Director's Welcome | Flow
Dear Audience
What a wonderful joy it is to present my first season in the Musikdorf Ernen to you as the new director! The theme «Flow» signals that continuity is important to me. After all, I have already helped shape the previous two seasons as Co-Director and supported many of the beautiful developments of recent years.
In terms of programmes, we follow musical associations of flowing, and also focus on the act of music-making itself: When hands accomplish unimaginable things on the keys and the mind seems to follow the muscles, when ensembles bundle their kinetic energy, when we fully immerse ourselves in the music while listening – that’s when we are in the flow-state. Then, we identify with the emotions and states captured in the music – we don't just play and hear them, but we feel and experience them. In the Musikdorf Ernen, we want to concentrate on this core of our beloved activity for a whole season – on the intensive, moving, and enriching experience of music.
A diverse and top-class selection of concerts and other events is prepared: In the spirit of continuity, I look forward to seeing familiar faces, such as the Trio Gaspard during Chamber Music Compact, Maki Namekawa and Schaghajegh Nosrati in Piano Week, and of course the Charl du Plessis Trio, Aernen Barock, and the unique chamber music family of the Kammermusikfest in August. Sir András Schiff will come to Ernen twice, both for the masterclass during Piano Week and for the four-day Piano Compact.
Naturally, many outstanding debuts are also scheduled. Beth Taylor, Levy Sekgapane, and Nahuel Di Pierro will visit the Musikdorf for the first time, as will some of the most promising young instrumentalists. And with Mel Bonis (1858–1937), for the first timewe are presenting a Composer to Discover throughout the festival, analogous to the Composer in Residence, who this year is Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber – both wonderful composers whose works you can eagerly anticipate!
Come and join us – I look forward to welcoming you to the Musikdorf Ernen!
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Inniger
Director of the Festival Musikdorf Ernen
Discover the diverse season programme!
More about the Festival Theme 2026
Flow
Careful, here's someone in the flow! Like a child at play, certain exercises can transport us into a state where we forget everything around us. We become completely absorbed in an activity – we become one with it – and can lose ourselves in the smallest details and overcome extreme challenges. We experience an immense mental effortlessness and can thus perform actions seemingly without resistance. We are in the flow.
When playing or listening to music, we can also get into a flow state. Those who succeed in doing so experience supreme satisfaction. We identify with the emotions and states captured in music – then we don't just play and listen to them, we feel and experience them. When hands perform unimaginable feats on the keyboard and the head seems to follow the muscles, when music groups bundle their motion energy, when we immerse ourselves completely in a musical work while listening – then we are in flow.
Following last year's festival theme of «Rituals», «Flow» is a logical next step, because ritualisation enables the flow state. Rituals are actions under strict control. Flow is the free-spirited flip side of ritual and means letting go of this control. In the Musikdorf Ernen, we want to spend a season focusing on this core aspect of our beloved activity – the intense, moving and enriching experience of music.
In the 53rd concert season «Flow», we also discover music that is connected with many things that flow. Water, energy, air and time, of course, but also cash, thoughts and drinks.
