Immerse yourself in exceptional standards of classical music in an iconic setting at 2.222 metres above sea level! Get ready for the 20th edition of the Zermatt Music Festival, in the famous car-free alpine town, which, for many months of the year is a renowned ski resort at the foot of one of the most famous mountains in the world - the Matterhorn.
Superb classical music at Zermatt Music Festival
At Zermatt Music Festival, classical music fans are in for a treat, what with the seriously high-calibre music-makers onstage each summer, playing to-die-for works by both well-known greats such as Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn, as well as lesser-known hidden gems.
Zermatt Music Festival is a platform where pre-eminent players perform alongside up-and-coming musicians. The event is renowned for legendary figures in the classical music world on its stage, whilst the next generation is simultaneously encouraged.
Highly gifted students take part in the Zermatt Festival Academy, where they are tutored by some of the most famous musicians in the world, hailing from the Scharoun Ensemble (which consists of members of the prolific Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), performing alongside them in the Zermatt Festival Orchestra.
The main location is the Riffelalp Chapel, which is located at an impressive altitude of 2.222 metres. Other venues include the Matterhorn Museum, Pfarrkirche St. Mauritius, Backstage Hotel Vernissage and others.
The Zermatt Music Festival & Academy often collaborates with other prestigious festivals. Such examples have included cooperations with the Festival International du Film Alpin des Diablerets (FIFAD) and Zermatt Unplugged.
The backstory of Zermatt Music Festival & Academy
The famous cellist of almost legendary status, Pablo Casals, founded a chamber music festival in Zermatt in the mid-20th century, to which he invited some of the most famous and illustrious classical musicians of the day. Sadly, the festival waned as the decades passed.
In 2005, this tradition was revived when the Zermatt Music Festival and Academy was founded. Each summer, musicians from the famed Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra come to Zermatt to perform and give masterclasses to the next generation of musical talent.