Interview: Montreux Jazz Festival China's CEO aims to boost cultural exchange between Chinese, int'l artists

MONTREUX, Switzerland, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The third edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival China is set to take place in the Chinese city of Suzhou in late October in a bid to connect East and West, and foster more exchanges between international and Chinese musicians, its CEO told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The internationally renowned Montreux Jazz Festival, created in Switzerland in 1967 by Claude Nobs and directed by Mathieu Jaton since 2013, traditionally lasts two weeks every summer. Nearly 250,000 spectators attend the festival every year, enjoying a breathtaking setting, concerts with renowned acoustics and free stages.

In 2021, the festival traveled to China for the first time, choosing the picturesque UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province as its inaugural location. This year, the festival will travel to China for the third time and take place in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu province, from October 25 to 27 under the Montreux Jazz Festival China's theme "When West Meets East".

"Over three days, we will have three stages and almost 100 international musicians will come to Suzhou," CEO Joyce Peng Peng said.

"Ninety percent are international artists who will come to China and 10 percent are from China. We will represent all musical genres including jazz, rock, blues, R&B, folk, indie, and electronic, and we will even have meditation and sound healing courses."

"It's like Montreux, we carry DNA 100 percent from Switzerland," she said.

FESTIVAL ON A MISSION

Peng emphasized the significance of fostering cultural connections between China and the global community as her primary objective. "It's very important because, after difficult times, China is now totally opening up. They welcome a lot of international musicians to come to China."

"We are like a window to the world. Through us, you can see China, and the Chinese people can see the world through us."

Over the course of its nearly six-decade history, the quaint Swiss town of Montreux has played host to legendary performances by some of the biggest names in music. Icons such as Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Marvin Gaye, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder have graced the stages of Montreux, leaving an indelible mark on the festival's illustrious legacy.

Since the late 1970s, the Montreux Jazz Festival has extended its reach beyond its Swiss origins, sharing its expertise, heritage, and unique ambiance with cities across the globe. The festival has successfully held editions in diverse locations such as Sao Paulo, Detroit, Atlanta, Singapore, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro.

"We want to expand to Hong Kong and even Macau. We also want to bring as many international musicians as possible to China and bring Chinese musicians to Montreux and the rest of the world."

"China has so many good musicians but not too many people outside of China know them. It's our mission to introduce them to the world," she said.