BEX - pronounced in English/French as [bay/be] - a sheep’s natural bleating sound. The ram is depicted on the commune’s emblem and flag, is a small, farming, industrial, manufacturing, wine producing and residential municipality/commune in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, located in the district of Aigle, SE of Geneva, Lausanne, and Montreux, south of the Lake of Geneva/Lac Leman, on the eastern banks of the Rhône River, bordering the Canton of Valais and the Haut Savoie of France. Surrounded by pre-Alpine slopes containing Chasselas, Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes of distinction with an internationally acclaimed A.O.P. appellation, with visible mountain ranges containing peaks such as Les Dents de Morcles, Les Diablerets, les Dents du Midi.

Many communities have music organisations that promote learning and playing musical instruments, choral clubs, memberships in communal bands and orchestras, choirs and theatrical groups. The area is a very enthusiastic supporter of the arts. Other cities and communes with operating annual Music Festivals which are considered allies and not competition include the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, The Verbier Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, 1066 Festival, Paléo Music Festival, and dozens more year-round.

The Bex Music Festival vision is to establish a premier, community-focused chamber music festival in Bex, celebrated for its artistic excellence with a sustainable, modern business model.

Part of the vision is to spot and to mentor the next generation of art entrepreneurs. The program is designed to find the next generation of system builders in the music world. Instead of competing with Verbier or Gstaad Festival for artistic prestige, from the Bex commune and surroundings, the next generation of artistic directors and CEOs will be identified and promoted. They will be provided with seed money and mentorship needed to successfully start their projects.

The Bex Music Festival will be incorporated as a Non-Profit Foundation which will establish monthly concerts and an Annual Festival and Competition to be held in Bex and open to all prodigy musicians in the Canton de Vaud, especially from the commune of Bex, who wish to perform on a world-class standard as professionals. This organisation will establish a chain of future professionals as winners of the Bex Young Artist Prize to carry on the program. This creates an ongoing ecosystem of young artists who support each other from year-to-year as they rise through the ranks of professional musicians and entrepreneurs. Everyone joins the chain of successful musicians.

The Bex Music Festival will focus on the basic format of classical music as being the broadest basic start on the learning curve of both amateur and professional music offering the widest scope for future evolution that any musician may take. The Bex Music Festival will act as a stepping stone for students on the learning curve who may wish to attend any other Music Academy and after graduation become part of the process to enter the professional world.

To the public, it will be another prestigious music festival performing unique chamber music/solo programs designed by young fellows. The goal throughout the life of the Bex Music Festival will be to identify any potential prodigy performer, then assist and mentor the next member of the world-class performers such as a “Yehudi Menuhin”, a “Janine Jansen”, and other world-class artists rather than pure performers.

Robert Sandford Stewart

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Invited VIP guest speaker to the World Bank/International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings since 1976, the World Economic Forum (Davos), the World Economic Council, Washington, DC, the Commonwealth Business Forum, the Crans Montana CEO Forum, the Monte Carlo CEO Forum, Banff CEO Forum, the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNAIDS, World Infrastructure Congress, and the International Telecoms Union Summits (1973-2003).

Machteld Schrama

Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Sponsor of Geneva-based Swiss Catholic Charity, Steun Kinderen, SOS Kinderdorpen, Dutch Dressage Equestrian Rider and young musicians, such as Yunmo Zhang: Student on the Flute, HEMU, Lausanne.