Switzerland’s Menuhin Festival Gstaad & Artistic Director Daniel Hope celebrate 70th anniversary season (July 16–Sep 5)

• Guest artists include Marco Armiliato, Khatia Buniatishvili, Thomas Hampson, Steven Isserlis, Gabriela Montero, Vasily Petrenko, András Schiff, Daniil Trifonov, Pinchas Zukerman, & Jaap van Zweden
• Guest ensembles include Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Royal Danish Orchestra, & Zurich Chamber Orchestra
• Highlights include La bohème, Mass in B minor, & new cultural initiative: “The Summit”

(June 2026) — The Menuhin Festival Gstaad celebrates its landmark 70th anniversary season with more than 75 concerts in Switzerland’s Saanenland and Pays-d’Enhaut regions this summer (July 16–Sep 5). Under the auspices of Daniel Hope, now in his first season as Artistic Director, guest artists will include vocalists Regula Mühlemann, Benjamin Bernheim, Thomas Hampson, and Julia Lezhneva; violinists David Garrettand Pinchas Zukerman; cellist Steven Isserlis; pianists Khatia Buniatishvili, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Gabriela Montero, Sir András Schiff, Hayato Sumino, and Daniil Trifonov; and conductors Marco Armiliato, Jonathan Cohen, Marie Jacquot, Vasily Petrenko, Alexander Shelley, and Jaap van Zweden. Ensembles taking center stage will include Arcangelo and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Royal Danish Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Zurich Chamber Orchestra, as well as the resident Gstaad Festival Orchestra.

Menuhin, Hope, & “Family Matters”

The Menuhin Festival Gstaad looks back on seven decades of musical history. Founded in 1957 by Yehudi Menuhin, it began as a gathering of friends and fellow musicians and has grown into one of Europe’s most distinguished classical music festivals. For this landmark anniversary edition, internationally acclaimed violinist Daniel Hope assumes artistic leadership, becoming the festival’s first new Artistic Director in more than two decades. Hope was both a student and a close friend of Menuhin, whose influence continues to shape his artistic vision.

Seventy years after its founding, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad remains true to the values that inspired its creation: artistic excellence, international openness, and a deep commitment to young talent. With the theme of “Family Matters,” the 2026 anniversary season celebrates this rich legacy while looking confidently towards the future. It embraces not only family in the traditional sense, but also the friendships, mentorships, and artistic relationships that shape our lives. In doing so, it reflects one of Menuhin’s most enduring beliefs: that music is a force capable of bringing people together. This idea runs through the entire program, from large-scale orchestral performances and the festival’s academies to its extensive Discovery program for children, young people, and adults. The 2026 season will also introduce such new initiatives as “The Summit,” a platform for dialogue about culture, society, and business.

Highlights of 70th anniversary season

The opening concerts in the Church of Saanen embody the spirit of the season. Joined by his long-time musical friend Pinchas Zukerman and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Hope presents a program that celebrates friendship, artistic dialogue, and shared musical heritage (July 16 & 17). Opera lovers can look forward to Puccini’s La bohème, presented in concert with Benjamin Bernheim as Rodolfo, and Marco Armiliatoconducting the Gstaad Festival Orchestra (Aug 21). The season concludes with one of the greatest works in the choral repertoire: J. S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Performed by Arcangelo under Jonathan Cohen’s leadership in the Church of Saanen, it will bring the festival’s anniversary edition to a fitting and celebratory close (Sep 5). Alongside concerts in the region’s historic churches, audiences can once again enjoy performances on Gstaad’s local mountain, the Eggli. Set against a spectacular alpine backdrop at 1,600 meters above sea level, these events combine music, nature, and gastronomy in a uniquely memorable setting.

A defining part of the festival’s identity has always been its commitment to young artists. Through the Vocal Academy, Piano Academy, String Academy, and Conducting Academy, emerging musicians work closely with internationally renowned artists including Thomas Hampson, Sir András Schiff, Alexander Shelley, Pinchas Zukerman, Jaap van Zweden, and Daniel Hope. Public masterclasses and concerts give audiences the opportunity to witness this exchange of knowledge first-hand. The Discoveryprogram offers accessible entry points into classical music through workshops, family concerts, children’s operas, participatory events, and guided concert experiences. In this way, the spirit of Family Matters extends far beyond the concert stage, helping to inspire and engage future generations of music lovers.

A central role throughout the season is played by the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, which has established itself as one of the festival’s artistic pillars. Under Chief Conductor Jaap van Zweden, the orchestra enters a new phase in 2026. Following its performances in Gstaad, it will embark on its first major European tour, appearing in leading concert halls in Copenhagen, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, and Düsseldorf, bringing the name of Gstaad to audiences across Europe. The orchestra also plays a key role in the festival’s educational mission. Throughout the summer, it serves as the resident orchestra of the Conducting Academy, led by Jaap van Zweden, Alexander Shelley, Johannes Schlaefli, and Peter Biloen.

With The Summit, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad launches a new platform bringing together voices from culture, society, science, media, and business. Held at the Grand Chalet Balthus in Rossinière, the forum will explore key questions surrounding the future of cultural institutions and classical music in the 21st century. Inspired by Yehudi Menuhin’s conviction that art carries social responsibility, The Summit seeks to create meaningful dialogue while offering new perspectives for both audiences and participants in the festival’s String Academy.

About the Menuhin Festival Gstaad

Founded in 1957 by Yehudi Menuhin, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad is one of Europe’s leading classical music festivals. Every summer, it brings together internationally renowned artists, distinguished orchestras, and outstanding young musicians in the churches and concert venues of the Saanenland and Pays-d’Enhaut regions. With more than 75 concerts each year, the festival combines artistic excellence, talent development, and cultural exchange in one of Europe’s most beautiful alpine settings. Through its Academies and Discovery programs, it is committed to supporting the next generation of musicians and making classical music accessible to a broad audience. Since 2026, the festival has been under the artistic direction of violinist Daniel Hope. The 70th edition takes place from July 16 to September 5, 2026, under the theme Family Matters. Tickets and more information are available here.

Menuhin Festival Gstaad: 2026 season

Thurs, July 16 at 7.30pm
Fri, July 17 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
70th Anniversary Concert – Pinchas Zukerman, Daniel Hope, & Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Pinchas Zukerman, violin & viola; Daniel Hope, violin; Amanda Forsyth, cello
Zurich Chamber Orchestra
MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 3
MOZART: Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola
HAYDN: Symphony No. 104, “London”
OFFENBACH: Les larmes de Jacqueline

Sat, July 18 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Zurich Chamber Orchestra & Regula Mühlemann
Regula Mühlemann, soprano
Zurich Chamber Orchestra
MOZART: Symphony No. 51
MOZART: concert & opera arias
HAYDN: Symphony No. 49, “La Passione”

Sun, July 19 at 6pm
Church of Saanen
Fiddlefest with Daniel Hope
Daniel Hope, Ragnhild Hemsing, Tanja Sonc, Helen Maier, Sandro Roy, Antonis Sousamoglou, Joscho Stephan, and friends
A musical journey from classical music and Irish folk traditions to swing and jazz

Tues, July 21 at 7.30pm
Church of Zweisimmen
Maxim Lando, piano
Works by BACH/BRAHMS, SCHUMANN, and LIEBERMANN

Wed, July 22 at 7.30pm
Church of Zweisimmen
Tanja Sonc, Adrien La Marca, Josephine Knight, & Simon Crawford-Phillips
Works by Fanny MENDELSSOHN, Felix MENDELSSOHN, Nadia BOULANGER, & FAURÉ

Fri, July 24 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Carte Blanche à Pinchas Zukerman
Pinchas Zukerman, violin; Adrien La Marca, viola; Amanda Forsyth, cello, & Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano
Works by Felix MENDELSSOHN & BRAHMS

Sat, July 25 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Brahms & Schubert – Zukerman, Hope & Friends
Pinchas Zukerman, Daniel Hope, Ryszard Groblewski, Amanda Forsyth, Josephine Knight, & Simon Crawford-Phillips
BRAHMS: Piano Quartet No. 3
SCHUBERT: String Quintet in C

Sun, July 26 at 8pm
Church of Saanen
Masters of Sound – Hosted by David Garrett & The Del Gesù Club
David Garrett and members of The Del Gesù Club
A unique opportunity to compare legendary Guarneri and Stradivari violins in a single concert

Wed, July 29 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Gabriela Montero – Freestyle
Gabriela Montero, piano
Works by SCARLATTI, SOLER, CHOPIN, GRANADOS, ALBÉNIZ, MOMPOU, and LISZT, alongside Montero’s celebrated improvisations

Thurs, July 30 at 7.30pm
Church of Rougemont
The Broman Family
Maya Broman, Malin Broman, Fabian Broman, & Simon Crawford-Phillips
Works by BRIDGE, Clara SCHUMANN, Robert SCHUMANN, HALVORSEN/HANDEL, & Britta BYSTRÖM

Fri, July 31 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Sir András Schiff
Sir András Schiff, piano
Program to be announced from the stage

Sun, Aug 2 at 6pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Sonic Experience – LGT Young Soloists
Alexander Gilman, director & violin; LGT Young Soloists; Anna Chocholi, video artist
VIVALDI: The Four Seasons
PIAZZOLLA: Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas
Works by Rachel PORTMAN & Devonté HYNES

Wed, Aug 5 at 7.30pm
Eggli Mountaintop
Mountain Spirit – Pacific Quintet
Pacific Quintet
Works by VERDI, DODERER, MOZART, & BLUMER

Thurs, Aug 6 at 5.30 pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Conducting Academy | Concert II
Gstaad Festival Orchestra
Conducting Academy participants
MOZART: Symphony No. 40
Additional works to be announced

Thurs, Aug 6 at 7.30pm
Eggli Mountaintop
Mountain Spirit | Swing & Electro Set 1
The Swingin’ Hermlins
Rachel Hermlin, vocals; Andrej Hermlin, piano; Mitya Gerasimov, clarinet; George Birkett, guitar; Benjamin Lehmann, double bass
Classic swing, jazz, and dance music

Thurs, Aug 6 at 9.30pm
Eggli Mountaintop
Mountain Spirit | Swing & Electro Set 2
Natascha Polké & Kellerkind
Electronic music event in collaboration with PLAUSCH Events

Fri, Aug 7 at 7:30pm
Church of Saanen
Steven Isserlis & Camerata Bern
Steven Isserlis, cello
Camerata Bern
Works by BEETHOVEN, BOCCHERINI, C. P. E. BACH, SAINT-SAËNS, & MENDELSSOHN

Sat, Aug 8 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Gstaad Festival Orchestra – Bomsori Kim, Jing Zhao & Jaap van Zweden
Bomsori Kim, violin
Jing Zhao, cello
Gstaad Festival Orchestra / Jaap van Zweden
HAYDN: Cello Concerto No. 1
MOZART: Symphony No. 40
MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 5

Sun, Aug 9 at 7.30pm
Eggli Mountaintop
Mountain Spirit – Joscho Stephan Trio
Joscho Stephan, Sven Jungbeck, Volker Kamp
Music by Django REINHARDT, Hoagy CARMICHAEL, Joscho STEPHAN, Leonello CASUCCI, Dickey BETTS, & Dorado SCHMITT

Mon, Aug 10 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Hayato Sumino – Chopin Orbit
Hayato Sumino, piano
Works by CHOPIN, SAINT-SAËNS, Thomas ADÈS, STRAVINSKY, & Hayato SUMINO
Presentation of the 2026 Olivier Berggruen Prize

Wed, Aug 12 at 7.30pm
Church of Lauenen
Brodsky Quartet, Dimitri Ashkenazy & Jeremy Menuhin
Jeremy Menuhin, piano; Dimitri Ashkenazy, clarinet; Brodsky Quartet
Works by MOZART, DEBUSSY, SHOSTAKOVICH, & Jeremy MENUHIN

Fri, Aug 14 at 7.30pm
Church of Zweisimmen
Winterreise Reloaded
Daniel Behle, baritone; Andreas Janke, violin; Benjamin Nyffenegger, cello; Oliver Schnyder, piano
SCHUBERT: Winterreise, arranged for piano trio and voice

Sat, August 15 at 7.30pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Gstaad Festival Orchestra – Daniel Hope & Alexander Shelley
Daniel Hope, violin
Gstaad Festival Orchestra / Alexander Shelley
ELGAR: Violin Concerto
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5

Sun, Aug 16 at 6pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Budapest Festival Orchestra & Iván Fischer – Beethoven Friendship Award
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Budapest Festival Orchestra / Iván Fischer
RACHMANINOV: Vocalise
RACHMANINOV: Piano Concerto No. 3
MAHLER: Symphony No. 1, “Titan”

Mon, Aug 17 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Musicians of the Budapest Festival Orchestra & Iván Fischer
Mirella Hagen, soprano
Gergely Csikota, trumpet
Budapest Festival Orchestra musicians / Iván Fischer
BARTÓK: Divertimento for Strings
Iván FISCHER: A German-Yiddish Cantata
Felix MENDELSSOHN: String Octet

Wed, Aug 19 at 7.30pm
Church of Zweisimmen
American Songbook – Thomas Hampson
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Jacques Ammon, piano
Songs by Irving BERLIN, Harold ARLEN, Jerome KERN, Cole PORTER, George GERSHWIN, RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN, Michel LEGRAND, & Kurt WEILL

Fri, Aug 21 at 7.30pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Puccini: La bohème
Benjamin Bernheim, Carolina López Moreno, Lodovico Filippo Ravizza, Sandra Hamaoui
Chorus of Bühnen Bern
Gstaad Festival Orchestra / Marco Armiliato
PUCCINI: La bohème in concert

Sat, Aug 22 at 7.30pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Royal Danish Orchestra – Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider & Marie Jacquot
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin
Royal Danish Orchestra / Marie Jacquot
Hans ABRAHAMSEN: Three Pieces for Orchestra
BRAHMS: Violin Concerto
PROKOFIEV: excerpts from Romeo and Juliet

Sun, Aug 23 at 6pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Khatia Buniatishvili
Khatia Buniatishvili, piano
Works by SCHUMANN, CHOPIN, LISZT, & SCHUBERT/LISZT

Mon, Aug 24 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Daniil Trifonov & Sergei Dogadin
Sergei Dogadin, violin
Daniil Trifonov, piano
PROKOFIEV: Violin Sonata No. 1
SHOSTAKOVICH: 24 Preludes, Op. 34.

Tues, Aug 25 at 7.30pm
Church of Lauenen
Between Dream and Light – Sebastian Knauer
Sebastian Knauer, piano
Works by MOZART, SCHUBERT, BEETHOVEN, SATIE, & GERSHWIN

Thurs, Aug 27 at 7.30pm
Church of Rougemont
Leonkoro Quartet
PURCELL: Fantasias for Four Viols
MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet No. 6
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 14

Fri, Aug 28 at 7.30pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Vasily Petrenko & Thomas Hampson
Thomas Hampson, baritone
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Vasily Petrenko
Alma MAHLER: Three Songs
Gustav MAHLER: Rückert-Lieder
Gustav MAHLER: Symphony No. 5

Sat, Aug 29 at 7.30pm
Festival Tent Gstaad
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Vasily Petrenko & Behzod Abduraimov
Behzod Abduraimov, piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Vasily Petrenko
TCHEREPNIN: La princesse lointaine Overture
TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concerto No. 1
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5

Sun, Aug 30 at 10.30am
Festival Tent Gstaad
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Peter and the Wolf
Daniel Hope, host
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Vasily Petrenko
PROKOFIEV: Peter and the Wolf

Sun, Aug 30 at 6pm
Church of Rougemont
Hope Solo – Between Heaven and Earth
Daniel Hope, violin
Works by J. S. BACH, WESTHOFF, SCHULHOFF, BIBER, & SCHNITTKE

Tues, Sep 1 at 7.30pm
Church of Rougemont
Jan Vogler & Christian Schmitt – “Bach and His Admirers”
Jan Vogler, cello
Christian Schmitt, organ
Works by J.S. BACH, WIDOR, REGER, HÖLLER, & GUBAIDULINA

Wed, Sep 2 at 7.30pm
Church of Saanen
Julia Lezhneva & Kammerorchester Basel – “Kofferarien”
Julia Lezhneva, soprano
Kammerorchester Basel
Operatic arias by ARIOSTI, PORPORA, GALUPPI, HASSE, GIACOMELLI, & PORTA
HANDEL: concerti grossi

Thurs, Sep 3 at 7.30pm
Church of Lauenen
Carmela Konrad & Emanuele Forni – PASSION/E
Carmela Konrad, soprano
Emanuele Forni, lute
Love songs of the Renaissance and early Baroque by PURCELL, KAPSBERGER, CACCINI, DOWLAND, STROZZI, PICCININI, FRESCOBALDI, & MONTEVERDI

Fri, Sep 4 at 7.30pm
Church of Rougemont
Maurice Steger & Sebastian Wienand
Maurice Steger, recorder
Sebastian Wienand, harpsichord
European Baroque music by J. S. BACH, C. P. E. BACH, TELEMANN, MARCELLO, & the SAMMARTINIS

Sat, Sep 5 at 8pm
Church of Saanen
Closing Concert – Bach Mass in B minor
Arcangelo Choir & Orchestra / Jonathan Cohen
J. S. BACH: Mass in B minor