“It is an honour for us to have this festival in the village”
Dominik Heeb (born 1989) has been head of Tourism Klosters within the Destination Davos Klosters for just under a year. The sports enthusiast from Switzerland has already been able to provide fresh impetus for tourism as an event manager in Klosters. Georg Rudiger spoke with him about musical experiences, summer tourism and the 800th anniversary of Klosters.
Georg Rudiger: You visited the festival Klosters Music yourself in the summer. Which concerts did you listen to?
Dominik Heeb: I went to the opening concert of the Münchener Kammerorchester under Pablo Heras-Casado and attended the film evening “Singin’ in the Rain” with live music.
And what did you think?
Both concerts were brilliant. It’s been quite a long time since I was at a purely classical concert. Pop music is more my thing, but I was really captivated by the opening concert. “Singin’ in the Rain” was a real cinema experience. I was amazed at how the music of the large symphony orchestra was perfectly coordinated with the film images.
What was your impression of the audience? Was there a different audience at the film concert than at the opening concert?
The audience at the sold-out film concert was somewhat younger than at the opening concert. This may also have had something to do with the 800th anniversary of Klosters in 2022, in the context of which the concert took place. The evening was very fitting for the anniversary with Gene Kelly in the leading role, who was a frequent guest in Klosters in the 1960s and 70s and lived in the Chesa Grischuna, where you can still view the photos from that time of Hollywood on the Rocks. The on the spot introduction by his widow Patricia Kelly also had a strong local connection.
How important is the festival for the tourist resort of Klosters in summer?
In our packed summer of events, Klosters Music is one of the top events.
What other events are there in the summer that bring tourists to the place?
The tennis tournaments have a long tradition and bring great positivity. This year we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the European Junior Championships in Klosters. The nostalgic “Genussmeile” at the end of August also has enormous appeal. But the well-known trail running races such as the Madrisa Trail in Klosters or the Davos X-Trails are also important summer events that are renowned far beyond the region. And of course our guest programme in summer offers countless and diverse adventures with over 60 activities and a total of over 700 runs per summer season, which guests can book for free or at a very fair price.
Klosters has a distinctive winter season, but undoubtedly would like to develop year-round tourism. As the person responsible, how do you see this matter?
Winter is of course still a very important season with all the ski resorts in our region. We already have much to offer over the summer, but there is always room for more. In this respect in particular, Klosters Music is an extremely attractive reason to come to our mountain region in summer as well. It is an honour for us to have this festival in the village.
Are there any overlaps between winter and summer guests – or do guests choose either one or the other?
Those who have a second home in Klosters are definitely with us in Klosters in both summer and winter.
And what about the tourists?
Overall, we position ourselves as a three-generation holiday resort. The whole family should feel at home here, in winter as well as in summer. Trail running, mountain biking, pleasure hiking – and classical music, too.
Next year, Klosters Music will have a family concert for the youngest generation.
Yes, I have heard about it. It fits ideally of course into our three-generation concept.
The last edition of Klosters Music was not only embedded in the 800th anniversary of Klosters with the “Singin’ in the Rain” concert, but also the musical-literary evening by Alain Claude Sulzer and Oliver Schnyder and the concert by Maurice Steger in the historic church of St. Jakob was linked to the history of the place. How satisfied are you overall with the 800th anniversary of Klosters? What did it do to the village?
It has definitely brought the village closer together with the many events. There were many partner events, including Klosters Music, but also many specially developed events that inspired and brought about many things. In the so-called impulse programme of the anniversary, existing projects were taken up and thanks to the support of the municipality brought to fruition. For example, an old forge known as “Schröders Schmiede” was opened on the Rütipromenade. Another highlight of course was the climbing holds on the Sunniberg bridge, which will be very well received in the climbing world as “Sunniberg Climbing” with routes up to 55 m high.
The programme for the next edition of Klosters Music will soon be published. What are your hopes for the festival for the future?
I hope that the steep increase of the last four festival editions will continue. I would also be happy if the local anchoring of the festival would be further strengthened in the future, without neglecting the national and international charisma. We also have ideas on how to strengthen the connection between the festival and us as a tourism office, but I can’t reveal them yet.
More information about all the events in Davos Klosters can be found under www.klosters.ch/events.