It was a mysterious piece of paper that, somewhat by chance, led Anna Stoll Knecht to discover the composer Gustav Mahler. "I came across a page of sketches for his Seventh Symphony whilst doing some research in the archives of the New York Public Library," she says. "There were some strange annotations on the score, which I tried to understand by tracing the work’s origins." This research marked the start of a remarkable academic career, which has been recognised with the SNSF’s Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize. Selected from among 69 candidates from a wide range of disciplines, the researcher has demonstrated an exceptional track record and an innovative approach that has left its mark on the field of musicology. The prize ceremony will take place on 3 December at the University of Fribourg.

Gustav Mahler, composer and performer
After studying ancient Greek, musicology and music theory in Geneva, Anna Stoll Knecht moved to New York, where she came across a bit of paper that led her to write a doctoral thesis on the world of Gustav Mahler. She is interested in his creative process and tries to reconstruct it: "His music is beautiful with its elements that are both sublime and strange, and exploring it through the study of his sketches was a fascinating experience."
She then continued her research at the University of Oxford, where grants from the SNSF (Postdoc.Mobility) and the British Academy enabled her to explore Mahler’s role as a conductor and, in doing so, to reflect on the relationship between composition and performance.

Uncovering the mystery at the heart of musical humour
Having immersed herself in Romantic music, she shifted her focus to comedy, and more specifically the links between musical humour and the art of clowning. As part of an Ambizione grant from the SNSF carried out at the Accademia Dimitri in Ticino, she explored how a silent clown can create a comic effect using only music and sound effects.
"You need a gesture, timed just right, matched with the right sound. But that doesn’t explain everything. As with the creative process, I try to piece together phenomena that are, to some extent, unexplainable. Humour contains something we can’t quite pin down, something akin to a miracle." That, she explains, is precisely what fascinates her and what she is constantly trying to capture in her work.

The funfair: exploring an element of intangible cultural heritage
A few years later, it was the funfair around the turn of the 20th century that sparked her curiosity. An ongoing SNSF Starting Grant based at the University of Fribourg is enabling her to explore this highly distinctive world that blends music and theatre with trade, scientific experiments, cabinets of curiosities and tightrope walkers.
This is an opportunity to document living traditions in Switzerland, which are often overlooked by researchers, even though some feature on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. "Music is just one aspect of this multifaceted subject. I particularly like the interdisciplinary aspect, which allows me to work alongside colleagues from different backgrounds." By grounding musicology in popular culture, she is exploring new areas of research. The crowning achievement of her career to date has been her appointment as a full professor at the University of the Arts Vienna starting in October 2027, where she will also take up the post of director of the Gustav Mahler Research Centre.

Music: a family affair
Music, which she describes as ‘a way of being together’, is a living tradition within her family. And this is a view that she and her saxophonist husband have passed on to their four children. "I became a mother at the start of my PhD. Although I was generally supported in this decision, some people did say that having a family would put me at a competitive disadvantage. I ignored that warning, and I’m glad I did." Given how uncertain an academic career can be, she believes it is especially important that female researchers do not put off their plans to start a family. "I wanted to have children, and I encourage all women who feel the same way to listen to their hearts."

Prize for excellent female researchers
The Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize honours a woman researcher who, in the context of an SNSF Postdoc.Mobility fellowship or Ambizione grant, has achieved remarkable results and made significant progress in her career. The prize highlights the role of women in research. It is intended to promote their visibility within the scientific community and amongst the general public as well as to support their career development.

Marie Heim-Vögtlin, after whom the prize is named, became the first Swiss woman to study medicine when she was admitted to the University of Zurich’s medical faculty in 1868. After completing her studies, she opened a gynaecology practice, which she continued to run after the birth of her two children. She is regarded as one of the pioneers in the fight for women’s access to higher education.