Throughout the Saanenland and the Pays-d’Enhaut, the Gstaad New Year Music Festival has delighted audiences for two decades with world-class artists, often surprising them with names rarely heard elsewhere, and has secured its place in the history of music and festivals with pride and boldness. To celebrate this milestone, a rich and ambitious programme of concerts will illuminate the region until 11 January, featuring classical music, opera recitals, dance performances, a jazz series, and much more.

A few highlights not to be missed:

1 & 10 January Free New Year’s Concert in Rougemont with the Swiss mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti, and a free concert on 10 January in Saanen with pianist Elizabeth Sombart, featuring Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos. 21 and 23. A gift to the community and an open invitation to experience the festival without barriers. Perfect for families, new listeners, and anyone wishing to start the year with music.

2 January The concert Lovers Forever Arias will bring together Anastasia Bartoli and Michael Spyres. The programme will feature arias and duets by composers such as Rossini (Una voce poco fa, Largo al factotum), Verdi (Parigi o cara), and Puccini (O soave fanciulla), as well as works by Lehár. The concert will showcase the richness and diversity of the lyrical repertoire of love!

3 January Soprano Asmik Grigorian, in demand at all major festivals, will interpret great romantic opera arias by Puccini (Un bel dì vedremo, Vissi d’arte), Tchaikovsky (The Letter Scene), Dvořák (Song to the Moon), and Verdi (Vieni t’affretta), in which the voice becomes the vessel of intense dramatic tension.

4 January Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński and pianist Michał Biel present Love and Fairies, a programme ranging from the Baroque to early Romanticism, with works by Bach, Handel and Purcell, interweaving nature and imagination.

8 January Golda Schultz: Broadway Meets Classical. For newcomers and connoisseurs alike, Schultz blends the warmth of Musicals with the opulence of opera in a joyful and generous program featuring Gershwin, Broadway classics, and a selection of beloved arias.

Concerts take place daily, sometimes twice a day, in the superb acoustics of Saanen, Gstaad, Lauenen, Rougemont, and Château-d’Oex’s churches.

Full programme online: gstaadnewyearmusicfestival.com
Concerts are free for young people aged 25 or under.