Elton John and Sting to headline 2019 Montreux Jazz Festival

Elton John, Sting, Joan Baez and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke are just a few of the top stars set to grace the stages at this summer’s Montreux Jazz Festival.

Sting, the former lead singer of The Police, will open the 53rd edition of the lakeside festival on June 28 in the main Stravinski concert hall.

The following day, Elton John will give the first ever open-air performance at the jazz festival – which traditionally takes place in intimate concert halls – to 15,000 fans at the Saussaz stadium, three kilometres north of the main festival area.

Jazz legend and veteran producer Quincy Jones, accompanied by the Lausanne Sinfonietta Orchestra, will close the festival on July 13 with a soundtrack of his 80s hits.

Elton John, Anita Baker and Joan Baez are all appearing as part of their respective farewell tours.

Other well-known names include Tom Jones, Janet Jackson, Chick Corea, The Chemical Brothers, ZZ Top, Christian Scott, Yann Tiersen, Janelle Monae, Lauryn Hill and George Ezra.

The festival has also programmed an eclectic mix of younger stars like Rag’n’Bone Man, who cancelled last year for medical reasons, lizzo, Kimberose, Eddy de Pretto, the Suicideboys, James Blake, Chassol and Apparat, among many others.

“Our programming is full of strong personalities,” festival director Mathieu Jaton told reporters on Tuesday. “We will see legends who have made an impression on the history of music and continue to do so.”

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday April 10. Last year, 240,000 people attended the festival and 95,000 concert tickets were sold. The budget for 2019 remains stable at CHF28 million.