BACHLI, Gerda

Gerda Bächli grew up in a family of musicians in Zollikon. Her mother was the singer Alice Frey, her father the pianist and music teacher Walter Frey. She received lessons in rhythmics from Mimi Scheiblauer as well as in singing and piano. After the Federal Matura she worked as an actress from 1941 to 1945, first at the Stadttheater Luzern, later also at the Schauspielhaus Zurich and took acting lessons with Ellen Widmann and Ernst Ginsberg at the same time.

Parallel to her work in radio, Bächli began to work in the field of elementary music education and children’s theatre. In 1966 she completed her training as a specialist teacher for elementary music education and recorder with a diploma. Through a performance she became acquainted with the Epilepsy Clinic in Zurich and began musical work there with people with mental disabilities, which she continued until 1976. She completed further training for curative education work and began writing and publishing children’s songs for educational and therapeutic work.

She also became known for her songs, which often arose from concrete work and play situations and whose high musical quality is just as appreciated as their suitability for work with children and with disabled people.