"Milestones" in Ernen
The music village of Ernen is celebrating its 50th concert season this year.
Almost 25 years have passed since the Music village Ernen without its founder, the Hungarian pianist and phenomenal pedagogue György Sebök (1922-1999), continued to flourish. Sebök's master classes from 1974 and the Festival of the Future from 1987 play an important role in his life's work and laid the foundations for today's Festival Musikdorf Ernen. Some 25 years later, the festival is celebrating its 50th concert season. The motto is "Milestones". It refers to both the annual program with its national and international artists and the works performed. The Chiaroscuro Quartet, for example, can be heard in seven concerts with works ranging from Purcell to Schubert, as can promising young ensembles from Basel such as the Spirea Quartet with music by Rudolf Kelterborn or the Zeitgeist Trio with bagatelles by this year's Composer in Residence, Helena Winkelman, whose Ghost songs will be premiered.
Handover already planned
According to the program, there were seven milestones that led the festival to its current heyday: the successful continuation of the music village by the association, courageous investments in premises, the purchase of its own instruments, increasing numbers of association members, overcoming crises, important impulses from personalities such as Donna Leon or Sir András Schiff and finally the regulated succession. After a transitional period, Jonathan Inniger will take over the overall artistic direction from the current artistic director Francesco Walter in 2026.
The this year's season began on June 4 and will conclude with a New Year's Eve concert on December 30.
