Jürg Dähler

Born in Zurich, Jürg Dähler is active internationally as a violinist, violist, teacher, and organizer. He studied with Sándor Végh, Christoph Schiller, Pinchas Zukerman, Kim Kashkashian, and Fyodor Drushinin. That was followed by influential encounters with artists such as Brenton Langbein, Heinz Holliger, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and György Lígeti. He gave his debut in the Tonhalle Zurich with Paul Sachers Collegium Musicum Zurich in the creation of the Violaconcerto by Daniel Schnyder which is written for and dedicated to him. Since then he has been a guest at many renowned festivals and performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician in Vienna, Salzburg, Paris, Rom, Madrid, London, Sydney, Adelaide, Zurich, Lucerne, and Montreux, among other places. 

From 1985 to 2000 he was a member and first violinist of the legendary Kammermusiker Zurich. In 1993 he was a founding member of the Collegium Novum Zurich. Since 1993 he has been first solo violist of the Musikkollegium Winterthur and a member of the Winterthurer Streichquartett. 

Since 1997, he has been manager and artistic director of the Biennale Kultur Herbst Buendner Herrschaft/Bad Ragaz. In 1999, he cofounded the Swiss Chamber Concerts of which he is still the artistic director today. He received international acclaim for his CD-productions with labels such as ECM, Neos, Accord, Jecklin, Claves, and Cantando.

Jürg Dähler has performed over two hundred world and national premieres, including solo and chamber music works dedicated to him, working closely with composers such as Henze, Lígeti, Holliger, Pärt, Cerha, Drushinin, Bodman-Rae, Haller, Kelterborn, Lehmann, Gaudibert, Kaeser and Schnyder. 

In 2007 he was the first Swiss to receive the academic title “Executive Master in Arts Administration” (EMAA) in the philosophy and business administration department of the University Zurich. Since then has directed an international arts consulting group based in Vienna, Zurich and New York. In 2008 he received the Zolliker Kunstpreis for his artistic activity and his great services to cultural life in Switzerland. He plays on a violin by Antonio Stradivarius, Cremona 1714 and on a viola by Raffale Fiorini, Bologna 1893.