Culture center to replace festival tent?

Gone could be the days when attending the Menuhin Festival could be mistaken for a camping trip. At least that's what the group Les Arts Gstaad want. Formed by Stephan Jaggi, Markus Kappeler-Steffen, Michael Krethlow and Reto Sorg, they have initiated a feasibility study on an inter-regional culture centre, and are lobbying for cantonal funds. By hosting music, theatre and permanent exhibitions, the new venue would provide a permanent roof for Gstaad's culture scene. And the tent would be history.

Above: Will the festival tent soon be a distant memory? Have your say...

Does Gstaad really need a concert hall ?  Yehudi Menuhin certainly thought so - and he had to make do with the tent. Audiences are hardly in short supply, and the hottest names of the current classical music scene keep coming back to the Gtaad stage. But how credible is to host world class music events in a tent whose acoustics are reliant in part on the weather...we've all seen it... a sudden downpour of rain providing an impromptu drum beat, or the steady roar of the Saane from the mountain torrents resulting from a couple days of rain. Not to mention that the musicians themselves are often to be found alternately sweating or shivering as our valley's temperature fluctuates with the arrival and departure of summer storms. What do you think...time for a new venue? Have your say by posting a comment below, or vote in our latest poll!