The Menuhin Festival Gstaad is a music festival founded by the violinist

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...

held every summer since 1957 in the Swiss alpine town of

Gstaad Gstaad ( ; ) is a town in the German-speaking section of the Canton of Bern in southwestern Switzerland. It is part of the municipality of Saanen and is known as a major ski resort and a popular destination amongst high society and the internatio ...

, after being asked by the director of tourism to "enhance the summer season with some concerts". The Menuhin family settled in Gstaad in 1957, the year of the first Menuhin Festival Gstaad. It now consists of more than 50 concerts over a period of seven weeks, with a vast array of famous soloists and ensembles alike. In 2012, it was held between Friday, 20 July and 8 September. Although Gstaad is the main focus of activities, many events take place in other venues in the

Bernese Oberland The Bernese Oberland ( en, Bernese Highlands, german: Berner Oberland; gsw, Bärner Oberland; french: Oberland bernois), the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern, is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context ...

. In 2012, the first concert was a recital by British violinist

Julia Fischer Julia Fischer (born 15 June 1983) is a German classical violinist and pianist.Saanen Saanen (french: Gessenay; Highest Alemannic German, Highest Alemannic: ''Saanä'') is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Obersimment ...

. Other prominent soloists include pianist

András Schiff Sir András Schiff (; born 21 December 1953) is a Hungarian-born British classical pianist and conductor, who has received numerous major awards and honours, including the Grammy Award, Gramophone Award, Mozart Medal, and Royal Academy of Musi ...

, soprano

Cecilia Bartoli Cecilia Bartoli, Cavaliere OMRI (; born 4 June 1966) is an Italian coloratura mezzo-soprano opera singer and recitalist. She is best known for her interpretations of the music of Bellini, Handel, Mozart, Rossini and Vivaldi, as well as for her ...

, and cellist

Sol Gabetta Sol Gabetta (born 18 April 1981) is an Argentine cellist. The daughter of Andrés Gabetta and Irène Timacheff-Gabetta, she has French and Russian ancestry. Her brother Andrés is a baroque violinist. Career Gabetta began to learn violin at ...

References

Classical music festivals in Switzerland {{music-festival-stub