Selected projects
Tönstör Music education projects
School projects
The Tönstör association offers fun and exciting activities for children and young people to learn about experimental, contemporary music and the music of other cultures. We promote listening, research and composing together.
British Refugee Council: My View
Conflict and violence
Many of the children referred to the service of My View are offered therapeutic support, either in one-to-one or group settings. It helps young people work towards managing symptoms such as nightmares, intrusive thoughts and anxiety.
Integration project ICRM
Conflict and violence
The Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants (ICRM) offers psychosocial and practical support to destitute migrants. Many of them are traumatized as a result of conflict and violence. The London-based integration centre helps them to deal with their experiences and rebuild life in their new home.
Baobab Centre
Conflict and violence
The Baobab Centre supports young asylum seekers who have survived war and violence. Many of them are alone in exile and suffer from loneliness, uncertainty and a lack of opportunities for integration. Through individual psychotherapy and group activities they learn to cope with their past experiences and master daily life in their new country.
Arts Education Programme MUS-E®
School projects
MUS-E® is a programme that combines education and mediation in the arts. Its central concern is raising the social, cultural, emotional and physical awareness of school pupils in the context of a holistic approach to arts education.
Psy4Asyl – For the mental health of refugees in the Canton of Aargau
Conflict and violence
Many refugees are traumatised by their experiences in their places of origin or during their escape, or affected by difficult circumstances and legal proceedings involved in migration. At the same time, hundreds of therapy placements for traumatised refugees are lacking. The expert network Psy4Asyl offers refugees in the Canton of Aargau psychological counselling and therapy, largely free of charge. To reach as many people as possible, the experts also offer group sessions for refugees and specialist training for professionals.
STEP UK: Syrian refugee support and child protection in Iraq
Conflict and violence
The Arbat refugee camp was established in 2013, when conflict in Syria escalated and many Syrians, fleeing the war, entered the Kurdish region of Iraq. STEP’s Child-friendly Spaces in the camp ensure refugee children are provided with education, child protection interventions and psychosocial support to help them process trauma and grief.
Fund for Global Human Rights: Supporting Rehabilitation and Access to Education in DRC
Conflict and violence
The Fund for Global Human Rights (FGHR) is supporting four local children’s rights partners and their work to reintegrate and provide education to children affected by conflict in North and South Kivu regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). To help push for systematic change, FGHR is also supporting a national coalition of NGOs in their efforts to develop and advocate for sustainable and innovative solutions to permanently end the use of child soldiers in the DRC and to ensure the proper reintegration and care of vulnerable children.
Biber the Kid: Theatre at Pro Natura Centre Eichholz
School projects
Thanks to the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation, 15 school classes from the Bern region attended an open-air theatre about beavers in May 2021. The project was part of the tenth anniversary of the Nature Centre by the Aare in Wabern and delighted over 300 children and their accompanying adults.
Concert Programme “New World”
School projects
In addition to its regular concert performances, the Youth Symphony Orchestra Biel (JSOB) also strives to promote contact between its members and young soloists as well as other youth orchestras. For the summer programme “New World”, the JSOB therefore joined forces with the youth orchestra of the Conservatoire de musique neuchâtelois (OJCN 2) to perform Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, also known as the “New World Symphony”.
Icon Poet School - It is only while at play that we are fully human!
School projects
A game that promotes language as a cultural asset and conveys the joy of writing, performing and listening. It intends to inspire creativity, spontaneity and interaction, and to explore possibilities of expression in a shared, playful approach to language.
Association JuRep 2.0
School projects
The JuRep 2.0 association trains young people between 7th and 9th grade as youth reporters. In a four-day course during the summer holidays, the participants gain comprehensive insight into the diversity of the digital and analogue media world. They receive a wide range of input on the production of multimedia content from trained experts. The results are presented to a wide audience on social media and the youth page of the Thuner Tagblatt newspaper.
Intergenerational Game «Build a Time Machine!»
School projects
The association Zeitmaschine.TV (timemachine.tv) is implementing an intergenerational game with school classes and other partners, which has led to around 1’000 oral history film clips produced so far – with the scenario adapted during the pandemic. Currently the game is being expanded, for example with analogue and digital games for old age institutions and curated thematic clip collections.
ROCK YOUR LIFE! - Developing Potentials
School projects
ROCK YOUR LIFE! (RYL!) is a one-to-one mentoring programme between young people and young mentors, to promote educational equality, equal opportunities and social mobility. Young people's educational and developmental opportunities depend strongly on their social background. Not all young people have an environment that can provide sufficient support in the process of vocational orientation and give them enough space to develop their potential. This is where RYL! comes in.
War Child: Central African Republic
Conflict and violence
The Central African Republic (CAR) has been in turmoil since a violent takeover of power in 2013. Decades of civil war have taken a heavy toll: more than half the population now relies on humanitarian aid and 1.3 million people are displaced, resulting in significant numbers of highly vulnerable children and young people.
War Child’s project in Ndélé and the surrounding districts in CAR provides life-saving services to the most vulnerable conflict-affected children and their families to enhance their wellbeing, access to protection and education.
guerillaclassics
Music
The association g-classics makes classical music with high quality performances accessible to a young and heterogenous public. It achieves this by organising inspiring and spontaneous concert experiences at unusual locations in public space.
Heitere Fahne
Theatre
The Heitere Fahne is a young collective in Bern, which within a short time has succeeded in inspiring a substantial public to engage with culture in the most diverse and inclusive forms. Within the framework of a partnership, the further development of the business, which is located in a charming old brewery in Wabern, is to be supported long term.
BewegGrund
Dance
The BewegGrund association promotes inclusive dance, that is, people with and without disabilities dancing together. Since its foundation in 1998, the association has run regular courses and workshops, worked in schools and organised a festival every two years. The BewegGrund company prepares professional stage plays and performs them on international tours.
Orchesterpraktikum und Sommerkonzerte
Music
Every year, the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with the SON foundation, organises summer and seasonal internships for young musicians. This gives them an opportunity to rehearse with members of the Symphony Orchestra and work on chamber music projects, symphonic works, light classical and crossover music projects.
Medair: Somalia
Conflict and violence
As a response to pressing humanitarian needs for acute malnutrition treatment resulting from massive food insecurity and extensive population movements, this project provides essential nutrition services to Internally displaced persons as well as host communities in selected districts in Somalia. Cases of acute malnutrition will be treated and benefit from an extensive health and hygiene education programme.
Theatre at home – a Webseite by Swiss dance and theatre artists for children amd families
The website offers a new form of communication between dance and theater professionals and children (6+ years) and families. The contributions follow a dialogical approach and encourage the viewers to become creative. No dance and theater productions are recorded, but instead theatrical techniques are conveyed, and special glimpses behind the scenes of theatre and dance are given. The website can also be used in school lessons.
https://theaterfuerzuhause.ch/
Ensemble Contrechamps “Duets for one”
Five audio and video recordings in which musicians play as soloists, but have a double role, or interact with an invisible electronic alter-ego or a second version of themselves. It is a way to explore musical communication and musicianship in the context of a general confinement. Works will be recorded in high definition audio for release, and as conceptual videos highlighting
Dialogue de l'Ombre Double, SIBJA Kollektiv et Teresa Rotemberg
The young artist duo SIBJA Kolllektiv and the renowned choreographer Teresa Rotemberg have dealt with the relationships between video, dance and contemporary music. A short film was made that refers to Pierre Boulez's “Dialogue de L'ombre Double”. The film is shown at several dance festivals.
Living-room dancers, online archive
The choreographer Nicole Seiler started the program "Living-room Dancers" with amateur dancers from all over the world, which is constantly evolving in new places. In the form of a city tour, the dancers can be observed from the street in their private rooms with the help of MP3 players and binoculars. In addition, the filmed dance scenes are transferred simultaneously to video installations in exhibition rooms. The films showing the dancers behind their windows as well as filmed interviews with the dancers are available online.
Mlima's Tale Kiln Theatre UK
Theatre
London’s Kiln Theatre looks at the world from different perspectives and brings previously unheard voices to the public. It presents innovative, high-quality plays that stimulate critical debate. Mlima’s Tale is the focus of the 2023/2024 artistic programme. Written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, it revolves around the ivory trade, climate change, the impact of humans on the natural world and the need for environmental protection.
Wie die Wanze wüten kann Theater MAX
Theatre
Wie die Wanze wüten kann is a play for a young audience. It is about small creatures that loom large and big feelings that become smaller on closer inspection. Two actors and a theatre musician take us into the world of insects and human feelings.
«IT DEPENDS» Weltalm Theater
Theatre
Weltalm Theater has been working in Bern and producing theatre for a young audience since 2005. IT DEPENDS is a performative theatre piece in which seven people between the ages of 19 and 49 are in exemplary life situations and relationships to each other. They revolve around each other: sometimes close, sometimes inseparable, sometimes further away, sometimes loosely connected. One depends on the other. Heaven or hell? It depends! But on what?
Extra Time Plus Südpol Luzern
Theatre
Extra Time Plus is a long-term project. The collaboration between far Nyon, Südpol Lucerne and the FIT in Lugano is intended as a first step towards creating a network dedicated to bringing together promising artists from the Swiss performing arts scene. The Extra Time Plus programme includes residencies for selected theatre artists in all language regions. New work is created in mutual exchange among the participants.
Endlich. Karin Minger
Dance
Kunst im Bau is a long-term project that started in spring 2023. The starting point was the desire for new stages, new audiences and new types of collaboration. Together with selected musicians, Bernese dancer Karin Minger performs at building sites around Bern, each time specifically relating to the particular situation of the construction project.
Kulturerbe, tanz!
Dance
The platform enables dance professionals and well-trained dancers to engage with the cultural heritage of dance in Switzerland. Historical dance works from the 20th and early 21st centuries are selected, experienced, shown in the present and considered for the future. Professional dancers work with amateur groups to create new work based on the heritage of past choreographies and present the results at an annual festival.
There and Here Protein Dance UK
Dance
“There and Here” is a dance and music project created with adult refugees and asylum seekers by renowned London choreographer L. Silvestrini, in collaboration with the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants and The Place Theatre, home of the London Contemporary Dance School. The project brings together 20 to 25 refugee participants to creatively process their stories and talents.
Faking it. Joshua Monten
Dance
Faking It is a site-specific dance production that was rehearsed and performed in Bern’s Dählhölzli Forest. The main themes of the production are the emergence of rituals and communities, as well as the interdependence of “nature” and “artifice”.
TANZhAUS Bern
Dance
Last Tango
Visual Arts
Last Tango is a young art association founded in Zurich in 2016. Since 2017 it has been presenting an ambitious exhibition programme under the direction of Arianna Gellini and Linda Jensen, including Swiss and international positions as well as thematic group shows. There are always unexpected pairings or combinations of artistic positions.
Biennale Bregaglia
Visual Arts
Following an open dialogue with the local population, the curators of the Biennale Bregaglia chose the Swiss village of Bondo as the main venue for the exhibition. In addition to Bondo, the entire valley beyond the Swiss border will be included and linked by an interdisciplinary accompanying programme. The Biennale Bregaglia 2024 will focus on the theme of “Architecture and Gardens”. Enchanted natural power spots, ancient trees, historic gardens and high alpine flora and fauna extend across the Swiss and Italian parts of the valley. Swiss and international artists will develop site-specific works.
Stranger in the Village, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Visual Arts
Based on James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village” (1953), the exhibition scrutinises everyday racism through art. It brings together groups of works by Swiss and international artists that convey experiences of racism and pose questions: How can racism be identified and consciously unlearned through art?
La Via Lattea
Music
La Via Lattea 19 literally makes music accessible. The festival undertakes an imaginary journey through ancient music and the music of our time. Above all, the idea of pilgrimage is understood as an experience of discovery and change. The audience is also invited to rediscover the landscape of Lake Maggiore.
Norient Musik in Konfliktregionen
Music
The recognised music mediation platform Norient aims to process and communicate current music production from crisis regions. The aim is to reflect current crises thoughtfully and to give a voice to a wide range of communities, people and positions. The idea is to make music research accessible to a broad audience at a low threshold.
Stanser Musiktage
Music, Jazz
The Stans Music Days offer concerts for a wide variety of audiences, taking place at various venues throughout the village, from the monastery or theatre to the village square – all with free admission. Art events and discussions are organised to accompany the musical programme. The topics of inclusion and diversity take centre stage.
350 Million Herring - MoonMot
Music, Jazz
The band MoonMot is a transnational project with musicians from Switzerland and the UK. The contemporary jazz sextet is centred around Bernese trombonist and bandleader Simon Petermann. The six musicians performed for the first time at the Jazzwerkstatt Bern in 2017. Since then, they have toured Europe several times. The album 350 MILLION HERRING launched in November 2023.
Jazzwerkstatt Bern
Jazz, Music
The Jazzwerkstatt is a festival that creates international connections. It focuses on collaboration and exchange between artists from all over the world, cross-genre projects and inclusion of the young Swiss scene.
Erasmus klingt!
Music
In view of the 500th anniversary of Erasmus of Rotterdam’s death in 2036, this multi-year festival will highlight his influence on various sciences for posterity. Each edition of the festival will be centred around core themes of his writings, which will be reflected in music from the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries. The festival and laboratory intend to develop into an interdisciplinary festival that also emphasises Basel’s contribution to the development of humanism, the Renaissance and the Reformation in the 16th century.