Klosters Music is set to launch a major new violin-focused initiative in 2027, bringing together world-leading makers, musicians and researchers for a week-long programme exploring the history, science and future of violin making through performance, scholarship and craftsmanship
From 2027, Klosters Music will broaden its artistic profile to include the annual Klosters Music Violin Summit, a new international initiative dedicated to the study, preservation and future of violin making. Integrated into the Swiss festival, the Summit will bring together luthiers, musicians, researchers and students in a setting that combines performance, scholarship and craftsmanship.
The first Summit will take place from 2 to 6 of August 2027 in Klosters. For centuries, the region’s forests have provided exceptional tonewood prized by instrument makers, creating a unique connection between nature, craftsmanship and musical culture that continues to shape the identity of Klosters Music.
Each edition will focus on a single exceptional historical string instrument as the centrepiece of a week of interdisciplinary exchange. Through advanced digital documentation and scientific analysis, the featured instrument will be explored from historical, acoustical and material perspectives, creating new knowledge while contributing to the preservation of important instruments and traditional craftsmanship.
The inaugural edition will be dedicated to the c.1744 ‘Sainton’ violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, played by Arabella Steinbacher during the festival. The instrument will form the basis for research into provenance, construction, acoustics and conservation, while also exploring developments in wood science, restoration and sustainable materials.
The Summit comprises three core elements: an international symposium, a violin-making academy and an international violin-making competition. The symposium will bring together specialists in organology, conservation, acoustics, material science and violin-making history. The academy, developed in partnership with the Swiss School of Violin Making in Brienz, will offer an open workshop where students work alongside distinguished professors and master makers, focusing on individual structural components rather than complete instruments.
Lastly, the international competition will invite participants to create copies inspired by the featured historical instrument. Judged by the International Art & Scientific Committee, the completed instruments will be exhibited before selected examples are presented in concert by internationally acclaimed violinists, including Arabella Steinbacher and Vilde Frang.
The initiative was conceived by Christoph Müller, artistic director-designate of Klosters Music and vice president of the Stradivarius Foundation Habisreutinger-Huggler-Coray. It is being developed in collaboration with Balthazar Soulier, an internationally renowned violin maker, restorer and expert in historical string instruments. As scientific curator, he chairs the International Art & Scientific Committee, comprising leading performers, luthiers and academic specialists. The Committee serves as the jury for the international competition and provides advice on the Summit’s artistic and scientific programme.
By bringing together scientific research, traditional craftsmanship and live performance within an established international festival, the Klosters Music Violin Summit aims to create a new platform for collaboration between performers, makers, scholars, collectors and audiences while contributing to the future of violin making as a living cultural tradition.
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