Interview with Festival Director Ombretta Ravessoud Ombretta Ravessoud, you are not only the director of the festival but also its co-founder. Do you remember how the idea for its creation came about?
Yes. Thierry Schertz felt at the time that after a day of winter sports, visitors and locals in Gstaad lacked cultural offerings. Thierry was a great music lover, and when he asked me if we should create a classical music festival together, I immediately said yes! I had a very close connection to Gstaad myself. My husband had been spending his holidays here since he was a small child, and for many years we rented a chalet on Grubenstrasse.

What is your personal connection to music? Do you play an instrument yourself?
Unfortunately, no. However, I love music and am familiar with the pieces featured in the festival program. Being able to experience them live feels like a gift.

After 25 years, have you ever felt tired of organising the festival every year?
Not at all! On the contrary, organising this festival for 25 years has been an inexhaustible source of joy and satisfaction. Seeing the artists perform on stage after a year of intense preparation is an extraordinary reward for me.

What are your responsibilities as the festival director?
Renaud Capuçon, as the artistic director, takes care of the artists and the program while I handle everything else. This includes communication, sponsorships, budget management, and contracts with the artists.

You have a close relationship with the Menuhin Festival. How does that manifest?
We work closely together. We share advertising and communication efforts, and our artistic directors, Renaud Capuçon and Daniel Hope, regularly exchange ideas. We also support each other with logistical challenges – for instance; we occasionally borrow music stands from them.

Which concert are you most looking forward to in this year’s anniversary edition?
Oh, that’s very hard to say! Perhaps the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, as I’ve never heard them live before, and the same goes for the a cappella choir Les Métaboles. Of course, I am incredibly excited to see Yo-Yo Ma in concert again, accompanied by the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne under the direction of Renaud Capuçon. It will be an exceptional moment, taking place in the unique intimacy of Saanen Church.

BASED ON AVS | SONJA WOLF

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