Cancellation of the 64th edition of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy – «WIEN»
For the first time in our 64-year history, we are forced to cancel all concerts, academies and other events of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy scheduled for next summer.
On 29 April, the Federal Council banned major events with more than 1,000 visitors until the end of August 2020. While this measure makes it impossible to hold concerts in the Gstaad Festival Tent, the pandemic is also having an impact on the other concerts planned in the magnificent churches in the Saanenland and Pays-d'Enhaut. We expect hygiene and travel restrictions to continue, and cannot in anyway permit any risk of contamination.
From the point of view of both the Board of Directors and the Festival Management, it is therefore no longer possible to guarantee that concerts will be held this summer under optimal conditions. The entire Festival team had been hoping until now to be able to share with its audience the magical moments that have made the reputation of the event. Today, however, we must acknowledge the Federal Council's irrevocable decision, which we both understand and regret.
A large number of visitors, friends, academy students and sponsors were delighted with the concerts and courses planned for the summer of 2020 under the sign of «WIEN». As we are convinced that we have raised a lot of expectations with this programme, we will endeavour to reschedule as many concerts as possible from this promising selection to the summer of 2022. Discussions are already underway with soloists, orchestras, choirs and conductors to enable us to invite you once on a journey to Vienna as part of the 2022 Festival with the theme «WIEN – BEETHOVEN DELAYED». We are confident that this will come to fruition.
The Board of Trustees and the Festival Management are now facing a great challenge: to minimise the financial losses that threaten the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy in 2020, so that we can once a gain offer stability to our guests and partners in 2021. They are counting on the strong tradition of the Festival and the long-standing support of its visitors, friends and partners.
Active since June 2017, our platform www.gstaaddigitalfestival.ch continues - and will continue in the coming months – to offer you, free of charge, new Festival-related content.
In the meantime, we will analyse the possibilities of musical interaction in the analogue and digital environment. We are going to work to implement the adopted ideas. It goes without saying that we will continue to keep you up to date with our activities via our communication channels.
Information about ticket refund is available here:
Saanen, 01.05.2020