From its beginnings in 2001, the Festival of the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad has become a prominent winter rendezvous for classical music enthusiasts. Every year for nine days, this snowy shrine unites young talents, orchestras, world renowned artists, and music lovers from Switzerland and abroad in a vibrant celebration of the most beautiful pages of classical music.
The festival is built on three pillars: three concert cycles in three exceptional venues. Afternoon concerts in the Gstaad Chapel feature promising young talent in a series of concerts that all focus on the same instrument. Evening concerts in Rougemont and Saanen enchant their audience with performances by most distinguished soloists and orchestras.
A veritable winter crossroads, the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad organize after concert dinners in the Gstaad Palace for a rare gathering of artists, music-loving members of the public, and partners of the festival.
In 2002, the festival and a partner first awarded the Thierry Scherz Prize to one of the young candidates to enable them to record their first CD with the Claves Records label.
The André Hoffmann Prize was first awarded in 2013 to reward the best rendition of a piece created by the current composer in residence.