About
The Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2026 marks a historic milestone as it celebrates its 70th anniversary, opening a new chapter under the artistic leadership of violinist and conductor Daniel Hope. From 16 July to 5 September 2026, the idyllic villages, churches, and mountain landscapes of the Swiss Saanenland once again become the setting for one of Europe’s most distinctive classical music festivals, where artistic excellence meets the tranquility of the Alps.
The season opens with one of the most significant events in the festival’s recent history: the 70th Anniversary Concert. This celebratory evening brings together Daniel Hope, legendary violinist and violist Pinchas Zukerman, and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra in a performance dedicated to the festival’s remarkable legacy. The concert symbolizes the artistic friendships and mentorship traditions that have shaped Gstaad for seven decades.
Throughout the summer, audiences can enjoy an extensive programme of orchestral concerts, chamber music performances, recitals, and special anniversary events. Historic churches in Saanen, Rougemont, and Lauenen provide an intimate setting for chamber music, while larger venues host symphonic performances featuring internationally renowned orchestras and conductors. The festival continues its tradition of bringing established masters together with outstanding young musicians, creating a vibrant artistic dialogue across generations.
Among the major musical highlights of the season is a fully staged performance of Puccini’s beloved opera La Bohème on 21 August 2026, one of the most anticipated events of the festival. Produced specifically for Gstaad, the opera reflects the festival’s commitment to combining grand artistic ambition with the intimacy that makes every performance feel personal and immediate.
The official programme also features appearances by several confirmed artists, including pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, who returns to the festival on 23 August 2026, pianist Sebastian Knauer on 25 August 2026, and pianist Hayato Sumino, whose innovative and versatile musicianship represents a new generation of classical performers.
What makes Gstaad truly exceptional is its atmosphere. Here, world-class music unfolds not in vast metropolitan concert halls but amid alpine valleys, historic chapels, and breathtaking mountain scenery. The proximity between artists and audiences creates a sense of authenticity and warmth that has defined the festival since its foundation.
The Gstaad Menuhin Festival 2026 is more than a summer music festival—it is a celebration of artistic friendship, musical heritage, and the enduring belief that great music has the power to bring people together.
About the Gstaad Menuhin Festival
The Yehudi Menuhin festival is an annual festival held in Gstaad, Switzerland. The first festival was held in 1957, it was organized by the world-famous conductor and violinist, virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin. The festival attracts an increasing number of participants and spectators every year, performances are held every day for more than a month and a half: the dates of the festival – are from mid-July to early September. The main program of the festival is classical music performed by the most famous artists, chamber and Symphony orchestras.
In 1957 Yehudi Menuhin and his family moved to Gstaad where he was fascinated and inspired by the elemental power of the region’s natural environment and commanding mountains. He was impressed not only by the Saanenland’s magnificent alpine arena, but also by the meeting of Western Switzerland, German-speaking culture, and the nearby South with its Italian lifestyle. Since Gstaad and its surrounding area also offered an ideal environment for an international education for his children (among others, the «Le Rosey» Institute and the International Kennedy School are based in the Saanenland), Menuhin settled with his family in the area. Walking in the mountains with his children, the city-dweller discovered the natural world of the native population, who were also to inspire Menuhin with their folklore and music.
In the spirit of its founding father Lord Menuhin, Christoph Müller set new accents in his first year in 2002 and continued successfully to promote and develop the festival with an open and creative programme philosophy that made trendsetting projects and long-term development in specific artistic spheres possible.
The Gstaad Chamber Music Festival focuses on outstanding artists (Joshua Bell, Sabine Meyer, Alfred Brendel, Andras Schiff, Hélène Grimaud), who invite their musical friends and partners to Gstaad “to make music in a relaxed atmosphere”. (citation from Yehudi Menuhin)
The Symphony Orchestra Concerts in the Gstaad Festival Tent have brought symphonic brilliance back to Gstaad, including through close partnerships with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra. The series “Today’s Music” promotes encounters between various music styles and cultures in the spirit of Yehudi Menuhin’s pivotal musical experiences, often surprising and unexpected. This cycle has earned widespread recognition with artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Nigel Kennedy or Swiss jazz legend George Gruntz since the 2002 edition. Moreover, a Musical Project for Children has become a tradition with the performance every year of a work that is taught and prepared in the schools in Saanenland and performed by some 30 to 50 children from the region. Works such as “Pollicino” by Hans-Werner Henze, “Brundibar” by Hans Krasa or “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns remain memorable.
A platform for enthusiastic amateurs was also established, the “Gstaad Festival Amateur Orchestra” series: in 2008 the festival presented for the first time an Orchestra Week for Amateur Musicians, during which participants could rehearse and perform in concert with leading musicians from an established symphony orchestra for seven days. In 2009 this amateur orchestra was supplemented with a corresponding Youth Orchestra Week with 60 to 70 musicians. The some 130 amateur and youth musicians profit in this project from the combination of active music making and concert attendance – in short, they participate in the festival life.
