Christine Lauterburg

Christine Lauterburg (born 12 March 1956 in Bern) is a Swiss singer, yodeler, and actress. Lauterburg often remakes Swiss folk songs but also composes her own music. In contrast to most contemporary Swiss musicians, who use the Anglo-Saxon folk songs as a foundation, Lauterburg develops her music from local roots. Lauterburg performs solo and in various groups. The style of her music is often referred to as Swiss folk music, folk, pop, techno, or world music.

Lauterburg was born in an artistic oriented family and spent her childhood in Bern and Bolligen. Her father Hans Rudolf Lauterburg as well as her mother Lotti Lauterburg-Wunsch were freelance graphic artists. As a child, Lauterburg learned to play the violin and finished her studies as an elementary school educator. She later graduated from the drama school in Bern as an actress.

After graduation from drama school in the early 1980s, Lauterburg acted in many Swiss movies and theaters of that time. Her debut was in a film named "Eine vo dene" 1981 from Bruno Nick to be followed by "E Nacht lang Füürland" 1981 from Clemens Klopfenstein/Remo Legnazzi, "Akropolis Now" 1983, from Hans Liechti, "Der Ruf der Sibylla" 1984, from Clemens Klopfenstein, "Alpenglühen" 1987, from Norbert Wiedmer/Silvia Horisberger, "Macao oder die Rückseite des Meeres" 1988, from Clemens Klopfenstein, "Mikes Brother", "Restlessness" 1991 from Thomas Imbach. These were films about the atmosphere of departure in the 1980s when there was a strong attempt to fight for spaces where the young could turn their utopian ideas into reality.

At the same time Lauterburg would perform as a musician with different bands. She gradually ventures into the domestic musical roots and explores the traditional Swiss folk music. Lauterburg learns how to yodel as an autodidact. She develops her own unique ways to yodel which gives her music a great share of grace and intensity. Later she learns how to play the Langnauer accordion (Langnauerörgeli) along with her singing. Lauterburg's first music recordings was the music to the film "Macao oder die Rückseite des Meeres" from Clemens Klopfenstein.

At the end of the 80s Lauterburg would completely turn to music. Finally, after thirty years of my life I have found out what I can sing: Songs in my own language and the ancient Juchz (shout of joy). 1991 Lauterburg releases her first album named Schynige Platte recorded with Res Margot who plays old Swiss instruments. 1994 the album is followed by Echo der Zeit in coproduction with the Swiss folk music expert Cyrill Schläpfer and the dancefloor producer Pascal de Sapio. The idea was to blend traditional Swiss folk music with contemporary dance- and pop music. Some of the voice recordings were made outside the studio for example on the trail alongside of the river Aare or above the timberline of the Swiss alps. At the time, the fusion of traditional and modern music has triggered intense indignation among some of the traditional Swiss musicians. The Swiss National Yodel Association stated: "What Lauterburg sings has no culture". There were comments like: "An ugly intrusion into our culture of yodeling". On the other side there was also praise even from the traditional music circles and Echo der Zeit populated the Swiss charts for 19 weeks.

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