The festival has also announced the launch of its new ‘VF at Home’ website featuring highlights from past events
The Verbier Festival in Switzerland has created an emergency relief fund for alumni of its Verbier Festival Academy. The fund will be available not only to players who have performed in the Academy but also to production and technical crew who are facing lost income owing to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
A statement from the festival said that financial assistance from CHF1,000 to CHF5,000 (£820-£4,140) would be granted without expectation of repayment. Academy alumni include solo, chamber and orchestral instrumentalists, singers and conductors.
The fund has been formed by a group of patrons expressing concern for the wellbeing of the Academy’s musicians, and those who work behind the scenes.
The Festival has also launched ‘VF at Home’, a programme of online content containing highlights from the Verbier Festival concert archives, courtesy of medici.tv, curated playlists from Idagio, activities for children, programmes and interviews. The Verbier Festival Academy will be featured each Wednesday through broadcasts of past rehearsals, masterclasses and concerts, recently recorded performances from the homes of alumni and live ‘Quarantine Concerts’.
This year’s Verbier Festival was scheduled to run from 12 July to 3 August. Founded in 1994, it celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019.
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