Verbier Festival to launch Winter Asian Chapter in Shenzhen, China 2026

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6 August 2025 – Verbier (Switzerland) – The Verbier Festival, one of the world’s premiere classical music events, is embarking upon a historic expansion beyond the Swiss Alps. — A strategic move reflecting Asia’s remarkable ascent as a classical music destination. With its robust arts education systems, thriving consumer market, and growing artistic influence, the region is full of extraordinary potential for further growth. It was this potential that inspired Verbier Festival Founder & Co-CEO Martin T:son Engstroem and Wu Promotion´s Co-Founder and President Jiatong Wu to jointly develop the ‘Verbier Festival in Asia’ concept. After careful evaluation of multiple candidate cities, Shenzhen emerged as the ideal partner.The Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports, the Longgang District People’s Government of Shenzhen Municipality, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Verbier Festival and Wu Promotion are delighted to announce that the Verbier Festival will make its Asian debut in Shenzhen in late January 2026. This pioneering initiative establishes a ‘Summer in Verbier, Winter in Shenzhen’ partnership, with Shenzhen becoming the festival’s first host city outside Switzerland – a meaningful cultural milestone as China and Switzerland celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2025. The festival aims to create a premium cultural experience for Asian audiences while enhancing Shenzhen’s reputation as a global arts hub.

The inaugural 2026  “Verbier Festival in Shenzhen” will run for ten days, from 30 January to 8 February 2026, presenting over 25 concerts and events. The festival will feature an exceptional roster of artists including Martha Argerich, Lang Lang, Joshua Bell, Mischa Maisky, Janine Jansen, Mikhail Pletnev, Gautier Capuçon, Bryn Terfel, Bruce Liu, Daniel Lozakovich, Alexander Malofeev, Marc Bouchkov, Timothy Ridout, Daniel Blendulf and more. These artists in special collaborations promise unforgettable performances.

Reflecting Verbier’s commitment to nurturing young talent, the festival will offer masterclasses, one-on-one mentoring, and interactive sessions with world-famous musicians, providing emerging artists from Asia and beyond with unparalleled learning opportunities over the initial three-year period in Shenzhen. Beyond the stage, the festival will engage the wider community through public workshops, educational programs, and partnerships with local institutions, enriching Shenzhen’s cultural landscape.Select highlight performances during the festival will take place at the Shenzhen Longgang International Arts Centre, a new cultural landmark scheduled for completion and opening by late 2025. This state-of-the-art venue will feature cutting-edge intelligent systems and avant-garde artistic spatial configurations, providing a world-class platform for festival performances. Additionally, the Shenzhen Concert Hall – already familiar to and beloved by many artists – will serve as another principal venue.

At the heart of the festival will be the world-renowned Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra as orchestra-in-residence with Music Director Gábor Takács-Nagy, performing six concerts. 

“As China’s most innovative and vibrant international metropolis, Shenzhen boasts world-class cultural facilities, a strategic location with influence radiating across Southeast Asia, and profound Lingnan cultural heritage. The city harmoniously blends urban dynamism with ecological sustainability, while cutting-edge technology converges with cultural innovation, vividly embodying contemporary China’s open and inclusive civilization.
The Verbier Festival, a globally renowned classical music IP from Switzerland, has over its 30-year history exemplified “artistic education leadership + international influence”—a vision that aligns perfectly with Shenzhen’s vision to become a “technology pioneer + new engine for cultural development”. In January 2026, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports, along with the Longgang District People’s Government, will collaborate with the Verbier Festival to bring this prestigious event to Shenzhen, Guangdong. This initiative will create a high-end artistic lifestyle for classical music enthusiasts across Asia, positioning “Verbier Festival in Shenzhen” as a new platform for Sino-Swiss cultural exchange and fostering mutual appreciation between the two civilizations.”
Zhongyuan Ding, Deputy Director of Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports

“Since our first visit in 2003, we have established a presence in China through many orchestral tours, and a whole generation of young Chinese musicians have been educated and performed at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.
Now is finally the moment to bring a full presentation of the Verbier Festival to Asia. The great artists who have made Verbier what it is over the past 32 years now come to Shenzhen to share their extraordinary performances and collaborations. The Verbier Festival has always been more than outstanding concerts, it’s about creating a community which fosters the transmission of musical knowledge between generations and where life-long friendships are built.
We are very grateful to the Shenzhen Government for their support and long-term vision to bring this project to realisation. I am personally grateful to my friend Jiatong Wu, who through heroic efforts has built the bridges of cultural exchange for the last 30 years. Taking the Verbier Festival to Shenzhen in 2026 is a landmark moment in our partnership with Wu Promotion, and we look forward to continuing the collaboration for many years to come.”
Martin T:son Engstroem, Founder and Co-CEO, Verbier Festival

“So many years of friendship, and so many ventures envisioned together with the same passion for great music. In this moment I am proud to embark alongside Martin Engstroem on another milestone- the presentation in Shenzhen of the Verbier Festival in Asia in 2026 with the support of the Shenzhen Government.
Shenzhen, a pioneer in several areas like market economy reform, technological innovation, and as a global manufacturing hub, proves again to be an ideal location for a successful cultural event.
Previous turning points have marked the 30-year history of Wu Promotion, like the residencies of the Berliner Philharmoniker and Lucerne Festival among others. I am truly grateful now, hand in hand with Martin, to launch this extraordinary project which offers such meaningful opportunities to the young generations and music lovers in Asia. We warmly welcome everyone to the Verbier Festival in Shenzhen 2026!”
Jiatong Wu, Founder and President, Wu Promotion“We are truly honoured to be one of the venues hosting the first Asian edition of the Verbier Festival. More than just a series of concerts, this festival is Shenzhen’s invitation to the world through music. The sounds of world-class musicians will fill the Shenzhen Concert Hall, and this shared passion will bring together audiences from across the globe, creating a cross-border musical dialogue. Let’s gather at Shenzhen Concert Hall and witness the brilliance of Verbier!”
Xiaolan Guo, General Manager of Shenzhen Concert Hall

“Welcome to Shenzhen Longgang! The Longgang International Arts Center looks forward to your arrival. This high-tech art palace will bring you a refreshing and immersive art experience!”
Weinan Luo, Deputy Director of Longgang Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports

As a professional cultural institution with extensive international expertise, Wu Promotion served as the crucial bridge in facilitating multi-party collaboration and driving project implementation, transforming this transnational artistic vision into reality.

A press conference will be held in Shenzhen in autumn 2025 to announce the full program and ticketing details for the inaugural “Verbier Festival in Shenzhen.”

About the Verbier FestivalThe Verbier Festival is an international classical music event that takes place each summer in the mountain town of Verbier, Switzerland. Founded in 1994, the Festival’s mission is to build a community of exchange between great masters and young artists from all over the world and to be a leader in its field by providing meaningful music education programmes.