Helena Winkelman | Photocredit: Pilvax & OberynHelena Winkelman | Photocredit: Pilvax & Oberyn

Helena Winkelman | Photocredit: Pilvax & Oberyn

Composer in Residence

The Festival Musikdorf Ernen promotes new music. Every year a composer receives a commission for a new work with the opportunity to spend 3 months working in Ernen.

Helena Winkelman is Composer in Residence 2022/23. Read also our articles about past Composers in Residence and other composers in the Musikdorf Ernen:

Tom Coult

Thomas Larcher

Andreas Zurbriggen

Sally Beamish

Alfred Zimmerlin

Helena Winkelman

Born into a family of musicians in Schaffhausen in 1974, the violinist and composer is considered one of the most interesting musical personalities in Switzerland. She combines new music approaches, jazz, rock, folk music and the tradition of the classical music history in one person and has received many awards, such as the Swiss Culture Prize 2017. An accomplished violinist and chamber musician, Helena has performed several times in the "Chamber Music Plus" series in Ernen.

For the Musikdorf Ernen, Helena Winkelman is writing a large song cycle with 29 songs. Each song will be sung in a different European language. The work will be premiered on Saturday, 5 August 2023.

The following works by Helena Winkelman will be performed in the summer of 2023 in Ernen:

Tuesday, 1 August 2023 
«Vis- à- vis Goya» 7 Miniatures for Cello and Piano (2019)

Wednesday, 2 August 2023
«AER» from the Cycle «Aria, Ignis, Terra, Aqua» for Flute (2013)

Saturday, 5 August 2023
«Ghost Songs» | World Premiere – Comissioned Work by the Festival Musikdorf Ernen

Saturday, 9 September 2023
Nine Bagatelles from «12 Visitations from the past» (2020)

Listen to the talk with Helena in the radio broadcast of 7 April

Read more about Helena Winkleman and her work in Ernen:

«Erforschen, was dahinter ist», November 2022, by Marianne Mühlemann

«Wenn ich nach Ernen komme, fühlt es sich wie ein Heimkommen an», October 2022, by Andreas Zurbriggen

The project "composer in residence 2022/23" is supported by the Loterie Romande, the Pro Helvetia – Schweizer Kulturstiftung and the SUISA Stiftung für Musik.