STV, SMS and MSS merge
The Schweizerischer Tonkünstlerverein, the Verein Musikschaffende Schweiz and the Schweizer Musik Syndikat are founding the new association "Sonart - Musikschaffende Schweiz" on November 25 at the Bern Conservatory.
Before the actual founding meeting, the members of the Swiss Association of Musicians (STV), the Swiss Music Syndicate (SMS) and the Swiss Musicians' Association (MSS) met. They each individually decided by an overwhelming majority to merge to form "Sonart - Musikschaffende Schweiz" as of January 1, 2018. All formal agenda items and the approval of the founding minutes were passed without opposition, swiftly and with great approval.
The new interdisciplinary association for (primarily) freelance musicians has around 1,600 members and will be led by an interim presidency until the first ordinary general meeting in spring 2018: Käthi Gohl Moser (STV), Christoph Trummer (MSS) and Marianne Doran (SMS). The other Board members are Christian Kobi and Dragos Tara (STV), Salomé Christiani and Jaël Malli (MSS) and Anja Illmaier and Matthias Spillmann (SMS).
Once the new association has been consolidated, one of its main tasks will be to provide profession-specific services for freelance musicians - in line with the requirements of the Federal Office of Culture for the eligibility of cultural organizations to receive support. In addition to other activities such as information, representation and safeguarding interests, three specialist commissions (new music/composition, jazz/impro, pop/rock/electro) will deal in greater depth with the association's previously specific content-related concerns.
Websites of the previous associations
