September 9, 2023, during the Musikfestival Bern, Pro Helvetia and FONDATION SUISA, in cooperation with the festival and SAY HI!, organised a networking event for international and national contemporary music professionals.
Around the artistic events of the festival, the international professionals invited got to meet one another and network with representatives of the Swiss music scene.
The day in Bern started with a brunch at the Turnhalle-PROGR.
The participants then embarked on a Soundwalk through the city, with three musical stops.
Small mixed groups of international and national professionals were formed, facilitating the networking process.
First stop: the collective mycelium gave a foretaste of its production «kompost*klang*küche» at the Grand Palais. Like a spider in its web, every time one of the ropes is touched, a different sound and image are sent to the headphones and screens.
Second stop: Werner Hasler & Hugo Ryser presented at Sternwarte Muesmatt “OUT three bodies”, a trigonal audio and full-dome-projection-installation, alternating with a 50-minutes audiovisual live set.
In between the artistic performances: walking and networking go hand in hand.
Third stop: Mathieu Corajod & Compagnie Mixt Forma presented at the Dampfzentrale a snipet of their performance “Laquelle se passe ailleurs”, in which four performers from different artistic disciplines are electronically connected via their bodies.
At the end of the day, all the participants got together for a drink and exchanged their views and experiences of the soundwalk.
They were then invited to stay the evening and enjoy the concerts and performances presented by the Musikfestival Bern.
With these networking actions, Pro Helvetia connects international and national artists and cultural practitioners – here in the field of contemporary music – and fosters exchange, peer to peer learnings and new opportunities.