The Verbier Festival Orchestra (VFO) is a rite of passage for today’s exceptional young orchestra musicians. It has brought together rising talents with the foremost conductors and soloists of our time for more then 20 years, earning it the reputation as one of the best training orchestras on the planet.
The VFO includes 95 musicians aged 18 to 28 who receive intensive coaching by players from the world’s top orchestras. These mentors prepare the musicians for three weeks of rehearsals and concerts led by some of the world’s most distinguished conductors. VFO alumni have gone on to join leading orchestras around the world, including Berlin, Israel, New York and Vienna Philharmonics, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Tonhalle Orchester Zürich.
apply
Applications open: 10 October 2023
Application deadline: 18 January 2024
Fee: USD 70
programme dates
2 July – 5 August 2024
includes arrival and departure dates
how to apply
Applications to the Verbier Festival Orchestra programme are accepted by Video Audition.
Please read the guidelines at the following link before beginning your application and before sending any questions to the Verbier Festival Team.
guidelinesrepertoire
The VFO performs six concerts during the 2024 Verbier Festival. Repertoire highlights include:
GUSTAV MAHLER
Symphonies No. 3 and No. 5
OTTORINO RESPIGHI
Fontane di Roma
Feste Romane
Pini di Roma
RICHARD STRAUSS
Don Quixote Op. 35
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
The Nutcracker Op. 71 (Act II)
conductors / mentors
Charles Dutoit
Klaus Mäkelä
Antonio Pappano
Vassily Petrenko
Simon Rattle
Lahav Shani
coaches
In preparation for work with the orchestra’s distinguished guest conductors, VFO musicians receive intensive coaching from players from the world’s top orchestras. Coaches for 2024 will be announced soon. The 2023 coaches were:
Derrick Inouye preparatory conductor
Assistant Conductor, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Liviu Prunaru violin
Concertmaster, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Kirill Terentiev violin
Concertmaster, Staatsorchester Rheinische
Désirée Elsevier viola
Ancienne Membre, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
Joël Marosi cello
Soloist, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
Maren Reck double bass
Soloist, Malmö Symphony Orchestra
Dieter Flury flute
Former Soloist, Wiener Philharmoniker
Marc Lachat oboe
Soloist, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Olivier Patey clarinet
Soloist, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Lola Descours bassoon
Soloist, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Stefan de Leval Jezierski horn
Former High Horn, Berliner Philharmoniker
Giuliano Sommerhalder trumpet
Soloist, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Niall Keatley trumpet
Co-soloist, BBC Symphony Orchestra / Troisième trompette, London Symphony Orchestra
Filipe Alves trombone
Soloist, Staatskapelle Berlin
Sarah Verrue harp
Soloist, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich
Fedor Khandrikov percussion
Timpanist, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra
Christoph Bacher Alexander Technique
Coach, Barenboim-Said Akademie
