In Light of Current Events

Dear Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy Audience Members,

We are currently experiencing a crisis, the world has not experienced like this before – during this challenging time, the team of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival is intensively dealing with all updates on the situation. As restricting and full of uncertainty as the current time is, we are confident that the situation will be stabilized by common discipline and solidarity.  

The crisis is hitting all of those working in the cultural sector very hard, not least the freelance musicians who are left without concerts and therefore without income overnight. On the other hand, however, it also promotes awareness among all of us of how existential our need for music is, how much we want to be enchanted, transformed, comforted or inspired by music, how much we have grown to love the masterpieces by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart or Tchaikovsky. How much we need music to live and to breath. During a time where we have to learn to do without, longings start to grow to a great extend – the longing to experience a recital with the pianist Sir András Schiff in the relaxed atmosphere of the summery Saanenland, in the idyllic surroundings of a historically significant place like the Saanen Church … Right now, the longing is boundless to me, even indescribable.

Dear Audience, we believe in the good things coming and trust in the current official decisions, so that the measures have already paved the way for us to resume concert life in not too distant future. We are very aware that the developments surrounding the coronavirus are unpredictable – we can only let it happen. 

Our entire festival team is currently preparing the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy 2020 and we remain confident that the conditions are in place by 17 July 2020 to be able to stage concerts. As always, the safety and security of our guests, musicians, and employees is our highest priority.

In the meantime, may we entrust a recommendation to you? Take a moment to browse through the Gstaad Digital Festival – our streaming platform, which is available to you completely free of charge:

Make yourself comfortable at home and watch a concert film from one of the last festival editions (tip: via AirPlay function on your big screen) – whether you watch the Gstaad Festival Orchestra and Jaap van Zweden, Sol Gabetta, Jean Rondeau, Nuria Rial or Fazil Say, just enjoy these unique moments. Let your thoughts wander into the summery Saanenland, into the unmistakable churches and look forward to being back at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and enjoying great music with us soon. As we learned by now, it is no matter of course.

In great gratitude and with the best wishes for your health.

On behalf of the whole festival team

Cordially

Your
Christoph Müller, Artistic Director