Please read the following guidelines carefully before beginning your application to the Verbier Festival Orchestra and before sending any questions to the Verbier Festival Team.
There are two different ways to apply to the VFO: 1) live audition (except harp and percussion – these instrument groups can only apply via video), or 2) video audition. Both ways of auditioning are equally judged and neither has an advantage over the other.
All VFO applicants must be able to speak fluent English – English is the language used by the coaches and conductors, and candidates must have a high level of English in order to take part in the programme.
WHO MAY APPLY
PROGRAMME DATES
ORCHESTRA SECTION OPENINGS
HOW TO APPLY
APPLICATION FEE
COSTS FOR SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES
REFUND POLICY
AUDITION REPERTOIRE
MAKING YOUR VIDEO
LIVE AUDITION CITIES
RESERVE LIST
FAQ
CONTACT
who may apply
Applicants to the Verbier Festival Orchestra must be aged 18 to 28 on 1 July 2027, and can be of any nationality, coming from any part of the world.
Musicians are invited to become members of the Orchestra for one edition of the Verbier Festival. They may be re-invited to join the following year; these re-invitations are not guaranteed. To be re-invited, musicians must be aged 28 on 1 July.
Successful candidates are required to sign an agreement with the Fondation du Verbier Festival, thereby committing to the entire Verbier Festival Orchestra summer session from 28 June to 2 August 2027, and accepting all rules of the Orchestra.
Candidates must be able to speak English in order to take part in the VFO. All written and spoken communication to the orchestra is in English, and it is also the language used by the coaches and conductors.
programme dates
VFO musicians must arrive in Verbier 28 June and depart on2 August 2027. Musicians must be available for this entire period.
Information for Harpists
As the harp is not required in all pieces, the arrival and departure dates for harpists may differ slightly from those stated above.
orchestra section openings
The following sections of the VFO do not currently have an opening for 2027:
- Tuba
Applicants may apply for positions in sections without openings and, if the selection panel deems that the application is of a high enough standard to be accepted, the candidate will be placed on the reserve list and may be invited if one of the current VFO members cancels. Applicants are encouraged to apply for sections that are full because cancellations often occur, and the selection committee relies on the reserve list to fill these positions. Furthermore, a fee waiver for the following year’s applications is provided for all those on the reserve list that were not invited to the orchestra. For more information, refer to the Reserve List section below.
Information for Harpists
Depending on repertoire, successful harp candidates may be asked to perform in one of the other Verbier Festival orchestras (Verbier Festival Junior and/or Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra).
how to apply
Applications to the Verbier Festival Orchestra programme are accepted by Video Audition through the getAcceptd on-line platorm. Google Chrome is recommended as browser for use with the platform.
The language of the application documentation is English.
Video Audition Application Deadline: 14 December 2026 (11:59 PM EST)
Live Audition Application Deadline:: 11 January 2027 (11:59 PM EST)
All candidates must provide:
- Contact information (name, address, etc.)
- Application information
- Date of birth, nationality, etc.
- School/Teacher history
- Uploads / audition
- Passport / ID
- CV describing academic, professional and any other relevant experience
- Photo / headshot (landscape format)
- If applying via video submission: video upload (see audition repertoire requirements)
- Payment of application fee (by credit card only)
application fee
All candidates are required to pay a EUR 75 non-refundable application fee. This fee is accepted by credit card only through the GetAcceptd application platform.
Thanks to the generosity of donors to the Festival, the application fee will be waived for the following candidates:
- Swiss citizens born or resident in the Cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais or Vaud (you must be a Swiss citizen for this to be applicable; for example, this is not applicable for students of other nationalities studying in these cantons)
To obtain this exemption, please send proof of eligibility (i.e. a scan of your passport, a letter proving your canton of residence) to the following address: orchestras@verbierfestival.com
Please note you must request a fee waiver before you submit your application. We will not be able to reimburse application fees if you have paid for them and afterwards request a fee waiver.
You must request your fee waiver by the following dates: 11 December (live auditions) and 8 January (video auditions). We will not be able to provide fee waivers after these dates.
costs for successful candidates
VFO musicians will buy their own return travel (with guidance from the Verbier Festival team) and will be reimbursed, upto capped amounts, during the Festival period.
The maximum amount reimbursed will depend on the place of residence:
CHF 150 – Switzerland and border regions (e.g. areas of France near Geneva)
CHF 250 –neighboring countries to Switzerland
CHF 350 – – other countries in Europe (Council of Europe members, plus Belarus and Kosovo. For more information, visit this page)
CHF 500 – Middle East (as defined here)
CHF 1,200 – outside of Europe and the Middle East as defined above
Should a musician not be able to pay their own travel in advance, they can apply to the Festival for help booking the ticket.
The Verbier Festival also covers all training/tuition costs, provides lodging, and lunches and dinners.
making your video
Please read ALL of the following instructions before starting your application or recording your video:
- Please note that you must perform all the works / orchestral excerpts listed under “Audition Repertoire” above. You must play the works as if you were giving a live audition (i.e. straight-through in the order listed). The recording must be made in one shot, without cuts or edits.
- Please take into account the size of the room and its acoustic as well as the distance from the camera: the more reverberative the room, the closer you will need to be to the camera (usually 3 metres or 10 feet).
- The use of artificial reverberation or any other audio modification via post-production (editing, splicing, etc.) is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification. You may use an external microphone (e.g., Zoom Q8) to achieve better sound quality and add this sound to the video afterwards, without cuts, edits or sound effects.
- IMPORTANT: watch and listen to your recording to be sure it represents what you want for the jury to consider.
live audition cities
Live auditions will take place in Berlin, Geneva, London, New York, Paris, Vienna and Zurich. The schedule will be announced at the end of October.
reserve list
If your audition is of the required standard but there is no longer a space in the orchestra for your instrument, you will be placed on the reserve list.
Reserve list candidates are invited only if there’s a cancellation, and we therefore cannot guarantee that you will be invited, and when exactly we would contact you. Please note that cancellations sometimes happen at the very last minute, so it could be that you are invited to join the orchestra right up until the start of the programme.
As stated above, applicants are encouraged to apply for full sections, as cancellations often occur and the selection committee relies on the waitlist to fill these positions. Furthermore, an application fee waiver for the following year is granted to all individuals on the waitlist who were not invited to join the orchestra.
faq
Q: I will be younger than 18 or older than 28 on 1 July 2027. May I still apply?
We do not accept applications from candidates younger or older than the stated requirements. Musicians aged 15 to 18 may consider the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra. Musicians aged 18 may apply to either the VFO or VFJO.
Q: When and how will I be informed of my audition results?
Candidates will be informed of the results via GetAcceptd no later than 5 March 2027. You must confirm your participation, if selected, no later than March 9, 2027 (7:00 PM EST).
Q: How can I pay the application fee?
The application fee is paid on the GetAcceptd website using a credit card. Payment is made at the time of application submission. Unfortunately, this is the only way to pay the application fee.
Q: I am not Swiss, but I live and study in Geneva – can I benefit from an application fee waiver?
No, exemptions are for Swiss citizens who are born or resident in the cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, or Vaud.
Q: I was born in Zurich and study in Zurich – can I benefit from an application fee waiver?
No, exemptions are for Swiss citizens who are born or resident in the cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, or Vaud.
Q: I am a French national and study in Geneva – can I benefit from an application fee waiver?
No, exemptions are for Swiss citizens who are born or resident in the cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais, or Vaud.
Q: Will I be told my position on the waitlist?
No – waitlist candidates are only invited in case of a cancellation, and therefore we cannot guarantee that you will be invited, nor when we will contact you.
Q: Can I play a different concerto movement or a different excerpt than the one indicated in the “Audition Repertoire” section?
No. You must play the concerto movement or excerpts indicated for your instrument. In order for the jury to evaluate all candidates fairly, no modifications are allowed.
Q: May my CV be written in a language other than English?
Yes. We accept CVs in English, French, German or Spanish.
Q: May I bring a pianist to my live audition or record my video with a pianist?
No, all auditions are unaccompanied.