Media Release

April 20, 2023 — VERBIER (Switzerland) — UNLTD today announced the line-up of it Summer 2023 programme, featuring a diverse line-up of artists across musical genres:

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, Harry Baker, Catherine d’Oex, ensemble transmusica feat. Merve Akyildiz, I Giardini, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Paul Lay, Jonathan Leibovitz, Nola Kin, Dinu Mihailescu, Pedja Mužijevic, Quatuor Agate, Mari Samuelsen, Francesco Tristano, Ayanna Witter Johnson, Wooden Elephant, as well as musicians of the Verbier Festival Academy and Orchestras.

The programme, presented across eight themes, runs in parallel to and complements the 30th edition of the Verbier Festival from July 14 to 30, 2023. It includes more than 80 free and affordable events for audiences of all ages.

CONCERT CLUB

From Second Viennese School to Old School

Located in an intimate cabaret setting, these performances—whether classical, jazz, electro, burlesque or any combination thereof—invite audiences to open their minds to new sounds, new ideas and to meet original, innovative and whimsical musical personalities in an environment that is casual, up-close and personal. Concerts take place from July 15 to 29 at Taratata Verbier.

Highlights: Opening Weekend

Wooden Elephant —  Björk Homogenic
Saturday July 15, 10 pm

Wooden Elephant is a contemporary classical string quintet that reimagines classic electronic-based albums and presents them as totally acoustic, longform contemporary classical concert works. The ensemble performs a striking interpretation of Björk’s avant-garde pop classic album, Homogenic, at the Concert Club.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason + Harry Baker
Sunday July 16, 10 pm

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason teams up with jazz pianist-composer Harry Baker for an evening that truly breaks the mold, featuring classical favourites, popular songs, jazz standards, and improvisations—a fresh take on everything from Bach to Herbie Hancock.

EXHALE

Activities based on well-being and nature-discovery through music:  musical sunrise atop majestic Mont-Fort; guided musical hikes high above Verbier; yoga, healing and meditation sessions through music; open-air musical storytelling at dusk.

hoplà

Free day-long concert en montagne

UNLTD presents a free day-long concert on green of La Chaux from 11 am to 5 pm on July 22.
Event Partners: Alpian and Téléverbier

Line-up:

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band
mysterious steel pan funk by founding members of Mighty Mocambos

Recomposed by Max Richter : Vivaldi, The Four Seasons feat. Mari Samuelsen
classical music’s most famous work with a side of synth

Ayanna Witter-Johnson
the very definition of eclectic soul

ensemble transmusica feat. Merve Akyildiz
urban Middle Eastern fusion

Nola Kin
Montreux Jazz Swiss Rising Talent Artist

ideaLAB

A meeting place for reflection on the future of music, ideaLab offers a series of conversations between the public and personalities who make the music world move: the future of concert curation; advances in audio technology; musicology meets augmented reality; launch of Gabriel Prokofiev’s latest album Pastoral 21 on the Signum label.

KiDs

An extensive programme of activities for children aged 1 to 12 (and their parents too).  UNLTD Kids try out musical instruments, have fun discovering the lives of composers, learn what it takes to be an opera diva, and even gain VIP access to Verbier Festival events by learning the basics of how to attend, listen and watch a concert or masterclass. Popular French duo Sabine Quindou and Sébastien Zaoui introduce young audiences to Beethoven and Gershwin.

MAINSTAGE PRE-CONCERT

UNLTD’s team of musicologists, music journalists and musicians offer free and informative talks and interviews for English- and French-speaking audiences prior to most Verbier Festival Mainstage concerts at Salle des Combins.

OFF THE RECORD

Verbier Festival and UNLTD artists and guest musical personalities spin and talk about their favourite records from the world of popular music during two curated vinyl listening sessions.

Discover the entire UNLTD programme online at unltd.verbierfestival.com. Tickets are now available.

UNLTD is a creative lab that shakes up how we experience music by sparking curiosity and connecting generations.

The Verbier Festival is a classical music festival based in Switzerland that encourages sharing between great musicians and young aspiring artists from around the world. It is committed to excellence in music performance and education through its highly respected artistic programme, its Academy and Orchestra programmes, and UNLTD, its creative laboratory.

The 30th edition of the Verbier Festival will place July 14 to 30, 2023 in Verbier (Switzerland). The Festival and UNLTD are made possible with the generous support of many private and public sponsors, including Aline Foriel-Destezet, the Association of the Friends of the Verbier Festival, the Commune de Val de Bagnes and through partnerships with Anniversary Sponsor Rolex and Principal Sponsors Bank Julius Baer and SICPA.

Contacts