Celebration | Gstaad Festival Orchestra | Shelley & Hope

For his first festival appearance with the Gstaad Festival Orchestra, Daniel Hope has chosen a true masterpiece: Edward Elgar’s monumental Violin Concerto. Few works are as closely intertwined with the legacy of Yehudi Menuhin, who performed this concerto as a child and later even recorded it under the composer’s own direction. The concert on 15 August 2026 will be conducted by the renowned English conductor Alexander Shelley, who will bring this large-scale work to life in all its emotional depth and symphonic breadth. The collaboration with Shelley arises from a scheduling overlap in Chief Conductor Jaap van Zweden’s international commitments and at the same time reflects the orchestra’s high artistic flexibility and strong international network. The programme, which also includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s timeless Fifth Symphony, will be presented as part of a European tour in September/early October which starts in Copenhagen and makes stops at some of Germany’s most important concert halls. It stands as a powerful testament to the international profile and artistic excellence of the festival orchestra under the direction of Chief Conductor Jaap van Zweden. Jaap van Zweden, whose role for the Gstaad Festival Orchestra will remain central in the summer of 2026, will conduct the first week of the Conducting Academy as planned, lead the concert on 8 August at the Church of Saanen, and take the orchestra on tour in September.