Daniel Hope Named Named Artistic Director of Gstaad Menuhin Festival and Academy

The British violinist succeeds Christoph Müller, who has resigned after 24 years in the post

 

The British violinist Daniel Hope has been appointed as the new Intendant and Artistic Director of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and Academy and will take over from Christoph Müller on November 1, 2025. He was elected unanimously following an extensive selection process.

Hope has close links to the festival and Yehudi Menuhin, for whom it was named. He attended the festival from childhood, making his performing debut there in 1992 and returning often since that time. In addition, Menuhin was one of Hope's most important mentors.

He frequently appears in a solo capacity, and also directs ensembles from the violin. He succeeded Roger Norrington as Music Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra in 2016, and in 2018, he became Music Director of San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra.

Alongside his solo career, Hope has also held festival appointments at the Savannah Music Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the Philharmonie Essen. He is presently the Artistic Director of the Frauenkirche Dresden and President of the Beethoven House in Bonn.

"I am thrilled that we have been able to appoint Daniel Hope as Christoph Müller's successor," said Aldo Kropf, Chairman of the Board of Directors. "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."

"I am delighted to have been offered this wonderful opportunity to shape the future together with the festival team," Hope said. "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," he continued. "To summarize: 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."