As in previous years, this season’s retreat concert series opens with Musica nostalgica – a classical piano trio dedicated to the refined salon music style that has long defined the retreat concerts in St. Moritz. The trio’s art lies in presenting familiar clichés with subtle irony and charm.

Also known as café music, this genre is not meant to be performed in a strictly serious or purely chamber-music manner – quite the opposite. It thrives on a wide range of playful and interpretive freedoms.

Joining the instrumentalists are a soprano and – on one morning – a baritone, enriching the program with highlights from opera, operetta, and musical theatre.

Something to look forward to – or simply to sit back and enjoy…!

A humorous and slightly risqué song revue from 1920s Berlin awaits audiences this week. Baritone and entertainer Samuel Zünd “breaks the hearts of the proudest women” with his charm and the seductive warmth of his well-tempered voice. He is accompanied by the equally brilliant pianist Edward Rushton.

But the “proud woman” also makes her mark: the virtuosic yet deeply sensitive playing of violinist Nina Ulli transports listeners to both the wild East and the sweet West.

With nostalgic evergreens and German chansons, the program evokes the spirit of 1920s Berlin – centered around the charismatic singer and cabaret artist Max Hansen, who frequently performed in St. Moritz in the 1930s (and was the original head waiter Leopold in Benatzky’s The White Horse Inn at Lake Wolfgang). The result is an invitation for the audience to immerse themselves in a bygone world.

This year, the gifted chansonnière and opera singer Julia Schiwowa joins the ensemble for one of the concerts.

Together with pianist Marina Vasilyeva, Marco Santilli weaves a musical tapestry of myths and legends from Italian-speaking Switzerland – and it’s guaranteed not to be dry or dull. Moving between jazz, classical, and folk music, the duo tells stories that are sometimes dreamy, sometimes playful, and sometimes surprisingly dramatic – just like a good fairy tale, only with better sounds. Santilli, a clarinetist from Ticino who now calls Zurich home, blends jazz, modern classical, and world music into his very own style – and he’s happy to let his clarinets have more than just a say in the matter.

If one had to categorize “Sujazzstiva,” the group, according to Santilli, would best fit under the label “jazz.” “Jazz” in the sense of open and “Italian” music. Italian? Yes, because although these are instrumental pieces, they reflect atmospheres, motifs, and melodies that draw on the musicality of Santilli’s native language. Legends and tales from the Ticino Alps, his homeland, run like a “common thread” through the pieces. “Compositions with a story are more powerful,” Santilli is convinced.

The large ensemble of nine musicians emerged from the merger of the jazz quartet “CheRoba” and the quintet “il Fiato delle Alpi” (the Breath of the Alps), which is characterized by rarely played wind instruments with low registers: alto flute, English horn, and contrabass clarinet. Together with the French horn and bassoon, they help to make the sounds warmer and more intense.

A unique and entertaining musical experience!

The focus is on music by Marco Santilli, tailor-made for cellist Karolina Öhman – classically trained, with a flair for improvisation, and thus the perfect partner for this sonic exchange. Karmar means “frame” in Swedish – a fitting name, as moods and soundscapes shift here more rapidly than the scenery in a theater. The result: European jazz with open ears, a sense of silence, and a penchant for surprises. The cello, accompanied by percussion, entwines with Santilli’s clarinets, which sometimes whisper, sometimes dance – effortlessly drifting through all stylistic realms.

It’s impossible to imagine the retreat concerts without them: “The Sam Singers.” They are arguably Switzerland’s leading close-harmony group, dedicated to the swinging melodies and unforgettable hits of the first half of the 20th century. For many years, “The Sam Singers” have been striving to recreate the authentic sound of those early hits, prioritizing exceptional sound quality above all else. Their precise, warm sound brings the atmosphere of that era back to life. Whether it’s the evergreens of the Manhattan Transfer, the Chordettes, the King Sisters, the Andrews Sisters, the Swiss export hit trio Geschwister Schmid, or the German vocal group Comedian Harmonists, the four-part vocal group touches its audience with delightful authenticity.

The Sam Singers complement their hosted shows with anecdotes about the music and its background, along with period documents, choreography, and period-appropriate outfits.

Also returning: the ensemble “I musichieri,” which has been dedicated to high-quality, virtuoso salon music for over 20 years. In the Ticino dialect, the name roughly translates to “musicians who play for dancing.” The ensemble cultivates this style – which was played on ocean liners, in grand hotels, Viennese cafés, and retreat pavilions from around 1900 to the mid-20th century – in an entertaining and spirited manner. Engagements around the world have taken the musicians to Hong Kong, Dubai, the Venice Biennale, and Vienna for an OECD congress. In addition to virtuoso pieces, their repertoire also includes hits from the 1920s, beloved operetta melodies, and dances ranging from waltzes to tangos and Charlestons to the swinging foxtrot, as well as wonderful light music from the so-called “Beromünster” era of the 1950s and 1960s, named after the Swiss radio station “Beromünster.”

The jazz combo performs a wide-ranging, international repertoire of sophisticated light music, the kind that has been a staple for decades in the renowned bars and dance venues of prestigious resort destinations such as Gstaad, Montreux, and St. Moritz.

Their repertoire includes international hits and chansons, jazz standards, local folk music, and South American evergreens. It ranges from Mani Matter to the Bündner Ländlerfründa and Vico Torriani to Udo Jürgens, with songs such as: “Veronika der Lenz ist da,” “Ramona,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “In der Schweiz,” “Hemmige,” “My Way,” “Volare,” and “Griechischer Wein.”

This year, two full mornings are dedicated entirely to the hits of arguably the greatest entertainer of the 20th century: “A Tribute to Frank Sinatra” with Samuel Zünd & The Apollo Brothers (July 25—26)

Alpine music, Balkan, jazz, and tango. Musette, classical, avant-garde – living “in eastern Switzerland,” their hearts beat for the music of Europe: music from the Balkans and Appenzell, from Paris and Madrid, from the Mediterranean and the North Sea – and occasionally from New York and Chicago as well.

Goran Kovacevic, Peter Lenzin, and Jan Geiger pull off the feat of blending genres as effortlessly as one would wish for Europe in the 21st century: as a borderless unity full of respect for cultural diversity.

“La vita è bella!”

Down with gravity – long live lightheartedness! If you just look around a little and browse through the media, you’re sure to find plenty that’s unsettling and difficult – there are many reasons to worry. At the same time, we live in times of incredible abundance.

“La vita è bella” is a new concert program by “Die Schurken,” in which they explore this contrast through music, where lightness and optimism are palpable, but so are the dark and heavy elements. With their program, they aim to entice people, to let them feel that lightness and joy again and again, and thus look toward the future. With thoughtful narration, they guide the audience through the program, featuring classical music, film scores, music by Nino Rota and Nicola Piovani – from Satie to Shostakovich – and, of course, newly composed pieces.

Immerse yourself in music that highlights the unusual yet wonderfully harmonious timbres of these three instruments, creating a fascinating soundscape. The repertoire spans a wide spectrum, ranging from classical music to tango nuevo and film music. At the same time, a unique soundscape emerges through the ascinating combination of instruments, which enriches the music with a special dynamic and a multi-layered sound spectrum.

Arrangements of major classical works have always been part of the repertoire of retreat orchestras and salon ensembles. It is wonderful that Ensemble Modestia continues this tradition. This music fits perfectly into a carefree summer morning in the mountains – just like the additional nostalgic delicacies from the Belle Époque, which the ensemble presents with great joy and enthusiasm.

They are a must-see in our program: the musicians led by the well-known St. Moritz all-rounder Werner Steidle. They have shaped the musical landscape of the Upper Engadine for many years and are always a crowd-pleaser at the retreat concerts.

“Clingiadina” plays a very wide range of styles, from classical and jazz to gospel, film music, and pop. Yes, that’s how “Engiadina” “clings”: cosmopolitan and versatile.

Accomplished saxophonist Peter Lenzin, together with the gifted singer and pianist Samuel Zünd, takes the audience on a journey through nostalgic evergreens, classic Swiss pop songs, and lively swing hits.

The musical duo from Eastern Switzerland is joined by two versatile musicians: Saki Hatzigeorgiou on guitar and bouzouki, and bassist and guitarist Gabriel Meyer. These four passionate musicians previously performed in the Vico Torriani musical “Hotel Victoria” in 2016 on the stage of the Reine Victoria theater and have also appeared with various ensembles at the Festival da Jazz St. Moritz.

The entertaining show is hosted and enlivened with anecdotes about the entertainment stars of the past.

They, too, have become a fixture of the retreat concerts: the large ensemble “Tiffany” from French-speaking Switzerland. These musicians know that anyone who ventures into salon music is, by definition, embarking on an adventure. The adventure is even greater when the music comes from a genius like the French violinist and composer of the century, Georges Boulanger, to whom this ensemble is particularly devoted: Light music that makes life seem more pleasant and cheerful, makes women’s eyes sparkle, and flatters men’s vanity, yet offers something profound just around the corner.

The concerts of this ensemble are characterized by many wonderful pastel hues.

The Most Beautiful Choirs from Opera, Operetta, and Musicals

“Bocca classica” was founded by the renowned Swiss soprano Noëmi Nadelmann and participated with great success in the Swiss television show “Kampf der Chöre” (Battle of the Choirs). For several years now, the ensemble has been under the direction of tenor, choir director, and pianist Raimund Wiederkehr. The trained voices of this powerful ensemble specialize in presenting classical music in an entertaining way. A special feature of their repertoire are their short adaptations of operas such as “Carmen” or “Cavalleria rusticana.” In the summer of 2024, they produced a humorous staged evening at the Zurich Tram Museum featuring choral music about trains, trams, and buses by Offenbach, Krenek, Gershwin, and others. In the summer of 2025, they performed as guests at the Schlossoper Seetal AG. In 2019, they had the privilege of performing at the legendary Villa Verdi, the famous retirement home for retired opera singers in Milan.

At last year’s resort concerts, they delighted the audience as an enthusiastic choir in Franz Lehár’s operetta “The World Is Beautiful.”

Coffeehouse Rendezvous – Delightful Salon Music

and Light Classical Making its debut: the Trio Sorriso, which presents heartwarming gems of late-summer salon music from Vienna to Paris to the Engadin, including, of course, many melodies such as “Wien bleibt Wien,” “Oh Mein Papa,” “Petite Fleur,” “S’Träumli,” and “Lingua Materna,”.

This presentation of coffeehouse music, however, is anything but old hat: concentrated musical skill combined with charm and wit ensures a great mood in a relaxed atmosphere.

These musical treats are accompanied by amusing anecdotes from the world of coffee.