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Festival Archip-elles – Women Power
At the Festival Archip-elles 2019, the focus is on music by female contemporary composers.
Photo: Festival Archipel
Text by Erika Weibel
The Geneva Festival for contemporary music creation has dedicated itself to music originating from the pen of women for its 2019 event. Archip-elles presents works by female composers of various generations, origin and aesthetics. On Friday, 05 April 2019, SUISA members are invited to a visit at the Festival.

“In an article by the ‘Guardian’, ‘Female composers largely ignored by concert line-ups”, published on 13 June 2018, 1,445 classical concerts were examined which were planned around the world for the 2018-19 season, and the conclusion was drawn that only 76 events featured a work by a woman”, writes Festival director Marc Texier in the Editorial of this year’s festival guide. The Geneva Festival for Contemporary Music Creation creates a counterweight against this gender-based imbalance in the concert world and ensures that the music by female composers is heard at the 2019 event.

The concert programme of this year’s Festival Archip-elles is complemented by installations, round tables and workshops. On Friday morning, 05 April 2019, the Festival organises a workshop, in collaboration with SUISA, on the topic of copyright for students of the “Haute école de musique Genève”, the “Conservatoire populaire de musique” and the participants of the two academies “Académie Archipel” and Composer’s Next Generation (Ensemble Vortex).

Invitation for SUISA members

The Festival Archipel and SUISA cordially invite SUISA members to spend the evening of 05 April 2019 at the Festival. SUISA members who register their participation can attend free of charge. We are looking forward to your registrations until 31 March 2019 at the latest. Please send an e-mail to: kommunikation (at) suisa (dot) ch

A detailed evening programme, to which SUISA members are invited, is listed below. One programme item of particular interest on said evening is the round table discussion on the topic “to be a female composer in Switzerland”.

Round Table Discussion: To be a female composer in Switzerland

What’s it like for female composers to hold their ground in a world dominated by men? Why is it harder for a female composer to get her works to be performed? Why don’t more women choose a career as a composer?

Marc Texier, Festival director, follows up on these questions in a conversation with the two Swiss female composers Katharina Rosenberger and Annette Schmucki as well as with Dr. Irene Minder-Jeanneret, musicologist with a research focus on gender and music.

Once the discussion is over, the stage is open for the musical part of the evening: In a concert with the ensemble Vortex, the work by Swiss composer Barblina Meierhans will have its premiere, among others. Afterwards, Ella Soto will perform on a DJ set.

Detailed programme, where members are invited on Friday, 05 April 2019, at the Festival Archip-elles in Geneva:

5.00pm, Maison communale de Plainpalais
Visit to the installations of Marianthi Papalexandri and Pe Lang

6.00pm, Maison communale de Plainpalais
Drinks and discussion panel: To be a female composer in Switzerland
Dr. Irène Minder-Jeanneret, musicologist
Katharina Rosenberger, composer
Annette Schmucki, composer
Presentation: Marc Texier

8.00pm, Théâtre Pitoëff
Concert
The ensemble Vortex is going to play works by Barblina Meierhans, Olga Kokcharova, Eva Reiter, Ann Cleare, Clara Iannotta and Jessie Marino.

10.00pm – 1.00 am, Maison communale de Plainpalais
Ella Soto – DJ Set, Carte blanche à La VostokE
La Vostoke is the first radio sender in Switzerland which is a 100% female.

www.archipel.org, festival website

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