The aftermath of the Cité de la Musique in Geneva - Béatrice Zawodnik appointed director

Antoine Gilliéron - The Cité de la Musique was rejected by a few hundred votes in the city of Geneva on June 13. The "no" vote against the neighborhood's development plan, which would have allowed the construction, won with 50.86 % of the votes. The voter turnout on this federal voting Sunday was 42,61%.

In October 2020, Geneva City Council approved the construction of the Cité de la Musique, but an alliance of the Greens, Ensemble à Gauche, SVP, heritage advocates and independent artists collected enough signatures for a referendum.

The Cité de la Musique project was launched in 2014 and is fully funded (to the tune of CHF 300 million) by the Fondation Wilsdorf.

The international architectural competition launched in 2017 was won by a project - revised several times, in particular to take greater account of ecological requirements - that combines three concert halls (including a philharmonic hall with 1580 seats and a black box for experimental music), rehearsal rooms, a library and restaurants in a wooded park adjacent to the Place des Nations. All of this on land belonging to the UN.

The glass building was to house the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) and the HEM, which is currently spread across several sites with outdated infrastructure. The initiators of the referendum primarily highlighted the felling of trees (although replaced three times, while the most venerable ones were preserved), the demolition of an (unclassified) manor house and a "gigantic" and "elitist" project whose operating costs could affect the general public. The project divided the Geneva music scene: some were enthusiastic about a new cultural center on the right bank of the lake, others denounced the primacy of classical music to the detriment of other, a priori more popular music.

The rejection on June 13 is not binding, as the canton has the final say in the area of spatial planning. In view of the extremely close result, the State Council could overrule this development plan for the district, which now does not permit the construction of the Cité de la Musique.

Philippe Dinkel, you have been the director of the HEM for over twelve years and have been at the heart of the Cité de la musique project: what did you think of the climate of the recent political campaign and what does it reveal about the link between the different forms of musical expression in Geneva and abroad?

The precarization of artists from the independent scene during the pandemic probably played a stabilizing role, and I was shocked - but not surprised - by the violence of the invaders on the social networks, which should alert us to the state of our democracy. I also think that the campaign has revealed the urgency of a total overhaul of Geneva's public policies on culture, currently devastated by ideological currents: the opposition between music of creation and patriotic music is an absurdity. This renewal must be based on precise rather than fanatical data and on a real complementarity between the role of the communes and that of the canton.

What are the key developments that this vote has brought to light for professional music education in Switzerland?

If I refer to the situation in Geneva, it must be emphasized that the implementation of the constitutional article on musical education cannot rely on actions to raise awareness of music and associations, but must be accompanied by a genuine education policy that articulates the role of public schools, music schools and professional training provided by higher education institutions. It must in particular support the access of young people to higher education via pre-professional labeled and properly financed courses of all genres.

After this vote, what are the future prospects for HEM in terms of infrastructure?

I sometimes think that the reputation of my school is due to the miracle of its facilities... It is well aware of the quality of its students and staff, as well as the size of its national and international network. That said, provisional solutions, even if they are inadequate or incomplete, must be found before the political authorities - it is their role, and even their duty - guarantee us decent conditions for a university-level institution.

From a more personal point of view, what view do you have of your exceptional longevity in the management of musical training institutions and what achievements at the HEM are the most symbolic in your eyes?

My career plan has never been to become the director of an institution, but rather to stay there for so long... We must agree that the hasard of my generation has led me to be at the center of a major double change - the entry of professional music education into higher education and the Bologne process - which I hope will be well received. As far as the HEM's offer is concerned, I have had the opportunity to amplify it both in time - from medieval music to contemporary creation in multiple forms - and in space, with the creation of a Master of Ethnomusicology in collaboration with the Universities of Geneva and Neuchâtel, which now places world music at the heart of our program.

You were one of the founding members of CHEMS: what view do you have of its past achievements and the role it can play today and in the future for music education in Switzerland?

CHEMS has evolved from a friendly club of directors and managers into a body capable of playing a major role in the musical policy of our country. It has already done so in the past, notably in 2005, by clearly stating the requirements of a professional musical education that is compatible with the Bologna process. Today, it must do so, in my opinion, by intervening without hesitation on the place of musical education in our country in all education systems and on the role that music can play in terms of creativity, d'innovation et de cohésion sociale, sur la cohérence et la complémentarité de l'offre des différentes HEM, sur les spécificités de l'organization de l'enseignement de la musique au sein des HES... After all, music was one of the first disciplines of the medieval university!

What message would you like to send to your successor at the helm of HEM?

I hope that I will find a lot of joy at the helm of this wonderful institution and that I will not let myself get too caught up in the complexity of the HES system - which, however, offers many advantages - in order to be able to focus on the training of young artists that our society needs more than ever.

Currently coordinatrice de l'enseignement dans l'école qu'elle s'apprête à diriger, Béatrice Zawodnik has été formée en Suisse et en Allemagne tant à la pédagogie musicale qu'au piano et au hautbois. Elle parachève ses compétences managériales à l'Institut des Hautes Études en Administration Publique avec un Master primé pour son excellence. Her professional career is extremely rich and varied, ranging from teaching at various levels of the Swiss music education system to a wide-ranging activity as an interpreter in orchestras and ensembles both baroque and contemporary, as well as the coordination of the pre-professional music industry in Geneva to the organization of interdisciplinary artistic projects, including the management of a CPMDT center and the direction of the Lausanne site of the HEMU.

Béatrice Zawodnik, félicitations pour votre nomination : que représente-t-elle à vos yeux ?

It is a great pleasure that represents the many years of commitment to education, music and creation. It is, of course, also an immense responsibility to project the HEM towards the many challenges of the future.

Despite your fervent commitment to the campaign, is it true that the backlash in the media is probably of a nature to corset your future work as director of the HEM?

The result of the vote is an immense disappointment for the magnificent architectural and cultural project that has been underway for eight years. It is clear that there is a need to dig out this result in order to rebuild quickly because the HEM has an urgent need for adapted premises. The campaign for the City of Music has made it possible to realize this reality, which is a positive point.

Quelle(s) idée(s) souhaiteriez-vous mettre sur le devant de la scène afin de trouver une sortie par le haut à cette votation ?

The HEM, in addition to being a training institution, is a real cultural player in Geneva. Students are present on the Geneva musical scenes, and not only in classical ensembles, many alumni have set up structures, ensembles with innovative artistic proposals. With suitable premises, we could develop artist residencies, exchanges between students and local cultural actors, also from other artistic fields, to strengthen interdisciplinary approaches and meet the public.