Menuhin Festival - world-class music + wine in a ski village since 1957

How to Complete

3 steps to experience this fully

1. 📜 1

   Find Where Yehudi Menuhin, Britten, and Pears Started a Festival in 1957

   history Free

   Legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin founded this festival in 1957 with composer Benjamin Britten, tenor Peter Pears, and cellist Maurice Gendron. They held 2 concerts in St. Mauritius Church in Saanen village (next to Gstaad) — this 15th-century Gothic church built 1444-1447. Now it's grown to 50+ concerts over 7 weeks every summer. Walk to the church entrance and look for the Menuhin Festival historical plaque, then ask locals in Saanen: 'Do you remember when Menuhin was here?' Many older residents saw him perform live.

   🔄 BACKUP: Visit the festival office in Gstaad (summer only) or check gstaadmenuhinfestival.ch for archives with photos of Menuhin, Britten, Pears in this exact church.

   🍷 Log Memory
2. ⛰️ 2

   Attend a Concert Where Music Echoes Off 580-Year-Old Stone

   adventure $$$

   World-class musicians perform in this intimate 15th-century church with acoustics shaped by Gothic stone arches and 1470 frescoes. Buy tickets for any concert at St. Mauritius Church (July 16-Sept 5, 2026) at gstaadmenuhinfestival.ch — popular concerts sell out. Arrive 30 minutes early to study the frescoes, sit near the middle for best acoustics where the stone reflects sound beautifully. You're hearing the same space Menuhin, Britten, and Pears chose because the sound is PERFECT.

   🔄 BACKUP: If church concerts are sold out, attend performances at other festival venues (Gstaad Church, Palace Hotel).

   🍷 Log Memory
3. 🍷 3

   Pair Classical Music With Swiss Wine at a Festival Restaurant

   Optional

   wine $$$

   Several Gstaad restaurants create special tasting menus during Menuhin Festival where each course pairs with Swiss wines from Valais, Vaud, or Bernese Oberland. The pairings mirror the concert structure: light Chasselas = delicate chamber music, bold Pinot Noir = powerful symphony. Book ahead, specifying: 'I'm attending [concert name] at [time], can you coordinate dinner for afterward?' Ask for Swiss wine pairings and request the sommelier explain how each wine reflects the music you just heard.

   🔄 BACKUP: If festival restaurants aren't available, buy a bottle of Fendant or Pinot Noir and have a post-concert glass at any Gstaad bar.

   🍷 Log Memory