On September 19, we held the 1st Naturtontag in Bern. The event was intended to serve as a platform for discussion about the alphorn and other natural-scale instruments. We also used the occasion to foster networking across all language, national, and stylistic boundaries.
In the morning, participants at the Klingendes Museum were treated to interesting presentations on all things alphorn, including one by Thomas Heel on the topic of inclusion (see also the blog post here) and by Mario Schenker on the topic of playing the alphorn with ease (here is an audio recording of the presentation and here is the link to the next Alexander Technique course for alphorn players). In the afternoon, the group Naturton, the duo timorosso, Hans Matt, and the world music ensemble hombaerg presented a wide range of alphorn music in the courtyard of the PROGR. At the same time, improvisation workshops with Matthias Rauh and a scientific double-blind mouthpiece test took place in the French Church. The highlight and conclusion of the event was the concert featuring Lisa Conway & The Alpine Sisters —a project that, thanks in part to the support of the Naturtöne association, made the leap from the experimental basement (see Lisa’s blog post here) to the stage.
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