Changes to the Board of the RISM Digital Center

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

On the occasion of the annual general meeting on 3 June 2026 at the Wesemlin Capuchin Monastery in Lucerne, two long-serving board members took their leave, Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen and Pio Pellizzari. Pio Pellizzari had been a member of the Executive Board since 1998 and, as a long-serving director of the Fonoteca Nazionale, served as a key link to music libraries both at home and abroad. Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen was elected to the board in 2000, serving initially as co-president from 2002 and as sole president from 2006 onwards. In particular, his links with the National Science Foundation and with music research were invaluable, and he always maintained a friendly relationship with both the board and the staff. Two recognised experts in the field of musical source documentation – Verena Monnier, head of the music archive at BCU Lausanne, and Bettina Ruchti, librarian at the Media and Information Centre (MIZ) at ZHdK – were elected to the board as successors. Both are also members of the IAML Switzerland Executive Committee, which will prove beneficial for the RISM Digital Centre in terms of its links with Swiss music libraries. With loud applause, Prof. Dr. Cristina Urchueguía was elected as successor to Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen as president. She has been a member of the board since 2010. In her capacity as a university professor, she will continue to foster links between the RISM Digital Center and musicological research.