Simone Felber was a recipient for a “Get Going!” grant from FONDATION SUISA in 2022. Now, two years later, the singer, composer, arranger and ensemble leader has been singled out in the 2024 Swiss Music Prize awards. Congratulations!
Simone Felber trained as a mezzo-soprano and first began exploring folk music during her studies at the HSLU Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Since then, she has been shaking up the genre through a number of ensembles. Felber shows just how innovative, refreshing and young folk music can be with her trio “Simone Felbers iheimisch”, her duo “hedi drescht”, “famm” (a quartet of women) and her role as leader of the choir “Echo vom Eierstock”. Her virtuosity and wealth of ideas are a clear sign that music, once dominated by men, has taken on a completely new dimension thanks to a feminist perspective. For this impressive contribution to Swiss music, she is now deservedly receiving a Swiss Music Prize valued at CHF 40,000.
Simone Felber is not the first artist to attract the attention of the Swiss Music Prize jury following a project supported by a “Get Going!” grant from FONDATION SUISA. Singer, composer and ensemble leader Lucia Cadotsch received a “Get Going!” grant in 2021 and a Swiss Music Prize in 2023. That year also saw musician and composer Mario Batkovic honoured by the Swiss Confederation (“Get Going!” 2022).
FONDATION SUISA is launching another “Get Going!” competition this summer.
A detailed portrait of Simone Felber may be found here»
Portraits of all “Get Going!” grant recipients since 2018 may be found here»