OBERWALLISER VOKALENSEMBLE

Founded in 1981 by Hansruedi Kämpfen, the Oberwalliser Vokalensemble (OVE) is today one of Switzerland’s most renowned vocal ensembles. For over forty years, its founder has served as artistic director with a passion and standard of excellence that have never wavered. At the Verbier Festival, he has shared the preparation of OVE for several years with Valais choir conductor Cyrille Nanchen, who is now active on the international stage and previously served as his assistant during his studies.

In its regular form, OVE currently brings together 40 singers, primarily from Upper Valais or other regions of the canton. The Oberwalliser Vokalensemble is distinguished by its flexible formation, allowing it to tackle an extremely vast repertoire, from early music to major symphonic works for choir and orchestra. The ensemble is one of the few Swiss vocal ensembles to systematically collaborate with professional section leaders. This approach guarantees exceptional musical quality while providing amateur singers with a particularly demanding working environment.

Within the framework of the Verbier Festival in particular, OVE collaborates with a core of high-level professional singers, joining the regular members of the ensemble to create a unique lineup for the symphonic repertoire. This will notably be the case for the Carmina Burana concert under the direction of James Gaffigan, where OVE will perform in its semi-professional symphonic choir version composed of approximately 70 singers (50 professionals and 20 amateurs).

For the opening concert of the Verbier Festival 2026, OVE will consist of a slightly smaller formation than usual, as in 2025, while still blending professional and amateur singers from the region. This reduced formation nevertheless fully reflects the artistic identity and level of excellence of the ensemble, which is particularly happy to reunite with the Verbier Festival audience, with whom it has maintained a loyal and fruitful collaboration for many years.

Indeed, for more than 10 years, OVE has delighted in returning to the Verbier Festival. The current choir, prepared jointly since 2022 by Hansruedi Kaempfen and Cyrille Nanchen, has had the honor of collaborating with, among others, Fabio Luisi (Mahler 2), Sir Simon Rattle (Mahler 3), Gianandrea Noseda (Ballo in Maschera), Lahav Shani (Wozzeck), and Andrea Battistoni (Cavalleria Rusticana). Previous highlights also include Michael Tilson Thomas (Mahler 3), Zubin Mehta (Mahler 2), and Jesús López Cobos (Falstaff).

OVE has also performed on the stages of other renowned Swiss festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, the Zermatt Festival, the Tibor Varga Festival, and the Sion Festival, under the direction of Hansruedi Kaempfen, Marcus Creed, or Ton Koopman.

The renewal of generations is ensured thanks to the Singschule Oberwallis, founded in 1994 by Hansruedi Kämpfen, which he still directs today. This singing school has become a reference in Switzerland for the training of young singers and allows many talents to later join OVE or other high-level ensembles. The Singschule Oberwallis has also participated in the Verbier Festival on several occasions since 2014.

In recent years, OVE has notably stood out for its original adaptations of major oratorios and secular works for choir and chamber orchestra. These projects include the world premiere of a new version of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, created in collaboration with CHAARTS Chamber Artists, which generated great interest. This season, at the Verbier Festival 2026, the ensemble will revisit this monumental work by performing Carmina Burana in its symphonic version.

The ensemble has distinguished itself on numerous occasions at international competitions, winning many “First Prizes.” Its repertoire covers a very wide stylistic range, from early music and the great works of Bach to Romantic and contemporary repertoire. Over the years, the ensemble has premiered many new works, notably by Valais composers such as Eugen Meier, Andreas Zurbriggen, and Carl Rütti, including Mysterium Montis, a vast musical fresco for double choir, soloists, and six alphorns, premiered in 2016 and greeted with enthusiasm by the audience.