We are thrilled to announce that the Montreux Jazz Festival is finally coming to China. The cities of Montreux in Switzerland and Hangzhou in China are fusing their shared creativity and musical passion to launch the Montreux Jazz Festival China – an unsurpassed musical journey the likes of which China has yet to experience. The Montreux Jazz Festival, one of the world’s largest and most influenti
al music festivals, will come to China in autumn 2021. It will be an idyllic convergence of the ideal event in the right time and place, made possible by the unrelenting vision, enthusiasm, hard work, and collaboration between the Montreux Jazz Festival and the City of Hangzhou. Hangzhou is China’s premier city for tourism and Montreux is Switzerland’s world-famous music hub; both cities are «World Cultural Heritage Sites», making the collaboration even more meaningful. From the early creative stages of the Montreux Jazz Festival China, it has been our mission to bring top music and musicians to Hangzhou, the city that combines a thousand-year-old culture with the world’s leading digital transformation industries. In addition to honoring this dual legacy of Hangzhou, we wanted to bring the festival into the future. Joyce Peng Peng, CEO of Montreux Jazz Festival China, explains: «With the Montreux Jazz Festival China we will not only bring music, but also new lifestyle values, including, culture, tourism, environmental protection, social welfare, medical care, and education to the City of Hangzhou. While giving some of the world’s best musicians the opportunity to perform before a Chinese audience, we will also pay attention to including music that represents artists throughout minority groups in Asia and artists with disabilities.»
Mr. Ted Lo, Music Director of Montreux Jazz Festival China, states: «The Montreux Jazz Festival is an international and legendary event that is revered by music lovers all over the world since 1967. In 1982, I first performed at the festival, and now, 40 years later, I am honored to serve as the festival’s music director in China.»
The Montreux Jazz Festival China boasts several unique characteristics, including:
• performances by some of the world’s best and most renowned musicians
• a new generation of talented musicians
• focus on «when East meets West»
• infusion of new factors into a new technological era
• unique and regional music presentations by minority groups from across Asia
• promotion of a sustainable model for music festivals
• the founding of an Asian Jazz hub
Furthermore, music camps, music clubs and bars, a restaurant stage, music training, and the global sharing of music are additional projects scheduled for further development. The Montreux Jazz Festival China 2021 will take place in Hangzhou in the Province of Zhejiang, from October 5th to October 8th, 2021. It will be a cultural celebration of China’s history and future, combining the classic with the innovative. We cordially invite everyone to the festival – to enjoy great music, to explore the city and the West Lake, to taste Chinese dishes and drink the famous Longjing tea – and to cross cultural bridges and make new friends. The Montreux Jazz Festival China welcomes you to Hangzhou in 2021!
