Grand Finale & Passing the Baton to Our New Artistic Director
The 69th edition of Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy culminated in a spectacular concert, “A Farewell and a New Beginning – Origin VIII”. Christoph Müller entrusted his very last concert as Artistic Director to Daniel Hope, who returned as both soloist and host. Accompanied by Joscho Stephan (guitar), Stéphane Logerot (double bass), Jacques Ammon (piano) and Omar Massa (bandoneon), Hope took the audience on a musical journey from classical to folk and jazz – performed in the very church where his career once began under the mentorship of Yehudi Menuhin.
The evening also marked a historic moment: Christoph Müller himself surprised the audience by stepping on stage with his cello – one last performance in a role he has shaped with brilliance for nearly a quarter century.
A Record-Breaking Season
Over the course of seven weeks, the Festival attracted 27,800 visitors – an all-time record. Audiences gathered not only in the Gstaad Festival Tent and the region’s historic churches, but also on the Eggli mountain, where the “Mountain Spirit” series blended classical music with contemporary beats. In total, more than 60 concerts took place, featuring around 1,200 musicians. The Festival also hosted five masterclasses through the Gstaad Academy, alongside nearly 30 events for children, families and amateur musicians.
Next year, the Festival will also celebrate its 70th anniversary – a cultural landmark not only for the Gstaad-Saanenland region, but far beyond.
the Gstaad Concert Hall
The Vision for the Gstaad Concert Hall Gains Momentum and Public Support.
A world-class concert hall with 1,200 seats – designed with state-of-the-art acoustics and modern architecture – is set to replace the current Gstaad Festival Tent and reinforce Gstaad’s position as a cultural hotspot.
Closely linked to this vision is a new multi-purpose venue that will host sports and events all year round. A major milestone on the path to realisation came on April 4, 2025, when residents of the Saanen municipality overwhelmingly approved funding for the planning phase of the sports and event hall. A clear message: the community stands behind the project and its ambitious goals.
Our Mission Menuhin
As part of the recently launched "Mission Menuhin“ initiative, Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy has embraced a profound commitment to sustainability. To achieve this goal, we have defined measures that contribute to gradually reducing our CO2 emissions and raising awareness among our audience, team, and partners about responsible resource management. Some of these measures have already been implemented, such as the concert series “Music for the Planet”. Many more will follow, both during and around the Festival. Would you like to join us on this journey? Visit “Mission Menuhin” to keep up to date about new measures, projects, and progress.
gstaad academy
It is with the idea of perpetuating its commitment to the next generation that Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy created the Gstaad Academy in 2008: a structure in its own right to support an increasingly rich academic offer. At the Gstaad Academy we offer the complete range of master courses addressed to young professionals, as well as all the courses which are aimed at amateur orchestra musicians of all ages.
YEHUDI MENUHIN
Lord Menuhin, the founder of the Gstaad classical music festival bearing his name, is still remembered as a world famous violin child prodigy, conductor and humanist. His remarkable humanity, his multi-faceted artistic gifts and his perpetual curiosity were the hallmarks of his creative endeavours. It was in 1957 that this honorary resident of Saanen founded the legendary festival in the Saanenland. The promotion of young talent was just as important to him as playing music amongst friends.
