Philanthropy
Julius Baer Takes Jazz Vibe To China
The move is, so Julius Baer says, an example of an East-West "bridge" of culture. Banks have for some time backed arts and cultural events as a way to project their brands.
Julius Baer,
which partners with Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, is
taking this festival eastward by supporting an event in Suzhou,
China.
First introduced to China in 2021, the Montreux Jazz Festival
China involves 140 musicians across 30 bands from China and
overseas to perform at the Fairmont Yangcheng Lake from 27
September to 2 October.
The support of this festival in China fits with the Zurich-listed
bank’s strategy of treating Asia as its second “home market.”
“It is a great opportunity for the Montreux Jazz Festival to
count on the support of Julius Baer in our efforts to build
bridges between Eastern and Western cultures,” Mathieu Jaton, CEO
Montreux Jazz Festival, said.
The bank has been a global partner to the festival since 2022.
Julius Baer’s backing for the event fits into a broader theme of
financial firms using the arts and sports as a way to promote
brands with particular target markets, such as affluent and high
net worth individuals.
Besides the Swiss and Chinese iterations of the festival, Julius
Baer also supports the Rio Montreux Jazz Festival.
The Montreux Jazz Festival was founded by Claude Nobs on the
shores of Geneva Lake in 1967. The festival has expanded from
jazz to music genres including blues, rock, pop, world music,
rap. Artists and bands such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd,
Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Frank Zappa, Carlos Santana (his statue
is pictured here), Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, James
Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Leonard Cohen, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis,
Nina Simone and Bob Dylan have performed at the festival.
Financial firms, including private banks, have sponsored the arts
for some time. Examples include EFG International, sponsor of The
Gramophone Classical Music Awards, Banca del Fucino in Italy and
its support of the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, and Societe
Generale, the French bank, with its music sponsorship
programme.
