Positive memories of membership of the Board of Directors

The answers to our questions were provided in writing.

Catherine Suter Gerhard was born in 1975 and studied violin in Zurich, then in Geneva with Margarita Piguet-Karafilova and in Basel in the class of Thomas Füri (teaching diploma 1998 and soloist diploma 1999). She attended chamber music courses with Gérard Wyss, Christoph Schiller, François Benda, Walter Levin and Hatto Beyerle and took part in master classes with Franco Gulli (Lucerne), Miriam Fried (Siena), Shmuel Ashkenasi (Salzburg) and Francesco de Angelis (Sion). She has been a member of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne since 1999, where she was a member of the orchestra board and later became a SIG delegate (since 2014) and Swissperform delegate (since 2017). In addition to her orchestral activities, she is passionate about Latin American folk music and was a member of the ensemble Prisma Latino for ten years. From 2017 to 2021, she also took jazz violin lessons with Yilian Canizares at the EJMA in Lausanne.

Co-Central President Muriel Noble pays tribute to Catherine Suter Gerhard:

"Dear Catherine, thank you for everything you have brought to the Board: We will miss your enthusiasm, your incredibly cheerful laugh, your acumen, your tact and your intelligence. You are not going very far away because you bring all these qualities to the Vaud Section. A happy section! Thank you for the years you spent at our side in Zurich! Thank you for your valuable and luminous presence!"

Catherine Suter, how did you find working on the SMV Central Board?

I've learned a lot about all kinds of topics relating to music, including the changes in the professional world. I think political work is very important, lobbying, international relations and the relationship between the music profession and society. I've learned a lot about these topics in the ZV. I also find the exchange between colleagues from all over Switzerland, which is very strong in the ZV and takes place regularly, very enriching. For the future, I would like to see a more centralized SMV structure so that smaller sections have less office work and can devote more time to local work. It would also be good if a lawyer were employed internally again, as so many of the everyday problems faced by musicians have legal aspects. I have been the new president of the Vaud section since last June. I am looking forward to the concrete and local work and will try to use what I have learned in the ZV.

What was a highlight for you as part of your work in the ZV?

For me, realizing the new SMV website was a highlight of my four years in the ZV.

What challenges do musicians face?

I am also a delegate for SIG and Swissperform. Over the next few years, it will be a big challenge to ensure that artists get a slice of the pie when it comes to recorded music. The new technologies are threatening to erode musicians' rights, they are getting almost no money, yet never before has so much music been listened to!

What plans do you have for the future?

I have been a violinist in the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne for 25 years and I am very happy and proud of my orchestra. I wouldn't want to play anywhere else. I also founded the Association Musique et Seniors in 2021 (www.musique-seniors.ch), whose aim is to bring music lessons to senior citizens in the Aigle region. We want to show people that music is an incredible way to stay in shape, to continue learning at any age and to interact with others. We now have 40 students.

I'm happy about my two sons, who are becoming great young people, and I can support them. It's fun!

Luca Borioli studied percussion in Zurich and Trossingen (Germany). He has won various prizes, including the Friedl Wald Foundation Study Prize twice and the Hans Ninck Music Prize in 2004. He has been teaching at the Zurich Conservatory MKZ since 2004. He is a member of many orchestras (Philharmonia Zurich, St. Gallen and Lucerne Symphony Orchestras, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Basel Chamber Orchestra). He also performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician.

Co-Central President Davide Jäger pays tribute to Luca Borioli:

"I had known Luca Borioli for a long time, since our time as students at the Zurich University of Music in the early 2000s, and back then I found him to be a down-to-earth, very talented and friendly musician. From an SMV perspective, however, our paths first crossed in 2017. Back then, we both ran for a vacant seat on the Central Board and he was elected. A little disappointing for me, but just right for our association. Luca's strengths were his preparation, his knowledge of the subject matter, his rightly critical questions, his calm and composed manner and his ability to recognize and represent the needs of all musicians. This made him the ideal representative for the freelance musicians, but also for the permanent employees, whom he also knew and understood well as a member of various symphony orchestras."

Luca Borioli, how did you find working on the SMV Central Board?

My experience of working in the ZV varied. In the first few years, there were often meetings that were complicated. This has improved a lot since then: I think that the work in the ZV has become more effective recently and the atmosphere has also become more constructive and pleasant. I joined the ZV at a time when a possible merger of all the associations at the time was under discussion, which then fell through in the final spurt. That's why I find it interesting that discussions are currently being held with Sonart about how the two associations can work together. Certain topics are returning. For me, this closes the circle...

What was a highlight for you as part of your work in the ZV?

There is no real highlight for me, but there are many interesting topics. When you're in the ZV, you learn how complicated it is to do association work. I became even more aware of how different the interests of freelance and employed musicians can be. At the same time, you realize that everyone benefits from pulling in the same direction. Hiring a union secretary was an important step forward in this respect. During this time, we also worked on the new website, a new logo and a new image for the SMV in general. That was also very interesting.

What plans do you have for the future?

There are a lot of them: professionally, there are a few projects that are now starting and will hopefully be on stage at the end of this season. I have now been appointed to the commission of the Swiss Percussion Competition and hope that I can contribute to it. Otherwise, I'm continuing to train intensively for my mountain races. I'm planning lessons with my students (there are a few competitions coming up) and I'm working with relatives to renovate the family's mountain hut in Ticino. I have to practise the piano again: my son plays the trumpet and I often accompany him to concerts and competitions. I'm sure I won't get bored...