Jürg Dähler

Jürg Dähler

Viola

Jürg Dähler, born in Zurich, completed his studies on the violin and the viola at the Music Academy in Zurich with the highest honours. Various prizes and scholarships enabled further studies with Sándor Vegh, Pinchas Zukerman, Kim Kashkashian and Fjodor Druzhinin. That was followed by influential encounters with artists such as Brenton Langbein, Heinz Holliger, Nikolaus Harnancourt, and György Lígeti. He gave his debut in the Tonhalle Zurich with Paul Sacher’s Collegium Musicum under the direction of Brenton Langbein in the creation of the Violaconcerto by Daniel Schnyder.

His multi-faceted artistic activities from the classical repertory to contemporary music and jazz include first performances of solo pieces – many of them are written for and dedicated to him – by György Lígeti, Elliott Carter, Heinz Holliger, Hans Werner Henze, Arvo Pärt, Friedrich Cerha, Fjodor Drushinin, Daniel Schnyder, Mischa Käser, John Polglase, Christian Jost, Charles Bodman-Rae, Hermann Haller, Hans Ulrich Lehmann, Nadir Vassena and Alexander Brincken. As a soloist as well as a member of the Swiss Chamber Soloists (the former Kammermusiker Zürich) he regularly performs at important concerthalls and Music-Festivals such as the Salzburger Festspiele, Konzerthaus Wien, City of London Festival,  Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia di Roma, Biennale di Venezia, Lucerne Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival and tours throughout Europe, the USA, South America, and Australia. He received international acclaim for his CD-productions with labels such as ECM, Neos, Accord, Jecklin, Claves and Cantando.

Jürg Dähler is a founder-member of the Collegium Novum Zürich and since 1993 principal violist of the Orchestra Musikkollegium Winterthur and a member of the Winterthurer Streichquartett. In 1997 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Festival Kultur Herbst Bündner Herrschaft Bad Ragaz and since 1999 he is a founder-member and Artistic Director of the Swiss Chamber Concerts. In 2007 he was the first Swiss to receive the academic title “Executive Master in Arts Administration” (EMAA) in the philosophy and business department of the University Zurich. In 2008 he received the Zolliker Kunstpreis for his artistic activities and his services to the cultural life in Switzerland. He plays a violin by Antonio Stradivarius, Cremona 1714, and a viola by Raffaele Fiorini, Bologna 1893.

Upcoming Concerts

Event Name Date
ECHOHOLLIGER 12 April 2025
ECOHOLLIGER 10 April 2025
ECHOHOLLIGER 9 April 2025
ECHOHOLLIGER 8 April 2025
ECHORISINGSTARS 9 February 2025
ECHOLANGBEIN 1 December 2024
ECHOSAARIAHO 21 October 2024