According to the FHNW press release, Kaito Kobayashi completed his Bachelor's degree at the FHNW Academy of Music / Basel Music Academy, completed his Master's degree in Performance with Claudio Martínez Mehner in summer 2021 and is now continuing his studies - also with Claudio Martínez Mehner - in the MA SP Soloist program.

The Leeds Competition is one of the most important music competitions in the world. Since the first competition in 1963, the world's best young talents have taken part, thanks to an outstanding prize package, the challenge of a demanding repertoire and a top-class jury.

In 2021, the five finalists took to the stage with conductor Andrew Manze and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Born in Parma in 2000, violinist Filippo Jakova began his studies at the age of 7 at the "Arrigo Boito" Conservatory in Parma. He completed his basic studies at the age of 17 at the "Vecchi Tonelli" Conservatory in Modena. Further studies took him to the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano and currently to the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

Jakova has already won several competitions, including the Giussano National Instrument Competition, the Crescendo Prize City of Florence Music Competition and the Regional Music Competition of Italian Switzerland. The Geminiani competition was held for the second time. It will be held annually in future.

The ODZ was founded in 2007 to bring together all the information available on organ building and music throughout Switzerland in a single place and to close gaps in the existing records as far as possible. So far, the organs in the cantons of Zug, Schwyz and Lucerne have been examined more closely.

Work has now begun on recording the organs of the canton of Uri. "The scientifically documented organ history of Uri is still only known in very general terms", explains Marco Brandazza, head of the ODZ. Organs are said to have existed there as early as the turn of the 17th century. However, as the valleys of Uri did not have a local organ building workshop until the middle of the 18th century, various craftsmen of different origins worked there.

Original article:
https://www.hslu.ch/de-ch/hochschule-luzern/ueber-uns/medien/medienmitteilungen/2021/09/06/hochschule-luzern-erforscht-schweizer-orgeln/

The transformation of space almost jumps out at us, especially in the city: a crane looms up there, a construction pit gapes there. Music, on the other hand, is fleeting - and therefore actually change in itself. But it remains intangible. A great deal of philosophizing and research can be done on the complex relationships between spaces and acoustic impressions. The first part of the Zeiträume Basel festival magazine is pages of evidence of this. You don't have to read it, but I do wonder whether this superstructure can obstruct direct access to what is on offer. On the other hand, I would be delighted if real access to the locations of the events were clearer and beckoned from afar (from the nearest public transport stop, for example).

On Sunday, September 12, I set out to explore some of the offerings. Some in which space and sound come together in an unusual way.

The sound of Birsfelden is a project that asks what is acoustically typical in view of the changing space. In this municipality, which belongs to Basel-Landschaft but borders directly on the Basel urban area, construction is planned. The village center as it looks now is certainly captured in many a photo. Hanan Isabella Kohlenberger interviewed the residents so that she would also have an aural memory. They talk about the pitch of the water in the Birs, the noise of the cars and the mix of languages that can be heard here. The composer Cathy van Eck has used this to create an audio portrait, a sounding postcard so to speak, one of those cards that combine very different views of a place. And it's not just idyllic scenes that appear here.

Loudspeakers have been installed in front of the municipal administration building, which has already moved. When you step onto the designated fields, you hear excerpts from the collected stories, as well as sounds. On this Sunday afternoon, they create a wistful atmosphere in front of the deserted building. Where are they, these people who are so committed to describing the sound of their homeland to us? I only see whispering bags. I then meet people a little further on, sitting outside in a pub, who again don't seem to be interested in the purple dots that indicate where something can be elicited from the loudspeakers.

In the barracks I enter No man's land. "There are no seats, no stage and no performers," says the program. Instead, there are pedestals with matt or shiny surfaces, hanging curtains and reflective ceiling elements in the darkened room. The little light turns it into an imperceptibly changing space and allows me to experience the noise and sound theater I am now immersed in more intensely. At one point, a train runs, gets louder and rolls over me. The noise makes the ground tremble. Later, rain falls. Then doors slam shut, a family sits down to eat at the table, the sound of crumbling from afar. Azzurro ... After about a quarter of an hour, I suddenly realize: now I'm in. At the beginning I was still watching the other listeners closely, now they become unimportant. Sometimes someone walks past the platform I'm lying on; sometimes I walk across the room. This also changes what I hear. No one here will have heard the same thing at the end, not to mention the different movies in my head. The acoustic impressions open up individual inner spaces. The No man's land is filled with my own images.

Dimitri de Perrot also calls his project "Disco of everyday life". He came up with the idea, composition and stage design for this - as has just been announced - for the Design Award Switzerland immersive music theater proposed in 2021. It will also be performed in other cities in the coming months (see below).

An hour and a half later, I enter Sarasinpark in Riehen. The local music school is celebrating its 40th anniversary there in collaboration with the music schools of the Basel Music Academy and the Bäumlihof grammar school and in cooperation with the Zeiträume festival. By now it has become dark. Purple and green lamps shine up from the shrubs and bushes into the trees, white spotlights draw paths of light on the lawn, but leave the strolling people in the dark. Thanks to Michael Omlin's lighting design, you walk through a magical world. Then the children and young people begin to make music. 28 groups are spread across the unreal landscape. And they also play "distributed", sometimes a mandolin group sounds here, then a wind sound blows past from far away, some young people move through the audience and murmur mysterious messages. Sometimes the soundscape thickens, then thins out again. And as dabbed as the whole thing seems: The groups, which are often far apart, play together. This succeeds thanks to an arrangement in time that is precise to the second, which everyone follows via cell phone.

In his introduction, composer Hansjürgen Wäldele spoke of a "garden for the ears", of 28 beds that would be cultivated by the young musicians, of the seed that sometimes steals from one bed into another. With 28 miniatures and 250 variations, this is exactly what he has created: A biotope of sound plants, some of which are very similar, but are nevertheless individual, also individually adapted to the level of the pupils. What is not obvious is the title of the whole: Snurglond. But that doesn't matter. Perhaps it's called "Klanggarten" in an as yet undiscovered language? This fits in with what Wäldele said at the beginning and what can be said for the whole festival in view of the dense program: "Don't worry, you're sure to miss most of it!"

A total of 2186 people are studying at the ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts), according to the statement. Of these, 1195 are studying one of the eight Bachelor's degree courses and 991 one of the eleven Master's degree courses. The number of students has remained constant compared to recent years. A numerus clausus applies at the ZHdK; prospective students undergo a strict admission procedure beforehand.

The use of studios, dance studios or music practice rooms is irreplaceable for studies in the arts, design and mediation. For this reason, ZHdK is holding the fall semester 2021 in face-to-face classes. Access to all ZHdK buildings is subject to a certificate requirement.

Only people with a Covid certificate or a Covid "light" certificate will be admitted. Masks are not compulsory and there are no restrictions on room capacity. People without a certificate have the opportunity to take a free rapid antigen test on site. The guidelines and requirements of the ZHdK may change at any time.

The organizers have announced that this year's 7th edition of the Whitsun Festival at Brunegg Castle has had to be postponed from May to autumn. The focus is on the performance of all six string quintets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Four world premieres and three Aargau premieres of works by this year's Composer in Residence, Nadir Vassena, will form a striking contrast with other contemporary pieces and music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, in keeping with this year's festival motto "In modo antico novo".

The Berlin soprano Sophie Klussmann, the American lutenist Hopkinson Smith, the Basel flutist Felix Renggli, the Italian violinist Irene Abrigo, the Zurich violist and festival director Jürg Dähler and the Salzburg siblings Hanna (violin), Gertrud (viola) and Bruno (cello) Weinmeister will play and sing.

The city and canton of Lucerne jointly finance Lucerne's five major cultural institutions - Lucerne Theatre, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Lucerne Museum of Art, Swiss Museum of Transport and Lucerne Festival - through the special-purpose association of major cultural institutions. The city currently contributes 30 percent and the canton 70 percent of the operating costs.

The Cantonal Council has now approved the gradual adjustment of the funding formula in the first consultation. In future, the canton of Lucerne will pay 60% of the operating contributions and the city of Lucerne 40%. This new arrangement will reduce the canton's operating contributions to the special-purpose association by around CHF 2.87 million per year from 2025.

In addition, the canton and city have agreed that future investments in the Lucerne Theater will be borne by the city and those in the Swiss Museum of Transport by the canton. Due to the greater co-responsibility of the city of Lucerne, the organization of the special-purpose association will also be adjusted.

Memorial stone for Nelly Schmid and Antoine-Elisée Cherbuliez in Braunwald

Motto "Children's scenes"

Schumann's piano cycle of the same name, op. 15, was played in the original by Lausanne pianist Cédric Pescia. The 13 sound images inspired Chris Wiesendanger to improvise. And they also inspired students from the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), who arranged them for numerous ensembles from the Glarus Music School. More than 80 musicians thus shaped the opening of the 85th Braunwald Music Week. It also offered encounters with up-and-coming talent from the ZHdK as part of a chamber music academy under the direction of Anna Gebert, with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and Maurice Steger, the Stradivari Quartet and many other artists.

Everything is ready for Letizia Gauck's presentation in the hall of the Märchenhotel in Braunwald

Gifted children

There was a lively exchange between the audience and speakers on the topic of "gifted children". Letizia Gauck, Head of the Center for Developmental and Personality Psychology at the University of Basel, is an expert in this field. With her presentation Development of musical talents she covered a wide range of topics: from recognizing potential and developing it to influencing factors and dealing with pressure. All aspects were later explored in greater depth in a panel discussion with the speaker. Together with Letizia Gauck, the young violinist Audrey Haenni, Daniel Knecht, Head of PreCollege Music at the ZHdK, and Peter Aebli, Rector of the Glarus Cantonal School, took part in the discussion, which was chaired by Michael Eidenbenz, Director of the Department of Music at the ZHdK and Artistic Director of the Braunwald Music Week.

There was agreement that, in addition to the private environment, the flexibility of public institutions plays a key role in the day-to-day development and promotion of individual talent. As far as research into musical talent and its development is concerned, however, we must be aware that most studies today relate to classical Western music - there are still many unanswered questions. Every child is basically a child prodigy at birth, whose prospects need to be recognized and developed, was a very general but always fascinating conclusion.

Panel: from left Peter Aebli, Letizia Gauck, Michael Eidenbenz, Audrey Haenni, Daniel Knecht

Following the appointment of cellist Raphaël Merlin as Professor of String Chamber Music, the engagement of Quatuor Ébène and Eberhard Feltz as Visiting Professor, students of woodwind instruments were also given additional opportunities to deepen their skills in the field of chamber music, writes the Munich University of Music.

Reto Bieri became known to a broad public through his staged concerts and stage programs, most recently with his project Out of the Box He has enjoyed a close artistic collaboration with violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja for many years.

His CD recordings are released on the Munich label ECM, most recently the album quasi morendo together with the string quartet Meta4 from Finland. Reto Bieri was artistic director of the Davos Festival from 2013 to 2018. Future projects will take him to BASF in Ludwigshafen, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Bern and Theater Basel, among others, as artist in residence.

The guide summarizes the basic characteristics of participation processes and provides concrete suggestions on how the competencies of a funding body can be expanded and how the participation orientation of cultural institutions and projects can be supported, promoted and accompanied. It supplements the Cultural Participation Handbook as an implementation-oriented guide for private and public bodies and organizations that would like to devote more time to promoting cultural participation.

The National Cultural Dialogue was established in 2011 and brings together representatives of the political authorities and cultural promotion bodies of the cantons, cities, municipalities and the federal government. Its work is based on an agreement from 2011 and the work program adopted for the respective period. The political authorities form the strategic steering body of the National Cultural Dialogue with the head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), representatives of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK), the Swiss Association of Cities (SSV) and the Swiss Association of Communes (SGV).

Link to download:
https://www.newsd.admin.ch/newsd/message/attachments/68162.pdf

The 1st prize goes ex aequo to Luc Goedert (*1994) from Luxembourg for La rivière for women's choir and to the Swiss Cyrill Schürch (*1974) for Roses for male choir. A 3rd prize goes to the French composer Thomas Kientz (*1991, titular organist of the Abbey of Saint-Maurice in Valais) for the composition O virgo splendens for women's choir.

The following composers were also awarded a Special Mention (in alphabetical order): Paul Ayres, Mathieu Constantin, Olivier Costa, Claudio Ferrara, Hans-Eugen Frischknecht, Florian Gougne, Gaetano Lorandi, Fabio Luppi, Luca Martin, Grégoire May, Manuel Rigamonti, Christoph Schiller, Sabina Schmuki, Branko Stark and Bernardino Zanetti.

The two winning works will be premiered by the Männerstimmen Basel under the direction of Eric Whitacre on February 12, 2022 at the Stadtcasino Basel and by the Jugendchor Zürich under the direction of Marco Amherd on February 20, 2022 in Andelfingen. There are also plans to publish an edition of all the works selected in all competition categories in print form.

The ISCM International New Choral Music Composition Contest takes place on the occasion of the centenary of the International Society for New Music ISCM and is organized in four categories: Women's Choirs, Men's Choirs, Children's Choirs and Mixed Choirs separately for amateurs and professionals.

Other categories
 

Three prizes were awarded at the violin final in Munich's Herkulessaal: Seiji Okamoto (27) from Japan was awarded first prize. Dmitry Smirnov (28) from Russia was delighted to receive a second prize. Alexandra Tirsu (29) from Moldova/Romania won a third prize and the audience prize. In total, four first prizes, five second prizes and six third prizes were awarded at this year's competition.

In the piano duo category, first prize went to the Geister duo from France, while second prize was awarded to the Canadian duo La Fiammata and the Melnikova-Morozova duo from Russia. A third prize and the audience prize went to the Japanese duo Sakamoto.

In the singing category, 27-year-old Anastasiya Taratorkina (Germany/Russia) won first prize and was also awarded the audience prize. Three more of the five finalists received a third prize: 29-year-old South Korean Jeongmeen Ahn, 31-year-old Julia Grüter and 25-year-old Valerie Eickhoff from Germany.

Niklaus Troxler is a graphic artist of international renown, but is best known in his home canton of Lucerne as the father of the Willisau Jazz Festival, writes the canton. He has been organizing jazz concerts since 1966 and founded the Jazz Festival in Willisau in 1975. He was awarded the Central Switzerland Culture Prize in 1982.

By choosing Niklaus Troxler, the cantonal government is honoring his life's work as a graphic artist of international standing: in this capacity, he has fascinated and inspired generations of art lovers. The award is also in recognition of his services to the cultural identity of the Canton of Lucerne, which he helped to shape as the father of the Willisau Jazz Festival. With his enormous commitment, he has carried the reputation of the Canton of Lucerne throughout the world.

The presentation of the Lucerne Recognition Award will be broadcast live on Monday, September 13, 2021, from 7 p.m. on www.lu.ch.

According to the press release from the Canton of St. Gallen, the original schedule envisaged the renovation of the theater building being completed by autumn 2022. The theater should therefore have opened in the renovated and slightly expanded building in February 2023.

According to the new schedule, the work on the theater building is expected to be completed in April 2023. However, a move shortly before the end of a current season is not expedient for the Genossenschaft Konzert und Theater St.Gallen from an economic and artistic point of view. This would mean an interruption to the season and a loss of performances. The 2022/2023 season will therefore continue on a temporary basis until the beginning of June 2023. Konzert und Theater St.Gallen is now examining the new situation. The program will be adapted to the new schedule.

There are several reasons for the delay in the construction work. Firstly, the construction companies had to carry out unforeseen additional work during demolition and pollutant clean-up. For example, significantly more pollutants were found during demolition than expected. Secondly, the weather in winter 2020/2021 prevented the construction companies from carrying out the work more quickly.

According to a statement from the canton of Vaud, Corboz studied singing and composition in Fribourg and completed his training in Geneva and Lisbon. He founded the Ensemble vocal de Lausanne and the Ensemble instrumental de Lausanne at a young age. He made a name for himself above all with performances of vocal works by composers such as Brahms, Mendelssohn, Rossini and Schubert.

In the 1960s, his recordings of Monteverdi's opera L 'Orfeo and the Magnificat by Johann Sebastian Bach. Corboz won the Grand Prix de la Fondation vaudoise pour la promotion et la création artistiques in 1990, the Prix de la Fondation Pierre et Louisa Meylan in 2001 and the Prix de la Ville de Lausanne in 2003.