More than a lonely shepherd

The "panpipe" - that's the instrument that Peruvian Indians play in the station underpass. El condor pasa play? Sometimes that is true. However, this gives a very one-sided picture of the panpipe. After all, there are variations of this instrument all over the world. The South American panpipe, however, is not represented at the festival. The Romanian panpipe can do much more: the repertoire of this ancient instrument ranges from virtuoso baroque music to wistful romanticism and modern classical music. The fact that it is related to the organ is best realized when an entire panpipe ensemble plays. Of course, folk music from Eastern Europe is also a must. It is well known that the great panpipe players come from Romania.

The panpipe in Switzerland
Given such a wide range of styles, it was quite a success to get the various panpipe groups together at all. The planning phase for the first festival in Winterthur in 2012 took over five years, and on September 5, 2015, they will come together from all over Switzerland and Liechtenstein for the second time. Most of the events are open to the public.

The community of panpipe players has existed in Switzerland for around forty years. The current movie Balkan melody tells how this came about. Back then, Marcel Cellier, an ethnomusicologist from Geneva, traveled to Romania and brought Gheorghe Zamfir's music back to Western Europe. Zamfir's first record formed the basis for the scene, which soon spread throughout Switzerland.

In addition to the many Swiss schools that already offer panflute lessons in individual and group classes, for almost 15 years now it has been possible to graduate with a teaching and concert diploma from the SAMP/SMPV. In Lucerne, it is now also possible to obtain a university degree in panpipes. The Panflute Podium Switzerland works hard to promote the interests of professional training.