The first prize, worth 60,000 francs, went to Qianchen Lu for her work "Nine Odes to the Night", the second, worth 25,000 francs, to Erqing Wang for "The Gaze of Nmemosyne" and the third, worth 10,000 francs, to Ramón Humet for "Bird in Space".

An audience award was presented for the first time, in which viewers of the live stream worldwide were able to take part alongside those present in Basel. The more than 600 participants chose "Nine Odes to the Night" by Qianchen Lu. The prize is endowed with 5000 francs. Qianchen Lu and Erqing Wang will also be included in the Universal Edition.

Qianchen Lu was born in Anhui, China, in 2000. She is studying at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (2018-2023, Bachelor; 2024-ongoing, Master) in the class of Qian Shen-Ying. Her compositions span a wide range of genres, including vocal and choral music, instrumental solos, chamber music and large orchestral pieces.

Erqing Wang is a Chinese composer whose work spans orchestral and chamber music. He is currently studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz with Annesley Black. He was previously trained by the composers Wenchen Qin, Stratis Minakakis and Beat Furrer. Ramón Humet was born in Barcelona in 1968. He has been awarded the Olivier Messiaen International Composition Prize and the Queen Sofia Composition Prize, among others.

The company of cultural manager Christoph Müller organized the Basel Composition Competition for the first time in 2017 in collaboration with the Paul Sacher Foundation, which was co-initiated by Wolfgang Rihm, among others. Since 2019, the specially established Basel Composition Competition Foundation has been organizing the biennial competition.

According to the HMTM, Jürgen Ellensohn has most recently held a professorship at the Würzburg University of Music since 2019. He also taught as a professor at the Stella Vorarlberg Private University for Music (2022-2023) and at the Vorarlberg State Conservatory (2015-2019).

Jürgen Ellensohn was principal trumpet with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (hr-Sinfonieorchester) for 15 years. He held the same position with the Bern Symphony Orchestra from 2003 to 2005. To this day, he is a guest in many orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. He has also appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, working with conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Andrés Orozco-Estrada and Matthias Pintscher.

The researchers used the KIKI to compile a ranking list for the cantons of Switzerland. Based on the data for 2024, the canton of Zug takes first place with just under 60 out of 100 theoretically possible points, followed by Basel-Stadt and Zurich. The cantons of Vaud, Neuchâtel and Geneva are close behind in fourth to sixth place. This is followed by a broad midfield with scores between 31 and 41.

The KIKI consists of a weighted sum of 101 individual indicators that have been grouped into four thematic areas "Knowledge and Environment" and "Creation and Growth" with a total of eight thematic pillars. Data sources include the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the Federal Finance Administration, the federal innovation agency Innosuisse, the OECD and the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.

More info:
https://www.hslu.ch/de-ch/hochschule-luzern/ueber-uns/medien/medienmitteilungen/2025/01/29/kiki/

In the top 10, Joana Mallwitz (Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the first woman to head one of Berlin's major orchestras), Nathalie Stutzmann, Kristiina Poska and Marie Jacquot (Principal Guest Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and, from 2026/27, the WDR Symphony Orchestra), who each hold a leading position in their respective organizations, have increased the number of their engagements by more than 80 percent.

Three young female conductors under the age of 30, Stephanie Childress, Nil Venditti and Ana María Pantiño-Osorio, have each more than doubled the number of engagements since 2023. 13 percent of all concerts listed in the Bachtrack database were conducted by women, compared to 11 percent in 2023. Nevertheless, male conductors are still clearly in the majority, and no woman has been in the top 20 in terms of engagements since 2019.

Bachtrack was founded in January 2008 and lists over 30,000 events every year. The annual Bachtrack classical music statistics are based exclusively on the events listed by the website. Although Bachtrack claims to be "the largest website for classical music", the entries are not complete and necessarily only represent a part of the overall picture.

In order to determine the sound characteristics of the songs more precisely, the team led by musicologist Tim Ziemer used MFCCs (Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients), which are commonly used in music practice. MFCCs are characteristics that describe the so-called spectral balance of a song, i.e. how bassy, brilliant or dull a song sounds. The researchers also used the so-called goniometer. This is a typical analysis tool used in recording studios to determine the spatial dimension of a mix.

According to the university's statement, the result was clear. Each producer has their own typical sound - both in terms of spectral and spatial balance. The producer's sound profile also remains dominant in the interplay with the rappers' voices. Even the distinctive voice of a rapper does not seem to influence the typical sound profile of a producer.

Original publication:
https://aes2.org/publications/elibrary-page/?id=22793

The two were selected from a field of six by public vote. The Emmerich Smola Orchestra Prize of the German Radio Philharmonic 2025 was also awarded to Chelsea Zurflüh. The City of Landau and Sparkasse Südpfalz will award the two of them 20,000 euros as part of the 20th SWR Young Opera Stars Concert. As the winner of the orchestra prize, Chelsea Zurflüh will also be invited to perform with the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra next season.

Born in 1995 in Switzerland with roots in the Seychelles, she completed her Master's degree in Specialized Music Performance Opera with Barbara Locher in Bern in 2021 with top marks. She attended masterclasses with Brigitte Fassbaender, Michelle Wegwart, Hedwig Fassbender, Eytan Pessen and Malcolm Walker. From 2021 to 2023 she was a member of the Zurich International Opera Studio.

Vicent was born in Altea, a city in the Valencian Community region of Spain, and studied at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Alicante and the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam. Since 2015/16, Josep Vicent has been artistic and musical director of ADDA (Auditorio de Diputación de Alicante) and chief conductor of ADDA Simfònica Alicante. He has worked with personalities such as Maria João Pires, the Labèque Sisters, Pinchas Zukerman, Anna Fedorova, Paquito D'Rivera, Miura, Ramón Vargas and Iréne Theorin.

Founded in 1963 as the Aargau Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra has been based in the Alte Reithalle Aarau since October 2021. From 2001 to 2019, the British conductor Douglas Bostock led the orchestra as chief conductor. The Norwegian Rune Bergmann has been chief conductor since the 2020/21 season.

On site, ZHdK students from Cast/Audiovisual Media will develop social media content under the guidance of the ESC Public Value team. The aim is to showcase the social added value of the ESC. The collaboration offers the young talents a platform to showcase their creativity and innovative strength, to learn in a practice-oriented way and at the same time to participate in one of the biggest entertainment events in the world. It is "a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and showcase Switzerland's creative energy on the global stage", writes the ZHdK.

The ESC final will take place on May 17, 2025 in the St. Jakobshalle in Basel and will be watched by more than 160 million viewers worldwide.

According to the university, the aim is to integrate gender and intersectionality aspects into elementary music pedagogy as well as instrumental and vocal pedagogy. This professorship is intended to train teachers to work against gender stereotypes at an early stage and facilitate access to musical professions for all genders.

A look at orchestral practice shows that more men play brass instruments, while it is predominantly women who play the harp: The professorship is intended to train teachers who, among other things, work against gender stereotypes at an early stage in order to break such patterns. At the same time, the aim is to help break down gender-specific barriers that would prevent young people from pursuing a career in music. This is an important step against the lack of young talent in music-related professions.

In 2024, over 236 billion streams were measured in Germany, eleven percent more than in 2023. 108 billion streams were registered in 2019. Current songs are particularly popular with music fans. Productions from the 2020s increased their streaming share from 52% to 56% within a year. German-language acts such as Ayliva, Luciano and Nina Chuba are particularly popular. They account for eight of the ten most-streamed songs of the decade.

Music from the 2010s accounts for 26 percent of all streams, while the 2000s remain unchanged at eight percent. The decades before that together account for ten percent. By releasing new music, artists such as Linkin Park and Taylor Swift also increased interest in their older tracks. In addition, classics such as Peter Schilling's "Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)" or "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey experienced a second spring.

One of the streaming genres with the highest growth rates is German-language pop. This grew by 15 percent compared to the previous year. Country (up 58%) and folk (up 26%) saw even stronger growth, driven by acts such as Beyoncé, Dasha, Shaboozey and Hozier. The children's radio plays and children's music segment was also up significantly, increasing by 19 percent.

The special analysis by GfK Entertainment in cooperation with the German Music Industry Association (BVMI) was based on paid and ad-based streams lasting 31 seconds or longer for the period from January to December 2024.

According to the festival, the study shows that it generates an annual economic value contribution of around CHF 45 to 50 million for the Lucerne region and thus creates around 230 to 270 jobs. The study also shows that the Lucerne Festival generates "significant social benefits that contribute significantly to the cultural and economic development of the region". For example, a festival visitor who stays overnight in the region stays twice as long as a regular tourist.

The impact study was conducted by McKinsey. According to the Lucerne Festival, it is based on detailed visitor surveys with more than 2,000 people, press documentation and data from Lucerne Statistics (LUSTAT), Lucerne Tourism, the University of St. Gallen (HSG), the Swiss National Bank (SNB), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and other sources. It is based on figures from the festival in 2023, which were supplemented with data from 2024.

Bettina Meyer studied stage and costume design at the Berlin University of the Arts. Since 1995 she has been designing stage sets/spatial concepts and costumes for spoken and musical theater and developing her own installation projects. She works at major German-speaking and European theaters and opera houses.

Between 2009 and 2019, she was head of set design at Schauspielhaus Zürich. She taught as a visiting professor of scenography at Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts and held teaching positions at Berlin University of the Arts, ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts) and the FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Basel.

The trial was approved for classes focusing on art and sport. It is limited to four years. The classes are aimed at particularly talented pupils in these areas. While the overall demand for this course remains high, the number of pupils specializing in music is declining, writes the canton of Thurgau.

One reason for this may be that these pupils are required to attend instrumental lessons at the Winterthur Conservatory. This usually leads to a change of instrumental teacher. Feedback has shown that this is an obstacle for many pupils to join the KuS class. They would like to keep their previous instrumental teacher, at least at the beginning of their secondary school education.

By approving a school trial, the cantonal government is taking this concern into account: pupils should be able to choose their own instrumental teacher during the first two years of education in the KuS class. The school trial is limited to four years and will run from the 2025/2026 school year, after which it will be reviewed whether the measure has had the desired effect and whether the number of pupils specializing in music has actually increased.

According to the federal government's press release, ten cantons are still in the process of setting up the program. The two-year pilot phase has thus been successfully completed. The program is now in the consolidation phase.

672 of the sponsored talents are male, 517 female, 1 diverse. The ages of the children and young people range from 4 to 25. 972 young musicians are active in the field of classical music, 207 perform jazz, pop, rock and contemporary music, and 11 are active in folk music.

The "Young Talents in Music" funding programme, which was developed by the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) from 2021 in collaboration with the cantons, municipalities, cities and music organizations, aims to provide sustainable support for children and young people with above-average musical potential in line with their needs.

Original article:
https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-103767.html

Ayla Erduran was born in Istanbul in 1934, studied with the Hungarian virtuoso Karl Berger, was considered a child prodigy and gave one of her first public performances at the age of 11. Further training followed from 1946 at the Paris Conservatory and in the USA, where Ivan Galamian and Zino Francescatti were among her teachers. She was also mentored by David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory.

Erduran's international career has taken her through Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. She has performed with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Berlin RIAS, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the Turkish State Orchestra.

After working in Switzerland, Erduran returned to Istanbul. In addition to her status as a Turkish state artist, she received the Harriet Cohen Olga Verney Award in 1964 and the Beethoven Award of the Netherlands in 1970.