Dr. Thomas Burkhalter is an anthropologist/ethnomusicologist, AV-artist, and writer from Bern (Switzerland). He is the founder and director of Norient, and the co-founder and strategic director of the Norient Festival (NF).

He co-directed documentary films (e.g. Contradict, Berner Filmpreis 2020 + Al-Jazeera Witness) and AV/theatre/dance performances, is author of Local Music Scenes and Globalization: Transnational Platforms in Beirut (Routledge), and he co-edited several books: e.g., The Arab Avant Garde: Musical Innovation in the Middle East (Wesleyan University Press), Seismographic Sounds – Visions of a New World (Norient Books. His experimental radio feature, Gqom Edits – A Durban Visit, was nominated for Prix Europa in 2017. Burkhalter teaches regularly at universities and runs workshops for arts institutions. Since 2022 he produces the Norient Mixtape for Swiss National Radio SRF3. Currently, he is working on the debut album of his new duo Melodies in My Head, on the experimental podcast series’ Timezones, and South Asian Sound Stories with musicians from the UK, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

Burkhalter ran various research projects (financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation), and he taught at Universities in Berlin (Humboldt), Fribourg, Oldenburg, Paderborn, Karlsruhe, Basel and Bern. He wrote academic and journalistic articles and produced radio features on music in the Middle East, Africa and Europe for academic journals, blogs, newspapers, magazines and radio stations (e.g. Popular Music and Society, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Swiss National Radio SRF, Die Zeit, TAZ, SWR2).

He works across different forms of art: including the audio-visual performances «Sonic Traces: From the Arab World», and «Sonic Traces: From Switzerland»; the exhibition «Seismographic Sounds – Visions of a New World» (e.g. ZKM Karlsruhe, CTM Berlin, Base Milano, 2015–2017); various documentary films (e.g. Ghana is the Future (2014), and Buy More Incense – British-Asian Musicians in the UK (2000)). As a curator and concert organizer (e.g. a concert series at Schauspielhaus Zürich, 2018), curator of CD-Compilations (e.g. Golden Beirut: New Sounds from Lebanon, Outhere Records) and cultural funder (e.g. Musikbeirat Goethe Institut, from 2018; member of the jury of Schweizer Musikpreis, 2014–2018; board of trustees of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, 2002–2010), Burkhalter wants to learn about music and music-making from different perspectives. He places great emphasis on transdisciplinary approaches between theory and practice. (#PerformingMusicResearch).

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Recent Film

Contradict (Berner Filmpreis 2020), documentary, Recycled TV + Norient (stream on demand here)

Ghana Controversial – Music from the Ground Up (2019), documentary, Al Jazeera, Witness

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Latest Release

TIMEZONES – Nairobi’s Next Generation Music Producers and Performing Artists Speak Out (2021), podcast, Norient + Goethe Institut

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Articles (Selection)

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2017. «Weltmusik 2.0 – Musikalische Positionen zwischen Spass- und Protestkultur». In Grenzenlos Kunst?, edited by Angela Lammert. Berlin: Kettler.

Burkhalter, Thomas, 2016. «Sound Studies Across Continents – A Multidisciplinary Research Layout». In Sound in Media Culture Reader, edited by Holger Schulze and Jens Gerrit Papenburg. Cambridge: MIT.

Burkhalter, Thomas, 2016. «World Music 2.0 – Updated and Expanded». In Sound in Media Culture Reader, edited by Holger Schulze and Jens Gerrit Papenburg. Cambridge: MIT.

Burkhalter, Thomas, 2016. «‹Playing Music Saved Us from Going Nuts›: Childhood Trauma and the Sound Works of Beiruti Artists of the Civil War Generation». In Musik als Medium der Erinnerung: Gedächtnis – Geschichte – Gegenwart, edited by Lena Nieper and Julian Schmitz. Bielefeld: transcript.

Burkhalter, Thomas, 2016. «Wie Schweizer Musiker die Welt vertonen. Künstlerische und symbolische Strategien in translokalen Musikproduktionen». In Unsichtbare Landschaften. Populäre Musik und Räumlichkeit, edited by Giacomo Bottà. Freiburg: Waxmann.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2015. «Underground Music in the Arab World.» In Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, Vol 10. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2013. «Alternative Musiker zwischen Aufbruch und Verwirrung – Stimmungsbilder aus Kairo, 2013.» In Kunst und Kultur in Ägypten. Goethe Institut / Edition 8.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2013. «Christian Hymns and Noises in Beirut.» Global Prayers 8.

Burkhalter, Thomas; Christoph Jacke, Sandra Passaro. 2012. «Das Stück ‹Wanabni› der Palästinenserin Kamilya Jubran und des Schweizers Werner Hasler im multi-lokalen Hörtest. Eine multiperspektivische Analyse.» In Black Box Pop – Analysen populärer Musik, edited by Dietrich Helms and Thomas Phleps. Bielefeld: transcript.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2011. «Between Art for Art’s Sake, and Musical Protest. How Musicians from Beirut react to War and Conflict.» Popular Music and Society 34 (1): 55–78.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2011. «Digitalisierung und Musik: Fokus Arabische Welt.» In Kultur digital: Begriffe, Hintergründe, Beispiele, edited by Dominik Landwehr and Veronika Sellier. Merian.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2011. «Avantgarde Musik in Beirut: Weg vom Lokalkolorit! Oder doch nicht?» In West Meets East. Musik im interkulturellen Dialog (Schriftenreihe «Musik und Gesellschaft» 29), edited by Alenka Barber-Kersovan, Harald Huber, and Alfred Smudits. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2011. «Playing Music Saved Us from Going Nuts’ – The Role of Childhood Trauma in the Sound Works of Beiruti Artists of the Lebanese War Generation.» In Essays on Trauma and Music, edited by Fred Maus. Wesleyan University Press. (in Production)

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2011. «Im Rhythmus der Revolution – Politik und Musik in der Arabischen Welt.» Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 23.3.2011, and on Norient.com.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «Frauenrollen und Popmusik in der arabischen Welt: Von unantastbaren Starsängerinnen, Models in Unterwäsche und selbstbewussten Musikerinnen.» In Thema Nr. 1: Sex und Populäre Musik (Beiträge zur Popularmusikforschung 37), edited by Dietrich Helms and Thomas Phleps, 189–200. Bielefeld: transcript.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «Weltmusik 2.0: Musikalische Positionen zwischen Spass- und Protestkultur.» Dissonance 112.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «World Music 2.0: Between Fun and Protest Culture.» Near East Quarterly Issue II.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «The Aesthetical Approaches of ‹Avantgarde› Sound-Artists in Beirut.» Bahithat (Lebanese Association of Women Researchers) 14.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «Tarek Atoui – or: Reflections on the New Musical Avant-Gardes of the 21. Century.» In Indicated by Signs, edited by Bonner Kunstverein, Goethe Institute Kairo. 

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Radio Features (Selection)

Burkhalter, Thomas, Daniel Jakob, Marcel Gschwend 2018. Gqom Edits – A Durban Visit. Schweizer Radio SRF 2, 17.3.2018. (Nominiert für Prix Europa)

Burkhalter, Thomas 2013. Die Welt als Tonarchiv. MP3-Blogs im Internet. Schweizer Radio SRF 2 Kultur, 15.2.2013.

Burkhalter, Thomas 2012. Klangspuren der arabischen Welt. Deutschland Radio Kultur, 3.2.2012, und Deutschlandfunk, 8.5.2012.

Burkhalter, Thomas 2011. Musik und Religion (2/2): Islamische Musik in Kairo. Schweizer Radio DRS2. 4.11.2011.

Burkhalter, Thomas 2011. Musik und Religion (1/2): Christliche Musik in Beirut und Kairo. Schweizer Radio DRS2. 28.10.2011.

Burkhalter, Thomas 2011. Klangspuren der arabischen Welt. Schweizer Radio DRS. 26.10.2011.

Burkhalter, Thomas 2011. Murray Schafer – Soundscape Aktivismus und Komposition. Schweizer Radio DRS2. 23.3.2011.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2011. Musik in der Schweiz. Mal anders. Schweizer Radio DRS2. 25.2.2011

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «Soundscape Forschung: Interkulturell» Schweizer Radio DRS2. 17.9.2010

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «Über Geräusche die Welt deuten: Eine Soundscape Konferenz in Koli». Bayerischer Rundfunk. 5.9.2010

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «Des Teufels Amboss: Psychedelische Musik in der Arabischen Welt». SWR2, 29.7.2010.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2010. «Mixtape Südafrika». SWR2. 11.6.2010

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2009. «Wir sind keine Satanisten: Metal in Libanon» SWR2 Dschungel. 14.9.2009.

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2007. Neue Musik von den Rändern der Welt. Schweizer Radio DRS2 15.6.2007 (Zweitaustrahlung 24.8.2007)

Burkhalter, Thomas. 2007. Zwischentöne aus Mali: Griotmusik im Weltmusikmarkt. Schweizer Radio DRS 2 (13.4.2007) Hessischer Rundfunk (7.4.2007) SWR2 (15.10.2007)