The Verbier Festival celebrates 18 years

The Verbier Festival was born out of an ambitious idea: to bring together the greatest musical talents in Verbier in a mountain ski resort which none of them knew, to set up a professional team, and to find finance.

Thanks to the considerable efforts of a few people inspired by the vision of Founder and Executive Director Martin T:son Engstroem, this “mad” idea became a reality. The first concert took place on 12 July 1994 with Zubin Mehta in charge of the Young Israël Philharmonic. “When I think back to that first festival,” says Martin T:son Engstroem, “the first words that come to mind are: anguish and frenetic activity! We really had no idea what we had let ourselves in for, but we were very excited! It was an incredible evening!” This first night marked the start of a long history: seventeen years later, the Verbier Festival has become one of the most important classical music festivals in Europe.

The Verbier Festival Academy was founded in the same year as the Festival. It has quickly become one of the best-respected in the world. Every year, around fifty musicians from the best conservatoires come to take courses in performance with some of the greatest artists of their times.

From the start, the Swiss Friends have played an essential role in the development of the Verbier Festival. In 1997 and 1998 they were joined by the American and then the British Friends. The Friends provide lasting support and contribute to the Festival’s development at all levels.

In 1999, the music went out into the streets and some went off to invade the surrounding mountains and villages, with the creation of Verbier Festival Fest’Off. The aim: to reach out to everyone, to breathe extra life into the Verbier resort and enable festival-goers to explore more of the Val de Bagnes region.

By 2000, the Festival was cruising along. It was in this context that the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra was formed: an orchestra of 120 young musicians, which is the Festival’s orchestra in residence and gives young musicians an opportunity to work with the greatest conductors and soloists of the time. James Levine became Conductor Laureate of the Orchestra.

To respond to the Festival’s continued growth, its structure went through some changes in October 2005, losing its status as an association and becoming a foundation presided over by Georges Gagnebin.

In 2006, two new projects were added to the Verbier Festival’s activities: Discovery and Amateur Chamber Music Week. Discovery offers conferences and discussions for adults and creative and musical activities for younger audience members. Amateur Chamber Music Week is an opportunity for passionate and talented amateurs to meet up and play chamber music, benefiting from the advice of top-level professionals.

In 2009, the bank UBS withdrew its financial support for the Foundation which managed the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra and the UBS Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. The Verbier Festival became responsible for these orchestras, and they became its new “Pôle d’excellence”. Charles Dutoit was appointed Music Director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra, supported by Conductor Laureate James Levine. Gábor Takács-Nagy was appointed Music Director of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra.

Year on year, the Verbier Festival offers an increasingly varied programme and a growing number of concerts. Audience members can fill their entire days with music starting with a concert in the Verbier Church at 11.00 am, and then in the evening they can choose between the concert at 7.00 pm in the Salle des Combins or the concert at 8.00 pm in the Church. In addition to this, they can attend a multitude of free activities, such as the Verbier Festival Academy masterclasses and concerts, the Verbier Festival Fest’Off activities and Verbier Festival Discovery. Outside of the Festival period, there are also winter concerts and events in the Val de Bagnes.

In 2010, the Verbier Festival begins a new and exciting phase in its development. The Festival is moving from Médran, where a major hotel complex is to be built. The new Festival site is near the entrance to the resort, beside the Sports Centre: a bigger site, with easier access and a magnificent view of the glaciers.

In addition, the Verbier Festival takes up residence in a new hall, the Salle des Combins, offering considerable improvements to audience and artists, the result of an ambitious joint project led by the Commune de Bagnes and the Festival.

“In just a few years, the Verbier Festival has built up a reputation for quality, youth and frenetic artistic activity. We are proud regularly to welcome artists who are well-known all round the world, who so enjoy coming to play for us,” says Martin T:son Engstroem. And this reputation would not be denied by the musicians, most of whom come back year after year. Musicians such as Mischa Maisky, Maxim Vengerov, Renaud Capuçon, Hélène Grimaud, Martha Argerich, Evgeny Kissin or Yuri Bashmet, who have been turning up regularly since 1994!