Exhibitions

New special exhibition from May 24, 2025: "From the music room to the concert hall"

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"Collegium musicum", the orchestra of the 18th century

Music boomed in Switzerland in the 18th century. Wealthy citizens owned their own instruments and even a small music library. In Basel this was the silk ribbon manufacturer Lukas Sarasin (1730-1802), in Bern Karl Friedrich von Steiger (1754-1841) on his country estate in Tschugg.

The exhibition presents the musical activities of these Musikkollegien and their repertoire. It is a result of a research project at the Bern University of the Arts.

Caricature by Franz Feyerabend, ca. 1790
Caricature by Franz Feyerabend, ca. 1790