"Alpentöne" with two women at the helm
At the request of managing director Pius Knüsel, the Altdorf municipal council has entrusted the artistic direction of the international music festival "Alpentöne" to Graziella Contratto and Barbara Betschart from Schwyz.
As the festival writes in today's press release, Graziella Contratto and Barbara Betschart "want to develop the festival further, explore new themes and concert formats and emphasize the Uri character of Alpine tones strengthen". In addition to their artistic and musical backgrounds, they "also bring a wealth of experience as music educators to the artistic direction. While Graziella Contratto, as a conductor, festival-tested dramaturge and head of music at the Bern University of the Arts (HKB), primarily contributes classical music, sound arts and transdisciplinary ideas, violinist Barbara Betschart, as former director of the Uri Music School and current managing director of Roothus Gonten, is a connoisseur of the (research) scene, particularly in the field of folk music, whose new insights she implements musically in regular performances.
The co-directors bring a complementary network to Altdorf, which extends from the folk music of the Middle Ages to new folk music and experimental forms of Alpine culture."
Supplement 2021
In mid-October 2021, it was announced that Graziella Contratto and Barbara Betschart would be handing over the reins after the successful 2021 edition of the festival.
The SRF Regionaljournal reported: Link to the program
