On September 5, 2024, the graduation ceremony of the Department of Music at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts took place. 218 Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates received their diplomas. Three of them were awarded the Strebi Memorial Prize and six received the ST.ART - Young Talent Award for Culture of the Canton of Lucerne. There were 87 graduates at the continuing education level.
This week saw the end of the Bachelor’s degree course for 77 people and the Master’s degree course for 141 at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts’ Department of Music. In the Bachelor of Arts in Music, 70 graduates received their diplomas, 43 of them in the classical music profile, 26 in the jazz profile and one person in the folk music profile. There were three graduates in the Bachelor of Arts/Music and Movement, one in the Bachelor of Arts in Music/Church Music and three in the Bachelor of Arts in Music/Wind Music Direction.
A total of 71 diplomas were awarded in the Master of Arts in Music, most of them in the Classical Performance major (39). In the Master of Arts in Music Education, 70 graduates obtained their professional qualification for teaching at music schools or secondary schools.
There were also 87 music education and artistic further education qualifications in a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS), Diploma of Advanced Studies (DAS) or Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS). Six of these 87 people also received the "Music School Director" diploma from the Swiss Association of Music Schools (VMS) for the first time. This is because they have completed the DAS program "Managing cultural and educational institutions" as well as one of the two elective programs CAS "Rethinking music learning" or CAS "Practical tools for managing music schools and cultural institutions".
A total of nine prizes for outstanding achievements were also awarded at the graduation ceremony on September 5, 2024:
ST.ART - Young Talent Award for Culture of the Canton of Lucerne
Six students received a ST.ART - Young Talent Award for Culture. Launched in 2023, the award is intended to support graduates as they enter the world of professional art. The prizes, each worth CHF 5,000, went to
- Marco Antonio Alarcón Ramírez (*1993, from Chile), Master of Arts in Music/Major Conducting with a major in Orchestral Conducting
Marco Antonio Alarcón Ramírez is being honored for his innovatively conceived and convincingly presented Master’s performance on June 5, 2024. He interpreted a stylistically wide-ranging program subtly and subtly in the sense of a multi-dimensionally composed Gesamtkunstwerk. This proved to be a captivating concept in his presentation. - Vincent Rigling (*1996, from Lucerne), Master of Arts in Music/Major Performance Jazz with a major in guitar
Guitarist Vincent Rigling is being honored for his master’s performance on June 4, 2024 with his band STRUKTURSTRUKTUR. His expressive and dynamic playing impressed the jury with its impressive rhythmic precision and carefully thought-out sound aesthetics. His musical and instrumental skills demonstrate great innovation, sophistication and authenticity. - Ana Pimentel Rodrigues (*1998, from Portugal), Master of Arts in Music/Major Interpretation in Contemporary Music with a major in cello
Ana Pimentel Rodrigues is awarded for her excellent Master’s recital on June 29, 2024. In a finely thought-out program, which included elements such as performance, dance, light and video, she impressed with her refined and varied playing as well as her impressive personal interpretation. - Mikalai Semiankou (*1989, from Belarus), Master of Arts in Music/Major Solo Performance with a major in violin
Mikalai Semiankou is being honored for his Master’s recital on June 16, 2024. In a broad spectrum of music history, the artist invites you to open yourself up to his differentiated and subtle playing full of nuances. Mikalai Semiankou’s playing is characterized by intonation security, internalization and composure, while meeting the highest technical demands of his program. With the music always in the foreground, he fills the room with his luminous sound and leads his listeners into worlds of lyrical depth and relaxed contemplation. - Trio Sheliak: Sergio Costa, majoring in piano (*1995, from Italy) and Emanuele Brilli, majoring in violin (*1996, from Italy), Master of Arts in Music/Major Chamber Music
The Trio Sheliak (Emanuele Brilli, violin, Matilde Michelozzi, cello and Sergio Costa, piano) is being honored for its outstanding Master’s recital on 19 June 2024. The trio achieved energetically dense interpretations, especially in the contemporary repertoire, in which the wonderfully coordinated interplay and rhythmic precision were evident. The Sheliak Trio shows promising potential for development. - Maurice Storrer (*1998, from Lohn SH), Master of Arts in Music/Major Performance Jazz with a major in saxophone
Maurice Storrer receives the award for his Master’s performance on June 12, 2024. He impressed the jury with his musical maturity and depth. The first set in the duo captivated with its virtuosity and the precision with which the composition allowed the harmonies to blossom and shimmer. It was also of a very high technical standard. The second set with the band was characterized by a precise vocabulary, with Maurice Storrer’s sound seducing in a wide variety of colors. The depth of the solos and the clarity of the phrasing were also convincing.
Strebi memorial prize
At the graduation ceremony, three prizes of CHF 2,000 each were awarded by the Strebi Foundation for outstanding Bachelor graduates:
- Pavel Stöckmann (*2002, from Biel BE), Bachelor of Arts in Music, classical instrumental profile with piano as his main subject
Pavel Stöckmann pushed the format of the Bachelor’s degree project to its limits: He created a program with over 50 participants from the fields of music, dance, art, literature and stage technology. He performed almost exclusively his own compositions. In doing so, he proved that his artistic activities extend far beyond playing the piano. - This broad musical interest is also reflected in his performances as keyboardist in the alternative rock band "Thelios".
Gian Luzi Niederhauser (*2003, from Biel BE), Bachelor of Arts in Music, jazz instrumental profile, majoring in electric bass (jazz) and double bass (classical) Luzi Niederhauser impresses on the electric bass with outstanding craftsmanship, a strong sense of groove and a stylistic range that goes far beyond traditional jazz. His bachelor concert with tricky, funky grooves was an impressive example of this for the jury. In addition to his classical degree, his audition as deputy solo bassist in the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra showed that he has equally outstanding qualities on the double bass. - Fiona Busse-Grawitz (*2002, from Sarnen OW), Bachelor of Arts in Music, vocal jazz profile
With her compositions, Fiona Busse-Grawitz has found a personal language that combines interpretation, composition and text into a convincing overall work. She accompanies her songs herself on the guitar or piano. In this way she shows the full breadth of her talent. Her music, which she sees as a place of refuge, is delicate and quiet and at the same time dense and full of tension. Fiona Busse-Grawitz is a strong musical personality who gets by without loud sounds.
Info days for music studies
From November 27 to 30, 2024, the Department of Music will open its doors to anyone interested in pre-college, Bachelor’s or Master’s studies in music. Visitors can get a taste of lessons. Students and lecturers will also provide interesting information about the individual courses on offer.
