instruments come from the woodwind and brass categories. The 2013 winners in the tenor horn category are Gebr. Alexander Rhein, Musikinstrumentenfabrik GmbH, Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate) for the "Tenor Horn Alexander 146 GL" and in the Eb clarinet category Schwenk & Seggelke, Bamberg (Bavaria) for the "Eb Clarinet Model 2000".

Historically, the tenor horn closes a gap between the low brass instruments such as the tuba and the low trumpets. The valve horn is mainly used in military music, folk music and brass music. In the clarinet family, the Eb clarinet is the one with the highest pitch. This is visually noticeable due to the shortness of the instrument. Eb clarinets are considered extremely difficult to play due to their special intonation. They are traditionally used in symphony orchestras. Just how lively the musical instrument industry is can also be seen in the excellent manufacturers.

The company Gebr. Alexander has been in existence for more than 200 years. During this time, pioneering developments have been made in the field of brass instruments and the company has worked with important musicians and composers, including Richard Wagner. The second prize-winner, the Schwenk & Seggelke master workshop, was only recently founded. The company has been in existence since 1995 and offers both instruments as historical replicas of the 18th and 19th centuries and modern clarinets that can be made to customer specifications.

www.musikmesse.com