The 2025 edition exceeded expectations

The solo concert by Danish trombonist Maria Bertel brought the 2025 festival to a spectacular close after ten successful days. No, it was certainly not the weather that contributed to the fifth edition of KLANG MOOR SCHOPFE exceeding expectations. It was repeatedly rainy and autumnal cool, and on some days an unpleasant crosswind swept across the moor. The audience was not deterred by this. The number of visitors (installations and accompanying programme) rose significantly again compared to 2023 to 3,300, proving that KLANG MOOR SCHOPFE is not a fair-weather event, but rather one that impresses with the artistic quality of its installations and its highly diverse, attractive and surprising accompanying programme. In addition to newly acquired groups of specifically interested visitors, the festival can now count on a loyal audience.

Performances took place in 12 barns on the festival grounds, as well as in the Gais Museum and, for the first time, in the Reformed Church in Gais, where Peter Conradin Zumthor realised his bell project «con sordino». With the two additional venues and the festival opening on the village square, the centre of Gais was even more closely integrated into the festival's activities.

The expanded, low-threshold accompanying programme featuring artist talks, workshops, sound walks and guided tours of the installations was in very high demand. But the concerts and sound performances, discussions and panel talks, as well as the events curated by seven partner institutions in Eastern Switzerland, were also very well received. The figures speak for themselves: 1,500 individual admissions were recorded for the accompanying events. That is three times more than in 2023.

Exchange with the experimental music scene in western Switzerland is a major concern for artistic director and initiator Patrick Kessler. It is gratifying that the audience took advantage of this opportunity again in 2025: the panel discussion and the three outstanding concerts presented by the Lausanne avant-garde festival LUFF were very well attended. A number of innovations and optimisations, particularly in the area of festival catering, also contributed to the pleasing result, which was reflected in higher revenues.

Final Report 2025 Extended Version (in German only)

Photo: KMS/Jürg Hut