History

The Stanser Musiktage (SMT), founded in 1994, is an association consisting of some 70 members and around 700 volunteer helpers, which organizes a music festival of the same name. The festival will be held for the 16th time from April 12 to 18, 2010. The event normally coincides with the first days of spring, being held in April, mostly during the second week of the Easter vacation. This annual link between stimulating music and the arrival of spring supports the key aims of the Stanser Musiktage: To provide a high-quality concert experience and to promote a cultural exchange among the 30,000-some visitors to the festival, most of whom hail from Central Switzerland.

The Stanser Musiktage festival is now recognized as a quality event for a discerning public – one that puts innovation and quality at the heart of the program and the artistic work on offer. Often at the cutting-edge in musical terms, we position ourselves as a festival of musical discovery, turning the spotlight on world music and jazz. In addition to these two stylistic focal points, the festival also stages individual concerts featuring e-music, less-commercial sophisticated pop acts, and contemporary folk music. But this playful exploration of niche music is not the event's sole recipe for success: The localized concept also includes a fusion of music with other areas of culture such as literature, dance and film, as well as the fine arts. And all of these can be enjoyed in small venues with an intimate setting.

Our real breakthrough came in 1997 with the addition of an accompanying, audience-friendly and community-based program set in and around the picturesque, historical heart of the village. With the number of visitors doubling each year, an upper limit has now been imposed on audience attendance in a bid to maintain the quality of the experience. Around 7,000 guests visit the main program and overall around 5,000 weekly pins go on sale. The support program distinguishes itself by the good mood of the people involved, the unique location, and impressive attention to detail, with something to suit every taste: the live concerts in the Jazz Pavilion, in the Enwee-macht-die-Tage or in the World Music Tent; traditional and contemporary folk music in the bars; the huge range of whiskies in the Bluenote Bar, the Latino sounds and cocktails served up in the Latin Bar; and much, much  more, including in particular the peaceful scenery in the historic village square where visitors can enjoy culinary treats from all over the world.

The Stanser Musiktage festival has also made a name for itself thanks to numerous special campaigns that skillfully combine communication and sponsoring with art. Thanks to the additional resources provided over many years by our main sponsor Credit Suisse, the event has given rise to some unforgettable publicity campaigns, such as the 300 meter long installation "Stans hat die Tage" [a play on words loosing translating as "that time of the month" for Stans] and a variation thereof, "Stans hat sie ... wieder" [it's "that time of the month" again] or the imaginative video journey in a tuba entitled "Tubakuss" [tuba kiss], which flitted across the screens of Swiss television for several weeks. The cultural scene in Central Switzerland is now inconceivable without the SMT. The Stanser Musiktage enjoys broad acceptance among the population at large, various associations and the relevant authorities; it is held in high regard and plays a significant part in promoting cultural exchange. For many people, the SMT has become the cultural event of the year.