“Great artists play eternal music”

The «Migros Culture Percentage Classics» go back to 1948, when film director Franz Schnyder organised the first classical concert under the «Clubhouse concerts» label. Even though Schnyder’s programming caused consternation within the Migros ranks, his concerts quickly earned a permanent place in cultural life.

Responsible for the cultural programme at the Migros clubhouse, film director Franz Schnyder’s passion was classical music. In 1948, he brought renowned orchestras and conductors to Zurich and organised highly acclaimed tours in Switzerland. At Migros, though, these «Clubhouse Concerts» do more than just inspire: «Only a small proportion of our cooperative members has a pronounced interest in music, no least in the high quality of music presented in our events», laments economic advisor, Elsa Gasser. «For years», Schnyder remembers, they had been expected to bring a revival of the Clubhouse through theatre of a «good, but rather folksy standard». In 1954, Schnyder tendered his resignation, officially citing the beginning of shooting for the movie Ueli der Knecht . But the Zürcher Woche newspaper was not convinced that Schnyder «voluntarily left his position» and feared the «general demise of the concert programme» that may have «cost Migros». The newspaper was mistaken: The «Clubhouse concerts» have lived on and are known today as «Migros Culture Percentage Classics».