Maestro!
Dear Public,
With its three orchestras, the Verbier Festival offers a symphonic programme of the highest level every year. Whether already professionals in the VF Chamber Orchestra or joining our training ensembles this summer (VFO and Junior Orchestra), all these musicians share the same goal: to be guided by an inspiring conductor who will broaden their musical horizons and push them to give their very best at every moment.
To achieve this, only the world’s finest conductors will do, and they will be here this summer. Here are the first five Maestros who will light up the opening days of this 33rd edition.
The Verbier Festival Team.
Esa-Pekka Salonen
VFO
Fri. 17.07 | 18:30 | Combins
Esa-Pekka Salonen will make his long-awaited return to Verbier. Regarded as one of today’s finest conductors of 20th-century music, he will open this 33rd edition with a spectacular programme: Messiaen’s monumental Turangalîla-Symphonie, premiered by Leonard Bernstein in 1949, followed by the grand finale of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, performed by mezzo-soprano Michele De Young.
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Gábor Takács-Nagy
VFCO
Sat. 18.07 | Tue. 21.07
The charismatic conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy, Music Director of the VFCO, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, will launch the festivities on 18 July with Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Joining him are Johanna and Rebecka Wallroth, sisters in life as in opera, baritone Konstantin Krimmel and the incomparable Bryn Terfel. On 21 July, enjoy a Slavic-inspired programme led by the Hungarian conductor, featuring Dvořák’s famous New World Symphony.
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Simon Rattle
VFO & VFCO
Mon. 20.07 | Fri. 24.07
One of the highlights of the 2026 edition: the return of Simon Rattle, mentor to an entire generation of musicians and undoubtedly one of the most beloved artists amongst audiences for the past 40 years. From Birmingham to Berlin, London and now Munich, the maestro captivates with his infectious generosity and curiosity for lesser-known repertoire. The programme he is bringing to Verbier on July 20 is a perfect example, with Ligeti’s Atmosphères and Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben. The 24 July programme is equally compelling, with Simon Rattle in his element conducting Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, with Magdalena Kožená and Gerald Finley.
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James Gaffigan
VFJO
Sun. 19.07 | Sat. 25.07 | Sun. 02.08
James Gaffigan, Music Director of the VF Junior Orchestra, which brings together the finest musicians of their generation (aged 15 to 18), has just been appointed Director of the prestigious Houston Opera. This summer, the American conductor will return to lead his VFJO on three occasions: on 19 July with Janine Jansen for the spectacular Violin Concerto No. 1 by Shostakovich, on 25 July for Orff’s famous Carmina Burana, and on 2 August for Verdi’s La Traviata, closing the work of the Academy’s excellent Atelier Lyrique.
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Daniel Harding
VFO
Thu. 23.07 | 18:30 | Combins
Daniel Harding first captured the public’s attention at just 21, stepping in at the last minute for his mentor Simon Rattle. Since then, he has enjoyed an exemplary career leading the world’s greatest orchestras, while finding time to continue his work as a pilot! Every appearance by Daniel Harding at Verbier is a celebration, and we are thrilled to welcome him back on 23 July alongside his long-time friends Bryn Terfel and Joshua Bell for a vibrant programme, including the irresistible Fiddler on the Roof.
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