Music above all
The Landwehr made its first mark in 1804. At that time, it was known as the Corps franc. Napoleon Bonaparte’s Act of Mediation forced the cantons to create military contingents, who were joined by music corps. Musicians have been on the battlefields since the dawn of time to transmit orders, inspire the troops or intimidate the enemy. Since then, the Fribourg ensemble has had to rise from the ashes several times and under different names. The Landwehr has come a long way.
Today, the Landwehr is the official band of the State and City of Fribourg. It is no longer preoccupied with battle or war, but with music above all.
The 90 musicians who make up today’s Landwehr march at the head of a long procession of predecessors. They share the heritage that has made Fribourg a people of singers and musicians. The Landwehriens are fully aware of it and have taken their orchestra to the next level of excellence. Enlightened amateurs, their motto is harmony and friendship. While their uniforms – the same ones worn by the Fribourg troops in 1858 – are a reminder of the richness of their past, their breath is resolutely directed towards the future. Towards the music that gives momentum, and sometimes even wings, to all those who listen to it.
Beyond repertoires and borders
With Benedikt Hayoz at its lead, the wind band plays a wide and varied repertoire. From grandiose descriptive pieces to street music, the musicians have the opportunity to call on all their technical and lyric skills. The Landwehr aims to meet its audiences’ expectations, but also wants to surprise them by taking them on a journey of discovery. Throughout the year, the ensemble meets audiences from near and far.
As an official ensemble, it performs at religious ceremonies and at the historical and traditional events that mark the region: welcoming federal councillors, swearing in the canton’s political authorities, funerals of leading figures from Fribourg, participation in the last two Fêtes des Vignerons in Vevey, …
It is also regularly invited to perform abroad. The Landwehr is a true ambassador for Fribourg and Switzerland. In addition to European countries, it has played in Iran, Japan, China, the United States, Canada, Argentina and Australia. In a Croatia torn by war, it came to bring notes of peace. The Landwehr was the first foreign band to take part in the Columbus Day parade down Fifth Avenue in New York. It was also the guest of honour at an audience with His Holiness Pope John Paul II, the Banda della Guardia dei Carabinieri and the Pontifical Swiss Guard. The Fribourg band also took part in the festivities marking the 700th anniversary of the Principality of Monaco, an event during which it was decorated by Prince Rainier III. Prince Albert is one of the Landwehr’s honorary members.
From Carnegie Hall in New York to Arlington Cemetery in Washington, from the Sydney Opera House to St Peter’s Square in Rome, from the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires to the Workers’ Auditorium in Beijing, The Landwehr has performed in the most prestigious squares and halls around the world.
Its most recent trips: after a benefit concert for Pope Francis’ poor in the Vatican in October 2015, it travelled to Costa Rica in August 2016 at the invitation of the Costa Rican Government, followed by a change of scenery with several gala concerts in India in 2018.
In 2023, the Landwehr landed on the African continent for the first time in its history, in Senegal! A tour full of musical, cultural and human discoveries. It also helped launch a humanitarian market-gardening project with the local community.
Training the musicians of tomorrow
To add more pages to its history and continue making its repertoire resonate, The Landwehr is also targeting young people. Its music school is aimed at children, with no minimum age limit. It provides a solid musical training before the Conservatoire. Older children can then join the Jeune Garde Landwehr (JGL). Under the direction of António Novais, this ensemble, which trains some 70 students, takes part in The Landwehr’s gala concert every year.
The JGL also performs at various events in the canton of Fribourg and elsewhere. As they progress, members of the JGL are invited to join the ranks of The Landwehr.
Its conductor, Benedikt Hayoz
Benedikt Hayoz, born in 1984, was appointed to his position as Conductor of the Landwehr Fribourg in January 2018. Originally from Sense, he is the third Fribourg conductor in the band’s long history to head the Landwehr, following Oscar Moret and Jean Balissat.
He studied composition, conducting and horn with Isabel Mundry (composition), Daniel Glaus (instrumentation), Jean-Claude Kolly (conducting) and Matteo Ravarelli (horn) in Zurich, Fribourg and London. Very active as a composer, he was a finalist in the Ensemble Phoenix Basel’s “Trabanten” competition in 2014 and came second in the “Jean-Paul” composition competition in 2013. In 2012, Benedikt Hayoz won the music prize of the Kiefer Hablitzel Foundation of the Swiss Musicians’ Association, and in 2010/11 he was also awarded a grant from the Landis & Gyr Foundation. Since 2013, he has taught theory at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne.
Benedikt Hayoz has worked with various conductors, including Johannes Kalitzke, Michael Wendeberg, Jürg Henneberger, Peter Tilling and Laurent Gendre. He has worked with the Collegium Novum in Zurich, the Ensemble Phoenix in Basel, the Ensemble Contrechamps in Geneva, the Ensemble Resonanz in Hamburg, the Saarländisches Rundfunkorchester in Saarbrücken, the Orchestre de Chambre fribourgeois and the Ensemble Chroma in London. He has also conducted the following ensembles: Orchestre d’Harmonie de Fribourg (OHF), Harmonie Shostakovich, Bläserphilharmonie Aargau and Ensemble Tag.
He recently composed “Wassermusik – Musik für Blasorchester und Brunnen mit Live-Elektronik”, commissioned by the Baden-Wettingen Wind Band for the Badenfahrt 2017. In 2016, together with composer Beat Gysin, the Collegium Novum Zurich, Eclatsconcerts and the dance company “Da Motus”, he took part in the creation of the “Musique à la Chocolaterie” project: an interdisciplinary concert evening in a former chocolate factory, mixing music and dance.
The Fribourgeois grew up in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The influences of his family background have given him strong links with local folk music. He lives in the Fribourg region. He is influenced by musical and cultural traditions, but also by contemporary artistic works.
Organisation of the Landwehr
Board comitee
Music Commission
Jeune Garde Commitee
External Commission
Amicale des Anciens
This group was set up so that active members of the Landwehr de Fribourg could follow up their years of active participation in the band in a cordial and fraternal manner.
Playing in a top-class band requires a great deal of personal effort to maintain the standard to the satisfaction of the musical director. This is not something that can be lost quickly, and it’s a pleasure to be reminded of it together.
The amicale has several aims, including supporting the Landwehr and the Jeune Garde by attending their performances and helping them financially from time to time.
To join or for more information
Claude Gobet, President
079 251 19 06
Board comitee
Music Commission
Jeune Garde Commitee
External Commission
Amicale des Anciens
This group was set up so that active members of the Landwehr de Fribourg could follow up their years of active participation in the band in a cordial and fraternal manner.
Playing in a top-class band requires a great deal of personal effort to maintain the standard to the satisfaction of the musical director. This is not something that can be lost quickly, and it’s a pleasure to be reminded of it together.
The amicale has several aims, including supporting the Landwehr and the Jeune Garde by attending their performances and helping them financially from time to time.
To join or for more information
Claude Gobet, President
079 251 19 06
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