Partnerships with Swiss music academies
The many partnerships between Swiss music colleges and prestigious institutions and small associations give rise to numerous win-win situations.
Highlighting the professional network in which Swiss music colleges are integrated.
Institutions and open stages
In the Swiss tertiary music education landscape, partnerships with stakeholders are characterized by their protean nature. Indeed, all the institutions making up the Conference of Swiss Music Schools (CHEMS) collaborate with both renowned institutions (such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Opernhaus Zürich or the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana) and avant-garde associations (such as Contrechamps in Geneva, Gare du Nord in Basel or Oggimusica in Lugano). In addition to this distinction between large, well-established institutions on the one hand, and those focusing on contemporary music or early music on the other, there is also the ecosystem of under-subsidized associations that deepen their links with society around museum, social or, more broadly, research themes.
Cross-functional vision
Beyond these win-win situations, the transversal vision of the eight CHEMS schools is strengthened by these collaborations and the benefits they bring in archetypal common areas of work: professional integration, production missions, concert opportunities for students, curricular innovations, services to the city. This is why, for example, Alexandra Rossini, the CSI Foundation's Assistant Director and Communications Officer, asserts that "The Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana is a small, almost family-run institution, but at the same time it's a place that's open to the outside world, to our region and to the rest of the world. This is an enriching and motivating combination for our students, who are able to acquire a wide range of high-quality experiences during their training.
And the same is true of our region's cultural scene, in which we are always involved in innovative ways." These words are echoed in another of Alexandra Rossini's statements: "The knowledge society forces us to consider ourselves as open organisms, in constant evolution and exchange with our environment.
This must also be the attitude of our students as they enter the world of work. A world that increasingly demands diversified and articulated skills. A school that invests in relationships with other institutions is, quite simply, a more effective school." As a result, music as a medium between performer(s), work(s) and audience(s) is reflected in the collaborative organization of the country's music colleges, which prioritize the networking of virtuous synergies.
