Team

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  Alice Reinhard

  Fundraising & conception

  Alice impressed us from the very start with her sense of textual precision combined with a pronounced cultural and political acumen. It quickly became clear that we wanted to win her over for Helvetiarockt. And we succeeded😊. Since August 2023, Alice has been working in fundraising and in the conception of the association. She tackles issues with broad thinking, refreshing vehemence and tenacity, asks critical questions and seeks and finds creative solutions. Analytical. Organised. At the same time, she likes to jump in at the deep end and be inspired by new ideas. Quite literally too, as she likes to cool off from the summer heat in city fountains.

  The Lucerne native and Basel resident by choice loves language, so it’s no wonder that her CV is characterised by engagements in which she has been able to develop and show precisely this ability. For a long time, she worked as an editor and presenter at the youth, culture and education radio station 3FACH, and later became the radio’s manager. She also lives out her love of music and culture by working at various festivals: At the Comixfestival Fumetto, the Openair Funk am See and currently in the Echolot Festival team.

  Her keen interest in socio-political issues led her to Vienna, where she completed a master’s degree in political science and tested all of the city’s outdoor swimming pools. Meanwhile, she never completely cut ties with her roots. In Austria, Alice wrote for a Lucerne-based online cultural magazine on the side, before physically moving back to Switzerland.

  Neither a morning nor an evening person, Alice is a fan of the dusk. Fortunately, she also finds peace of mind at other times of the day, e.g. while on her bike – especially when it’s steep uphill, while growing tomatoes in her backyard or while listening to her favourite medium, the podcast.

  alice@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronomen: sie/ihr

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  Anita Schaub

  Communication & Project Management

  Anita has a creative mind, a talent for organisation and is a team player. It’s no wonder that her career at Helvetiarockt took off after starting out as a temporary replacement. She has taken over various projects while also attending to the graphical needs of the team – constantly adjusting and tinkering with the website.

   

  In the era prior to working at Helvetiarockt, Anita was active in communication for the GHOST FESTIVAL and the foundation EQUIPE VOLO. In the latter case, she also lent a hand on the front line herself, lugging boxes and driving the big vehicles with the clients during removals. She is a hands-on person anyway: whether in the office or at home, Anita has no problem with getting her hands dirty. Whether at home or at the office, she gets things done with no hesitation, with a laptop in one hand and screwdriver in the other.

   

  When Anita is not in the office, she is working on texts and graphics for the clients of her own graphic studio or competing with her son in high diving, volleyball or basketball. Or maybe she’s off somewhere in nature, far away from civilisation, with no reception at all. She never goes anywhere without her headphones though, because music is her elixir of life: Soul, hip-hop, reggae, from dub to electro – all flowing constantly through her eardrums. Whe dances whenever possible into the early hours of the morning to booming bass at some concert or party – preferably drum’n’bass and jungle – recharging her beat-battery.

   

  anita@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She/Her

• 

  Jasmin Albash

  Regional Management North

  Jasmin Albash is a singer, music writer, vocal coach and is very talented in organizing. She likes people and enjoys sharing her knowledge with them. As a broadly and professionally trained singer (WIAM Winterthur, Complete Vocal Institute, Copenhagen) she has participated in various music projects during her musical career. Jasmin gave her first beatmaking workshop for Helvetiarockt in 2019. In 2020, we were able to inspire her to join us as Regional Manager for the North and Espace region, where she coordinates a range of Helvetiarockt Music Lab workshops. The rest of the time, Jasmin focuses on her musical projects and her family.

   

  But first things first. Jasmin Albash grew up in Altnau in the canton of Thurgau and took her first singing lessons at the music school in Romanshorn. In 2006 she moved to Basel and four years later she founded the SING OUT LOUD! school, where she led individual coaching sessions, group workshops and choirs until 2020.

   

  In Autumn 2018, she co-founded the band Kallemi, which emerged from Kaserne Basel’s exchange project between Basel and Ramallah, and toured with the band in Palestine, Israel, Germany, Switzerland and Canada in 2019. From 2016 – 2019 Jasmin played under the name “The RK” and released two EP’s. Since 2020 she performs and releases under her own name as a solo artist. Her solo album “Gold” is the result of a musical exploration of her Palestinian roots.

   

  Musical and social engagement has always been an important part of Jasmin’s work as a musician. In 2019, she launched the YouTube channel “Sijada Sessions”, where she invites female and non-binary musicians to collaborate on a song. The channel was intended to make the colourful musical work of professional female and non-binary musicians visible and serve as a networking platform. The platform thus pursues the same goals as Helvetiarockt. With her infectious joie de vivre, musical energy and passion, Jasmin is an endless source of inspiration for aspiring female and non-binary musicians and the perfect match for Helvetiarockt.

   

  jasmin@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She / Her

• 

  Kathy Bajaria

  National community and workshop co-ordination Helvetiarockt Music Lab

  Kathy is the globetrotter amongst us. They have Indian roots, grew up in Sheffield, lived in Liverpool, Berlin and Amsterdam and sometimes secretly dreams of a life in New York or Buenos Aires. Kathy has lived in Lucerne for over 15 years and has been significant in shaping local cultural life by organizing concerts, parties and political events. They are co-founder of Queer Office, in the programming team of the queer film festival PinkPanorama and a member of the Lucerne Integration Commission.

   

  Kathy has led for the project Female* Music Lab since the beginning of 2018 (since 2020 in co-leadership). From 2022, they will be working for the recently launched Helvetiarockt Music Lab, where they are responsible for national community and workshop coordination. They also lead the Musicians in Conversation podcast project. As a music lover, DJ and trained cultural manager, they can optimally use their wide range of experience. Kathy’s broad perspective and ability to see larger contexts is invaluable. It’s impressive to see how easily they connect people and projects with one another. With their calm English manner, they are able to cool down any heated discussion. Not even cold water will make them flinch. You might even catch a glimpse of them swimming in the Lake of Lucerne, the River Letten or the Aare in late autumn. So cool.

   

  kathy@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She / They

• 

  Letizia Carigiet

  Co-management Helvetiarockt On Tour & Diversity Roadmap

  Feminism may have already begun in the cradle for Letizia. Hailing from the Canton of Grisons, she has been involved and dedicated in numerous projects for a better world. She stands up and speaks out against injustice, without being boisterous. She has done campaign work for “Flirt Don’t Hurt”, “16 Tage Gegen Gewalt an Frauen” and is co-initiator of the Queens* of Hip-Hop Festival. She studied German Literature, Edition Philology & Theatre Studies, led the youth mentoring project “womentoring” and has been involved in education and youth politics. She later worked as a research assistant for a project at the University of Bern.

   

  Since 2018 she has been rousing up Helvetiarockt as an all-rounder, combining her passion for music with the fight against inequality. She started out leading the Helvetiarockt bandworkshops and the musicdirectory.org. Since 2022, Letizia has been co-managing the Diversity Roadmap & On Tour projects and is our expert on the topic of sexualised violence in clubs and festivals. Fresh inputs and critical questions are Letizia’s specialty. Despite – or maybe precisely because of – her analytical and calm nature, she cracks people up with her dry humor. Should this ever fail to defuse a critical situation, she has one last ace up her sleeve. With her “Silly Dance” she’ll have everyone rolling on the floor laughing in no time.

   

  letizia@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She / Her

• 

  Lula Pergoletti

  Communication

  Before Lula joined the Helvetiarockt team, the former Co-Director of bee-flat travelled from Italy to Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Greece and then Turkey in a self-refurbished bus, adding numerous impressions, anecdotes and encounters to her already eventful life. But before and alongside the music, there were always words and writing. For several years, she was a driving force, organizing literature and music festivals around Bern.

   

  Coming from a family of artists, Lula was already at home in theatre and concert halls at an early age. As a teenager, she spent all her pocket money on CDs, vinyl and travelling across Switzerland to concerts and festivals every weekend. Later, she took to the turntables herself and played vinyl at various events. Her professional path quickly led her into the world of culture, whether as editor of the Berner Kulturagenda or as an event organiser.

   

  Lula doesn’t need much to be happy, as she has already proven on her 6-month trip through the Balkans. But music – whether live or on vinyl – is part of her life in every way. Extremely alert, interested in many things and versed in many ways, her fire is easy to kindle. However, she is also passionate about initiating her own projects.

   

  When she has free time, she uses it to enjoy good food and philosophise with friends. Or she reads, spontaneously goes on long bike rides or plays a video game for a change.
  Always well organised, she runs the communication shop at Helvetiarockt. The fact that she says she often can’t keep her mouth shut suits this role only too well😊. A little fidgety, but at the same time incredibly clear and always surrounded by positive energy, she is the perfect person for this role. She is always able to instill calm and confidence in her colleagues, including the Helvetiarockt team, with well thought-out measures and concepts and, when required, pragmatic solutions.

   

  lula@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: she/her

• 

  Muriel Rhyner

  Project Manager Courses in Producing & Songwriting

  Over 600 concerts played in Switzerland and abroad. 5 Albums. 12 years of Delilahs. Muriel is a musician, songwriter, booker and project manager. She wrote her first own songs at the age of twelve, soon after she grabbed a bass guitar and established herself as an autodidact in the industry.

   

  She has been involved with Helvetiarockt since day one, developed the Helvetiarockt Songwriting Camp in 2015 and has been cooking up additional offers for professional musicians since 2018. She makes the most out of her small workload and knows how to use her resources. At work she has been dubbed with the honourable nickname “Brainchild Slingshot” and is not afraid to take on any administrative tasks. As coach of the Helvetiarockt Bandworkshop in Bern and director of the Songwriting Camp in Zug, she genuinely sparks the interest in music in women. Her passion is contagious. She enriches our team on all levels and brings important perspectives to the table. As an experienced musician and teacher she is interested in offering high-quality courses and knows exactly what it feels like to stir up the industry as a woman. P.S.: If you are looking for project ideas, contact her!

   

  muriel@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She / Her

• 

  Nesrine Ghulam

  Regional Coordinator Helvetiarockt Music Lab

  With Swiss-Iraqi roots, Nesrine grew up in the cosmos of Geneva, bringing with her a diverse cultural background by nature. It is therefore not surprising that she graduated from the University of Geneva with a master’s degree in Gender Studies. During her studies, she became particularly interested and fascinated by the field of “gender performances”. She soon recognised music and dance as important tools for emancipation and as a means of self-expression for women* and minorities. To raise awareness of sexism and racism, she organised and coordinated various events, including the 3-day festival “Universitaire Genre et Egalité”. She founded the association “L’Escouade” for awareness-raising work on sexism such as the feminisation of street names in Geneva.

   

  It is also the topic of gender that led Nesrine to the Federal Office for Gender Equality in 2020, where she worked for a short time and participated in various national events on gender equality issues.

   

  When the new space “Le Groove”, club and concert venue for young people, is created in Geneva in Autumn 2021, she took over the coordination. Her goal, to create a truly inclusive space that on the one hand makes young women in music visible and also makes a clear statement with a zero tolerance for harassment, in terms of audience.

   

  Since January 2022, we have been enjoying Nesrine’s refreshing, young spirit and her wealth of experience, which enriches our commitment on a daily basis. When she is not networking for us, she is climbing up walls. If you don’t find her in the climbing hall, you might find your legs moving to her house or techno beats as she mixes the perfect sound as an amateur DJ once again. Always on the lookout for new artists and styles, she is definitely in the right place at Helvetiarockt.

   

  nesrine@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She / Her

• 

  Petra Fässler

  Regiomanagement Ost / Zentral

  You have to experience Petra. When she organises workshops as a regional manager from central to eastern Switzerland, even in the most stressful moments, a cheeky remark slips from her lips, accompanied by a mischievous grin and a spark of mischief in her eyes. With her heart on her sleeve and her above-average enthusiasm, Petra’s commitment to gender equality and the promotion of young talent is truly infectious. The next generation is the future, all for the cause.

  The fact that she is always full of vigour and with her sleeves rolled up is perhaps not least due to Petra’s career before Helvetiarockt: before she joined our team, her path took her from the office chair to the milking parlour, where she spent two alpine summers. However, her heart has long been in music and she plays guitar in the band Riot Robin.
  From chopping wood and baking bread to feminist yodelling, from playing football in the alternative league to crocheting vegetables: Petra has a wide range of interests and possesses a myriad of hidden talents, which always adds a splash of colour to our everyday lives, shimmering and sparkling in all shades. Her energy, her humour and her direct manner are an integral part of the Helvetiarockt team.

  petra@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: she/her

• 

  Regula Frei

  Head of Fundraising

  The number of sleepless nights Regula has had during her time with Helvetiarockt is one of the most closely kept secrets of the Swiss music industry. She has been with Helvetiarockt since day one in 2012 and managed everything solo in the beginning. In the meantime, she has the support of a powerful team, and together they march towards the common goal of equality. Whenever she takes a moment to reminisce how much this project has grown, her eyes may water up. Regula is seldomly calm and reserved. From her sharp and astute gaze you can tell that her vision is very clear. Being pragmatic and down to earth, she only takes on projects that are realistic, yet meaningful. Focusing on the outcome and success she never stops questioning how things can be more inclusive.

   

  As a teacher and adult educator, she brings high didactic standards to the table, but she has also rolled up her sleeves working for the SBB and PROGR, adding to her diverse skills and wide range of experience. Although Regula may be solid as a rock on one hand, her soft spot is her big open heart where everyone is welcome. So you wonder where to find her after work? In the limelight rocking the stage as a double bass player.

   

  regula@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She / Her

• 

  Sophie Kuhn

  Head of Administration & Finance

  Latest in 2004, Sophie made her passion for music, culture and youth movements public with her active membership at the Gaskessel. But she was already immersed in the world of music as a child. The Gaskessel was her first work placement after graduating at the Ecole supérieure de commerce in Neuchâtel. Later, she managed the administration and the bar. After that, Sophie set off for new professional fields. She worked for 8 years in property management, with intermediate stops in salary administration, financial accounting and as an assistant to the management. At the same time, she began training as a Bach flower therapist for dogs.

   

  Sophie has been in charge of our administration and finances since 2020. Her know-how has been sweeping us off our feet since the beginning. Sophie does it, get it organised, delivers new solutions, remodels and builds. She does it in such a way that even our lot, sometimes befuddled by creativity, understands what is at stake. Sophie facilitates processes, creates overviews and thus puts the whole association on solid ground. And during this whole process, she also infects us with her pragmatic calmness. But Sophie is not only calm, she can also race through and check things off. Her talent is knowing when to get into a groove. And when she can’t stand the office anymore, she’ll get on her horse or you might meet her with her two dogs by the Aare.

   

  sophie@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She / Her

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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  Yvonne Meyer

  Co-management Helvetiarockt On Tour & Diversity Roadmap

  You’re lucky if you should ever meet Yvonne in one of our offices. She’s usually on the road, working on her projects between Basel, Lausanne or Lucerne. With a degree in cultural management, her work mainly consists of developing and implementing target-oriented formats with various people and organisations at festivals. In spite of the manifold tasks and challenges that these collaborations bring, she always keeps a cool head and never loses sight of the nitty-gritty. However, as soon as one event is over and done with she is already on to the next task-such as finalising the programmation for the next year. She is driven by this tempo and it gives her the necessary kick.

   

  After 10 years as co-managing director of bee-flat in the PROGR in Bern, this is probably just lightweight anyway. Apart from Helvetiarockt, she is also involved with Sonart on the Jazz Advisory Board. Through her passion for music, Yvonne is able to keep her finger on the pulse of the industry and is always on the ball. With her enthusiasm she consistently lifts the spirit of the whole team and makes sure that we don’t forget why we do what we do.

   

  yvonne@helvetiarockt.ch

  Pronouns: She / Her