Verbier Festival Academy

Borletti-Buitoni Trust is delighted to collaborate with the Verbier Festival and is sponsoring the Chamber Music Programme at Verbier Festival Academy.

The Trust first supported the Academy in 2006 with BBT fellowship winners the David Trio and Ronan Collett (who was subsequently awarded the Prix Thierry Mermod for voice) taking part in masterclasses. Following the success of this partnership, BBT agreed to continue its support for 2007 and 2008. BBT winners taking part in 2007 were French string quartet Quatuor Ébène (which won the Festival's Prix d'Honneur and will return next year for a Festival concert in its own right) and Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang.

The Chamber Music Programme is led by the violinist and founder of the Takács Quartet, Gábor Takács-Nagy. It is significant that BBT supports the Chamber Music Programme, in that the role and importance of chamber music in a musician's life is central to the ethos of the Trust. To illustrate this, BBT has produced a film about the Verbier Festival Academy 2007, including interviews with Gábor Takács-Nagy and BBT honorary committee member Heinrich Schiff, which will be seen on the audio video website www.bbtartistslive.com.

The Verbier Festival and Academy take place every summer in the Swiss resort of Verbier and attracts thousands of music-lovers from all over the globe to see some of the world's greatest musicians perform together in solo, orchestral and chamber music concerts. The Verbier Festival Academy embodies the Festival's commitment to encourage exceptional young artists and provides a unique opportunity for extraordinary musicians, dancers and actors to collaborate with teachers such as Heinrich Schiff, Ana Chumachenko, Thomas Quasthoff, Menahem Pressler, Boris Kuschnir, Frans Helmerson and José van Dam, to exchange creative ideas and to perform together in the beautiful alpine surroundings. More than seventy participants are invited each year to take part in the activities, which include masterclasses, workshops, concerts, recitals, talks, discussions and lectures, which are open to members of the public.

Upon announcing the collaboration in 2006, Christian Thompson, Director of the Verbier Festival Academy said: "The Borletti-Buitoni Trust has conceived innovative and creative ways to help musicians at the beginning of their careers. The Verbier Festival Academy's new partnership with the Trust reinforces a combined commitment to the nurturing and encouragement of particularly talented young artists, and we are thrilled with the collaboration."

While Ilaria Borletti-Buitoni, founder of the BB Trust, commented: "Our association with the Verbier Festival Academy is part of The BB Trust's aim to help our winners further develop their contacts in the international music arena. They are all so keen to continue learning and developing new ideas that we feel it is just as important to open up new doors to them for collaboration and performance, as to fund their individual projects. Such a prestigious venue as the Verbier Festival Academy is a wonderful opportunity."

Quatuor Ébène

Vilde Frang in Verbier

Ronan Collett

David Trio