Music has been a big part of your life from a young age. What impact has music – and especially jazz – had on you personally?
I was a member of the Zurich Boys’ Choir or “Sängerknaben” when I was younger. I was encouraged to perform as a soloist from an early age and that had an enormous impact on me. I also come from a musical family; art and culture were a big part of my life at home. When I was six years old, my father started playing jazz records to me. I was always impressed by the improvisation and freedom inherent in that style of music. At first, I wanted to become a jazz pianist but I found that I was better equipped for a singing and acting role, which is why I became an opera singer. But jazz remained close to my heart; it is one of my passions.
What first inspired you to create the Festival da Jazz in 2007 and why is St. Moritz the perfect location for it?
To be honest, I would say that the festival simply “happened”. I never had a great plan in life. During my university vacation in 2004, a renowned hotelier asked me if I wanted to “do something cool” in the old wine cellar at Hotel Kronenhof, and we began to hold lots of jazz concerts. Before we knew it, a few simple concerts had suddenly evolved into a jazz festival! It then all came together when I was looking for a new venue and met with Gunter and Rolf Sachs. I only knew about the “Dracula’s Ghost Riders Club” from what I had read in the press. Twenty years on – as a member of the Dracula Club and also as Mayor of St. Moritz – I know that jazz and St. Moritz complement each other perfectly. You couldn’t find a better match.
The Festival consistently attracts a world-class line-up of musicians. How do you curate the programme to ensure you achieve a perfect blend of local and international artists and of global stars and emerging talent?
The first thing I always say is that the line-up must also appeal to me! After all, I spend one whole month each year in the Club and I have been doing so for the last two decades! It is important to have some variation. I get bored easily. I always think: If someone really wants to buy a ticket to the Festival every single evening, then that person deserves to be offered a perfect range of jazz. I am taking about traditional components paired with new and surprising elements. It is about daring to experiment. Curating a festival is like creating a complete work of art – and it has to come from the heart.
You have pioneered a “Next Generation” movement, both for St. Moritz and also as a strand of the Festival. Why is it so important for this event to provide a platform for the next generation of talent?
I have to admit that I am a big fan of the jazz stars “of yesterday” and we have been able to bring many of them back on stage at the Festival. Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Chick Corea and Dave Grusin are just a few examples. That said, there has to be a tomorrow and there is plenty of young talent around the globe. Large numbers of emerging musicians apply for our Next Generation platform that includes a talent award that is well known in the relevant circles. These tend to be the most colourful evenings and they are marked by a strong sense of hope – as is only logical.
EFG is one of the main partners of the Festival this year. How do corporate partners contribute to the success of this exceptional event? In your view, what can businesses learn from jazz as an art form?
It is clear that businesses can learn from music – especially from jazz! But let’s go back to the beginning: It is to EFG’s credit that it has made jazz part of its DNA – and it has been actively supporting jazz in London for a long time. It is both a pleasure and an honour for us to now be part of the EFG jazz family. We think it is important for our corporate partners to also understand exactly what it is that we do – in other words, what jazz is and the impact it can have. When it comes to engaging with clients, then art, culture and, of course, music are all factors that bring you much closer together than sitting in a nondescript meeting room. I also never find it presumptuous when a sponsor – as the enabler – wants to see its name featured appropriately at an event. This was always the case in history. In the past, the church, the court or the king were patrons – and today, events are supported by the state or, of course, sponsors. I salute this type of cultural engagement.
If you could choose any artist, living or dead, to perform at the Festival, who would it be and why?
Can I name more than one? If so, I would say Miles Davis and Horace Silver.
As the Festival continues to grow, what is your long-term vision for its future? How can you remain true to the idea behind its creation – with the focus on delivering performances in unique and often smaller venues – while opening it up to a wider audience?
The more I look at the world, the more I think that you have to either be the biggest or the smallest of your kind. We are the latter – a “boutique” event. There is no other festival in the world where you get so close to the stars – it is like having a fireside seat in a living room. Afterwards, you can see the artist at the bar or perhaps even in the spa if you are staying in the same hotel and you then get talking. That is amazing. The same principle applies in business. It is all about the “art of boutique” and staying unique and believing in it.
This interview will be published in the autumn 2025 edition EFG’s InTalks magazine.