Philippe Languin, Lottie Chalut, Renate Ronnefeld, and Jacques Haldenwang
The Nineties were still very different from today. Cell phones did not exist yet, let alone social media. But we wanted to grow, increase our activities and make ourselves known to the outside world. Gradually, the Federation changed, and rules, guidelines and communication developed. When I left in 2013, I think there must have been about 125 members. Back in the days, the majority of competition directors were musicians, who would approach things quite differently from today’s “administrators”. Even in the Federation office, we had Renate Ronnefeld and Marianne Granvig, both violinists! For me, of course, the Assemblies were the most memorable times. To mention just one: Fort Worth in 1990 was a very special and beautifully organized meeting. Richard Rodzinsky, along with lots of volunteers, did a fabulous job preparing a succession of parties and receptions, including an evening at Van Cliburn’s home. Wonderful experiences!”
“Switzerland has an enormous potential to contribute in this kind of setting,. Because we have a deep-rooted tradition of dialogue, of compromise, of participatory democracy. It´s natural in Switzerland. And it’s no coincidence that Switzerland is home to the headquarters of many federations. It’s a quality we’ve built up over time. We’ve been lucky enough to be spared wars, to be a decentralized country where politics has to be very pragmatic: you have to get things in all areas: religions, different cultures….We’re obliged to make it all work together. And it works!”
Didier Schnorhk (Duchene-Thégarid: “Une certaine idée de la musique”, 2014)
The Federation and its history
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