Zermatt Festival

In September, the mountain village of Zermatt in the canton of Valais is not only a very special experience for lovers of the great outdoors. Once again, as the summer of 2011 draws to a close, the 7th Zermatt Festival, which includes renowned artists such as Michel Dalberto, Stephan Genz and Fabio Biondi, will enchant music fans from all over the world. As usual, the musicians of the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin – all members of the Berliner Philharmoniker – will be our guests.

Pablo Casals and his companions had already paved the way in the 1950s and 1960s: Conditions in the village at the foot of the Matterhorn are perfect for making music, holding masterclasses and passing on experience to the younger generation, far away from the hectic pace of everyday life.

Lovers of music and art wanted to revive this tradition – and so the Zermatt Festival, along with its now highly respected international chamber music academy, was founded seven years ago. Around 30 students have the opportunity to study and rehearse works with the best possible tuition and to perform in groups, from quartets to chamber orchestras.

In addition, the festival also offers exciting art workshops for young people, involving the participation of guest lecturers from the world of film and painting. Following their successful introduction in 2010, there will again be a series of introductory talks by musicologists and historians about the works in the programme – which this year includes works by Vivaldi, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Brahms as well as contemporary music: Amongst others, works by the famous Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina on the second weekend.

Since its creation, the Zermatt Festival has been supported by a Foundation consisting of members of the local community.

President: Me Olivier Verrey
Members: Christoph Bürgin, Daniel Lauber, Daniel Luggen, Ted Mate, Silvo Perren, Christian Seiler, Daniel Sieber, Patrick Wyer