The three categories “Symphony,” “Contemporary,” and “Music For Future” represent the focal points of the Festival’s programming.
Discover our divisionsThe Festival
Festival Introduction
Lucerne Festival is one of the leading international festivals in the world of classical music. Lucerne Festival was founded in 1938; since 1999, Michael Haefliger has been its Executive and Artistic Director.
The central festival takes place in summer from mid-August to mid-September and offers a widely varied range of approximately 100 concerts and related events. Each Summer Festival features a guiding theme that runs dramaturgically through the programming. The Festival presents a diverse array of formats, including symphony concerts, chamber music, recitals, debuts, late night events, and much more. Flanking the Summer Festival are short festivals, two in spring and one in fall: a spring residency featuring the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, a Piano Fest in Mai curated by the pianist Igor Levit and “Lucerne Festival Forward,” which takes place in November. “Lucerne Festival Forward” is artistically and conceptually designed by musicians from the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO). The KKL Luzern, designed by Jean Nouvel and equally renowned for its acoustics and architecture, is Lucerne Festival’s central venue.
Mission statement
Where We Are Going: Our Vision
Lucerne Festival is one of the world’s leading classical music festivals. We are committed to the highest degree of artistic quality and aim to inspire our audiences at home and abroad, from young people to the elderly. We make groundbreaking cross-connections between tradition and innovation and champion the emerging generation of musicians and the music of our time while at the same time safeguarding artistic and financial independence.
What We Stand For: Our Mission
-
Conditions That Are Optimal for Art
We are an international music festival built on artistic ideals. Art is our love and our passion; music is the focus of what we do. Our goal is to offer artists optimal conditions for their creative work and performances.
-
Our Audience
Open and creative dialogue with our audience at home and abroad is a central pillar of our work. We aim to entice our audience away from everyday routine and encourage their fascination with art in all of its facets.
-
Art as Experience
We create the possibility for emotionally resonant exchanges to occur between works, performers, and the audience. Art has the power to unleash emotions, touch on social issues, stimulate discussion, provoke, or simply entertain and inspire. Art represents an open-minded society that engages in continual dialogue about its values and ideals.
-
Commitment to Quality
Quality and excellence are always our highest priorities. Together with the artists we invite here, we realize a program that not only addresses the works of the classical tradition with fresh interpretive standards but also promotes contemporary creativity. In the process, we also pursue unconventional paths and are open to the latest developments in art.
-
Social Responsibility
Sustainability at Lucerne Festival
Lucerne Festival has been committed to social sustainability for more than 20 years — in particular, to supporting and promoting young talent. We have now set ourselves the goal of systematically integrating and institutionalizing ecological and economic sustainability in addition to social sustainability.
The Festival
In the work of conveying art, we tirelessly seek out new concepts, event formats, and communication strategies. Discovering and providing sustainable support for young artists, imparting our programs and content to emerging generations of audiences and new target groups, and focused social engagement are of great importance to us