About us

Established and founded in 2015 by Michal Lewkowicz, the Mizmorim Kammermusik Festival is a multi-day classical chamber music event celebrating the diverse encounters between Jewish music and Western art music. Every year in January, renowned artists from Switzerland and all over the world come together in Basel to present works from different epochs on a specific topic. The programs and artists take the audience on a varied journey, discovering unknown works and new perspectives on the classics.

Due to its unique concept, the Mizmorim Chamber Music Festival has gained a special place in the Swiss cultural calendar. The Festival owes its name to one of the first manifestations of music, the biblical Psalms, in Hebrew Mizmorim.

Festival team

Mariella Bachmann Ticketing & Administration

Present

With the program «Present», the Mizmorim Festival places an important emphasis on contemporary music. The Festival alternate each year between a Composer-in-Residence program and the Mizmorim Composition Competition. Additionally, the Festival also regularly commissions compositions for different ensembles and presents Swiss premieres.

Composition Commissions

The Festival regularly commissions new works and presents Swiss premieres.

Lukas Stamm, Kammgarn Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen, den 23.01.2022
Copyright: Priska Ketterer / Musik&Theater/ Bachfest Schaffhausen

Composer-in-Residence

The Mizmorim Chamber Music Festival invites a Composer-in-Residence to Basel every two years. Works by the composer feature prominently in the festival programme.

Future

An important goal of the Festival is to inspire young people in the realm of classical music. Children, young people and students benefit from greatly reduced admission prices. Attractive access to the world of classical music is offered to a new generation both through the inclusion of young musical talents and through the popular family concerts.

Mizmorim Kids

The popular family concerts «Mizmorim Kids» are aimed at our youngest audience and are always one of the Festival highlights. The programs of this unique concert series are designed to be age-appropriate and refer to the respective Festival theme.

Young Artists Programme

The Mizmorim Chamber Music Festival is committed in supporting young talented musicians. Through a close cooperation with the Music Academy of Basel as well as other universities in Switzerland and Germany.
Students and graduates of these institutions are given the opportunity to take part in selected Festival concerts. The young musicians are given the unique opportunity to perform alongside established artists, to gain valuable experience and to network internationally.

International Masterclass

With the Mizmorim Masterclass, the Mizmorim Chamber Music Festival offers a unique programme for promoting young, professional string quartets. Over the course of a week, the participating ensembles receive intensive instruction from the members of the renowned Gringolts Quartet and Yaron Deutsch. The programme will be complemented by workshops on essential career topics such as management, career planning and networking, led by Bernhard Kerres and Kathrin Hauser-Schmolck.

Sustainability

The festival is committed to sustainable cultural operations and has been awarded the Swisstainable label "committed".

Mizmorim Society

By becoming a member of the Mizmorim Society, you can support the festival financially while enjoying a range of exclusive benefits and gaining fascinating insights into the world of Mizmorim through special events and unique social gatherings.

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