Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra Residency Presented by Stanford Live in Collaboration with the Stanford Department of Music April 21-25, 2025
Stanford Live Hosts the Verbier Festival’s Historic First U.S. Residency. Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra Returns to the U.S. After 16 Years.
February 3, 2025 – Vevey (Switzerland) – Stanford Live is proud to unveil its plans for a special partnership with the prestigious Verbier Festival, one of the foremost classical music festivals in the world, located in Switzerland. This unique residency, presented by Stanford Live in collaboration with the university’s Department of Music, will feature a week-long series of events April 21-25, 2025.
This project will be an opportunity to exchange ideas, collaborate with Stanford students, engage the broader community, and foster long-term partnerships at Stanford. In keeping with the Verbier Festival’s presenting model, many of these events are open to the public, providing broader access to the artistic process and fostering a deeper connection with the community. Stanford students will have the rare opportunity to attend open rehearsals and panel discussions and work closely with Verbier musicians, exploring repertoire, refining performance techniques, and participating in masterclasses and coachings. A chronological list of events can be viewed here.
This residency reflects Stanford Live’s commitment to deep artistic engagement with Stanford students and the community at large, and alongside the aims of the Verbier Festival, enabling and nurturing the transmission of musical knowledge between generations.
“At Stanford Live, we are committed to providing Stanford students with opportunities to learn from and engage with the world’s most respected artists. The residency of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra is a perfect example of this effort—an invaluable experience to engage deeply with esteemed musicians and arts administrators from one of Europe’s most renowned classical music ensembles that will shape their own trajectories as young artists and arts leaders. This collaboration, which has come together through the dedication of everyone on both sides of the Atlantic, is a highlight of our season. We’re excited to welcome the orchestra to campus and look forward to the rich exchange of ideas and music that will take place.”
Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra
A highlight of the residency is the eagerly awaited return to the West Coast of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. A performance at Bing Concert Hall on Friday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. led by VFCO Music Director Gábor Takács-Nagy, the renowned Hungarian conductor and founder of the Takács Quartet, will be the culmination of Stanford Live’s 2024-25 season celebration of the music of Mahler and the Second Viennese School.
“The Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra’s residency will provide transformative experiences for our students, faculty, and the broader community. As Chair of the Department of Music, I am thrilled to partner with Stanford Live to embark on a new chapter that unites all the arts at Stanford. Together, we will explore a rich spectrum of topics, from classical to contemporary, fostering a cohesive and vibrant environment that showcases some of the world’s finest artists and deeply enriches the lives of our students.”
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to Albert Montañez-Sánchez, Producer of Artistic Programs at Stanford Live, and his team for making this visit possible. We are excited to perform at Stanford, and look forward to sharing our unique approach to music-making. The Verbier Festival was founded as a meeting point for gifted young musicians and world-class soloists. Nestled in the stunning alpine village of Verbier, it is a place of mutual learning, where open rehearsals and masterclasses invite the public into the creative process—an experience we look forward to continuing with students and audiences during our upcoming residency at Stanford Live.”
The Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra performance is generously supported by Stanford Medicine and David Wollenberg and The Wollenberg Foundation.
Tickets & Information
Tickets for the April 25 performance are priced between $55 and $150. Stanford student tickets are $15-$50, and youth under the age of 18 receive 50% off of regular priced tickets. Tickets may be purchased online, by phone during ticket office hours at 650.724.2464, or via the Stanford Live Ticket Office at 327 Lasuen Street, Tuesday-Friday, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Prices are subject to change. Click here to buy tickets.
About Stanford Live
Stanford Live presents a wide range of the finest performances from around the world, fostering a vibrant learning community and providing distinctive experiences through the performing arts. With its home at Bing Concert Hall and Frost Amphitheater, Stanford Live draws on the breadth and depth of Stanford University to connect performance to the significant issues, ideas, and discoveries of our time. Stanford Live includes a wealth of collaborators and partners, including Stanford academic departments and individual faculty members, Stanford students, off-campus arts institutions, and community organizations. Crucially, Stanford Live supports the university’s focus on placing the arts at the heart of a Stanford education.
About the Verbier Festival
The Verbier Festival is an international classical music event that takes place each summer in the mountain town of Verbier, Switzerland. The Festival’s mission is to build a community of exchange between great masters and young artists from all over the world and to be a leader in its field by providing meaningful music education programs.
The Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra is the Verbier Festival’s worldwide ambassador. Founded in 2005 and considered one of the top chamber orchestras in the world, the VFCO is made up of alumni of the Verbier Festival who also hold positions in leading international ensembles. The orchestra’s open-minded and generous approach to music-making conveys an energy and joy that connects directly to the spirit and intentions of the composers they perform. The VFCO gathers each summer in Verbier and throughout the year for touring projects around the world with leading artists.
For local press tickets and further information about the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra Residency at Stanford Live, please contact:
Stanford Live:
You You Xia
+1 917.209.0042
yyxia@stanford.edu
National PR inquiries (USA):
Milina Barry PR
+1 212.420.0200
mbprnews@gmail.com
