How do organisers get hold of the big names? Are there agreements between the houses regarding fees? And which star conductors are currently being negotiated for the future? Artistic Director Ilona Schmiel and Marc Barwisch, Head of Artistic Operations, provide the answers.
Ilona Schmiel: It turned out that way. All of these musicians have been playing with us for years at shorter or longer intervals - and suddenly it all comes together in one season.
Marc Barwisch: We always look for a balance between the big names and guests who we find particularly exciting but who are not yet so well known to the general public. This season, this balance tends to favour the stars, but other times it's different again. Also because otherwise it would hardly be financially viable.
IS Last season, for example, we had six conducting debuts, which was a different extreme. But even that can't always be planned like that, because otherwise there would be no continuity.
IS A lot depends on the decision as to where we prioritise. Sol Gabetta is the focus artist this time, and of course she is coming as part of a network. For example, she is playing a recital with her long-standing duo partner Patricia Kopatchinskaja - another big name.
MB There are also many things that come from touring. Sol Gabetta is the soloist on our European tour and Janine Jansen is travelling with us to Asia. Of course, these concerts have to be prepared in Zurich.
IS But once again: a pure parade of stars would not be in our interests, and not just for financial reasons. It is part of our responsibility to present young talent. Or musicians who may already be known elsewhere, but not so much in Zurich.
"I heard Sol Gabetta for the first time in Munich in 2005 and also got to know her personally. She was 24 years old at the time, but had already started a remarkable career as the winner of the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award in Lucerne, among other things. We have stayed in touch ever since. She is a very open person, you can discuss things directly with her, the agency stays in the background. When planning her focus season, we sat together again and again in front of her very colourful agenda, erasing and re-entering things, she has it all in her own hands. It's really only that uncomplicated with her."
Wed 17 / Thu 18 / Fri 19 Sep 2025 - Season opening
Sun 28 Sep 2025 - Cosmos Chamber Music
IS But if we look at our market, he is a superstar! It really depends on how you define the term "star": Is it someone who has millions of followers on Instagram? Or is it someone who enjoys an exceptionally good reputation in the scene? I find the second definition much more interesting, and it absolutely applies to Kirill Gerstein. He has been a guest at the Lucerne Festival several times and he stood in for Igor Levit in June 2022 - with great success. Connoisseurs regard him as one of the most exciting pianists of our time.
MB In other words, musical quality is always more important to us than superficial glamour.
IS We are happy to take the glamour with us. But glamour alone is not enough.
MB We've known many of them for a very long time, let's take Sol Gabetta as an example: I can just give her a call. Others are friends with Paavo Järvi and his network is also very important to us. For others, we go through the agencies or use other contacts - there's always some way.
IS Basically, we actually get in touch with everyone. Whether a collaboration then materialises is primarily a question of timing: you have to decide to back someone at the right time. Otherwise you might suddenly be too late. That's what happened to us with Kirill Petrenko, for example: since he became chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, he has only taken on very few other engagements. Conversely, Bernard Haitink conducted our orchestra until the very end, while he was no longer with many others.
MB When it comes to a collaboration, the next question is: how can we achieve continuity? That's not at all easy given the long-term planning in this industry. Last season, for example, we had the debut of conductor Nathalie Stutzmann, which went very well. Both sides would like to continue the artistic relationship. With a little rescheduling on both her and our part, we have now managed to arrange for her to return in the 2026/27 season - that's very quick, especially for a female conductor. You often have to wait longer until you find a gap in the calendar again.
"I discovered the Israeli composer Avner Dorman through the percussionist Martin Grubinger. He was always in my ear because he wanted to play Dorman's percussion concerto with us - which he did. Later, Avi Avital performed a Dorman work with our orchestra. And now the Swiss percussion trio Colores is playing the Swiss premiere of his concerto for percussion and orchestra together with our junior partner, the Zurich Youth Symphony Orchestra. Grubinger, Avital, Dorman and the young musicians: the result is a network that continues to expand, which is also super exciting for the audience to watch."
Tue 21 Oct 2025 – "In flux", concert for percussion trio and orchestra
MB In the run-up to a debut, it's all about the "bigger picture", the overall constellation: What repertoire do we need? Who is exciting and important for the orchestra in addition to Paavo Järvi? What are the needs of the audience on which days of the week? What is happening at other houses in the neighbourhood? And what opportunities does one person offer for marketing on the various channels? After the concert, we receive feedback from the orchestra, which usually corresponds with our perceptions. However, we also analyse ticket sales and draw our conclusions from this.
IS Twenty years ago, we were constantly travelling everywhere, but that has actually changed enormously with the internet. Today, I mainly travel to festivals where I can listen to several artists in a short space of time. I still try to be present at fascinating programmes, especially when they take place in new or newly renovated concert halls or interim venues. This also results in engagements. The live impression is still important, you can feel a whole environment. Streaming or a YouTube video can't offer that.
MB Nevertheless, the internet also has advantages, for example it's much easier to get a comprehensive picture. When travelling, you might find a chamber music concert exciting, but then still not know what the person with the orchestra would be like. What's more, there are many more artists travelling today than in the past, so it would be absolutely impossible to follow them all.
IS Yes. We get 80 to 90 tips a week, at least. You can only look at them very selectively.
MB It really depends on who is giving the tip. With some, you know that it could be interesting if they point something out. Others send lists practically every day - it's quite possible that there's something exciting on there, but you don't see it.
IS Things often come about by chance. When I was still director of the Beethovenfest in Bonn, I worked for years with the David Orlowsky Trio, which has since disbanded. They once asked me if they could bring someone else along as a surprise artist: It was the mandolinist Avi Avital, who I didn't know at all beforehand. From then on, a close collaboration also developed with him - which will continue this season in Zurich.
MB There is another example in the current season that I would like to mention, namely the young violinist Hana Chang. She was mentioned to me twice: Once, when a violinist cancelled, I was in contact with Janine Jansen and she gave me her name. Nothing came of it at the time - but a little later Christian Tetzlaff also told me about her. Now I'm very excited about her debut in the Série jeunes.
IS Incidentally, the Série jeunes is also a good opportunity for the public to discover interesting talents very early on in their careers. Of course, not everyone becomes a star, but some do: Yuja Wang, for example, once performed in the series, Khatia Buniatishvili and Igor Levit also started there.
"Before Iveta Apkalna, I knew her husband - we studied together in Berlin. He then introduced her to me, and in 2010 I engaged her for the first time for the Beethovenfest Bonn; she was already famous in her Latvian homeland, but hardly known outside of it. She said at the time that she wanted to become the best concert organist in the world, and I thought: Wow, that's a statement. She had so much power, plus a glamour that is rather rare for her instrument; musically, it was also clear that there was huge potential. We built her up very specifically in Zurich, also as a focal artist. Now she is continuing on this path in a recital with works by Glass and Bach. If she were to give me a tip for a young organist: I would trust her blindly."
Sat 13 Dec 2025 - Kosmos Organ Works by J.S. Bach, Glass
MB You do watch them. But the semi-final is often more interesting than the final.
IS I remember the International Telekom Beethoven Competition in 2005, where Igor Levit didn't make it to the final. The prizewinners were very good, but he still left the strongest impression, and not just on me.
MB It is interesting to note that the significance of competitions varies greatly depending on the region of the world: In Asia, for example, some competitions still count for a lot. Anyone who has won them is immediately in demand as a soloist - we realise that when we plan tours there. In Europe, on the other hand, the competitions are far less important than they used to be.
IS For us, they are really above all an opportunity to discover new talent. However, opinions often differ as to who we believe will make it further. It's very rare for all the organisers to be fighting over the same person after a competition.
MB The main issue is exclusivity - in other words, we agree with the artists that they are not allowed to perform in our neighbourhood three months before or after a concert. If there are any overlaps, we make sure that at least the repertoire is different.
IS Such agreements benefit everyone. If a musician performs in one area all the time, the audience's interest diminishes. The market is relatively tight, and such agreements are made so that everyone can succeed.
"Víkingur Ólafsson became known to a wider audience in 2018 thanks to his Bach album, when he was already in his mid-thirties. We hadn't had him on our radar either, but we were able to arrange his debut for the 2021/22 season right away; John Adams was Creative Chair, with whom he had been working for a long time. At that time, it was already clear that we wanted to tie him to the house, that he would come as a focus artist for the 2024/25 season - and play the European premiere of Adams' piano concerto 'After the Fall', in Zurich and on tour. Now he's returning for a recital. We really caught the ideal moment with him; such a close collaboration would not have been possible much later."
Fri 05 Dec 2025 - Piano recital
Works by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Schubert
IS Overbidding: No. Talk about it: Absolutely.
MB A concrete comparison of the fees is not that easy, every theatre has its own conditions - with the number of seats, the subsidy situation, and so on. So you don't set any common limits, but rather discuss the development of the fees for individual guests. That's a matter of trust.
IS It's generally not the case that we base our planning on the fee. We always ask ourselves: what do we want to present, who fits into which programme? Sometimes we then afford something special. Sometimes we also find that a project is not worth the price asked.
MB Last season, for example, we had a recital by Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson, which they played in just ten halls worldwide. Of course, something like that is not free. But it was a truly exceptional programme, Víkingur Ólafsson was the focus artist at the time, so we couldn't afford to miss it. The concert was sold out very quickly, so it worked out.
MB I was really looking forward to our planned concert with Chick Corea. Unfortunately, corona came along and he died shortly afterwards. But this constellation with him and the orchestra, with Mozart and Gershwin - that would have been unique.
IS It was a very special moment when this project came about. That's what it's very often about: that you get an opportunity by chance, because you're in the right place at the right moment, and then you have to seize it immediately.
MB It would also be nice, for example, if a pianist like Grigory Sokolov, who has only played recitals for many years, were to perform with the orchestra. That seems out of the question and certainly can't be planned. But who knows?
IS To be a little more specific, I can mention Andris Nelsons here. The last time he conducted the orchestra was in 2012. We would incredibly like him to come back, and he would like that too. Unfortunately, the agendas are overflowing and we are already talking about a possible date in the 2027/28 season, but it will work out at some point!
