Daniel Hope will succeed Christoph Müller, who will be leaving Gstaad at the end of the 2025 festival after 24 successful years at the helm

Daniel Hope is one of the world’s most sought-after violinists and musical personalities with an international career spanning over 35 years. Hope, also Music Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and New Century Chamber Orchestra has, since 2004, focussed a good portion of his time on directing and curating music festivals and concert series, including at the Savannah Music Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and the Philharmonie Essen. He is currently Artistic Director of the Frauenkirche Dresden and President of the Beethoven House in Bonn.

Following a multi-stage and extensive selection process, Daniel Hope, who has a long musical connection both to Gstaad and to Yehudi Menuhin, was elected unanimously as the new Intendant & Artistic Director by the Board of Directors of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy AG on the recommendation of the appointment committee.

Aldo Kropf, Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Appointment Committee: “I am thrilled that we have been able to appoint Daniel Hope as Christoph Müller’s successor. He brings with him a worldwide network and the necessary experience for this demanding role, which will be a great asset for the festival and the Gstaad Saanenland region. His close connection to our festival, its founder Yehudi Menuhin, and to the Saanenland will also be extremely valuable for us.”

Christoph Müller, who will be responsible for artistic direction until the end of the 2025 festival: “Daniel Hope is a passionate and successful musician and music educator who will continue to develop the broad-based programme and diversity of the current festival in his own visionary way, with concert formats reaching new audiences thanks to his many exciting and even interdisciplinary ideas. He is in every respect the ideal person to lead this festival – which means a great deal to me and to which I am indebted- into its 8th decade. I am delighted to be able to place the artistic responsibility of the festival into his hands.”

Daniel Hope, Intendant & Artistic Director from Autumn 2025: “I am delighted to have been offered this wonderful opportunity to shape the future together with the festival team. The Gstaad Menuhin Festival was the starting point of my relationship with music: it was here that I had my first ever encounter with classical music as a small child. It was also where I was allowed to turn the pages for the festival artists from the age of 11, and when I finally made my official debut at the festival in August 1992, Yehudi Menuhin himself was sitting in the audience. To summarise: Gstaad is so much a part of my musical DNA that it doesn’t matter where I am in the world. Music and the Bernese Oberland – for me, this is the perfect symbiosis.”

Daniel Hope begins his directorship of the 2026 Gstaad Menuhin Festival, the 70th edition of the festival which is named after its founder, the violinist and humanitarian American violinist, Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999). In June 2024 he and his family relocated from Berlin to Switzerland. Mr Hope is married and has two children.

This year, the 68th Gstaad Menuhin Festival will be taking place in the stunning Swiss Alps from July 12 – August 31. You can find out more info on this year’s programme and the star-studded line-up here.