Audemars Piguet’s Creative Interlude

Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is happy to participate once again in the Montreux Jazz Festival from July 5 to 20, 2024. Global partner of the event since 2019, the brand aims to promote and nurture talents from all backgrounds, a commitment sustained by the APxMusic programme. For the 58^th edition of the Festival, the Audemars Piguet Parallel experience will return on July 17 with an electrifying show featuring artists Mont Rouge, Mochakk and Black Coffee at a location to be revealed at the last minute. The Manufacture will also organise the closing party of the Montreux Jazz Festival, which will be open to the public and promises moments brimming with emotion.

AN ELECTRIFYING EVENING ON THE FRINGES OF THE FESTIVAL
For the 58^th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Audemars Piguet Parallel experience will return on Wednesday July 17. Introduced in 2022, this intimate interlude in the vibrancy of the Festival offers visitors a moment lost in time and the opportunity for select artists to perform in unexpected locations of the Montreux Riviera.

Following the first edition’s success, when The Blaze and Arlo Parks rejoiced the audience gathered in the gardens of the Caux Palace, the Audemars Piguet Parallel experience is back this year with an all-electronic line-up: Swiss trio Mont Rouge, Brazilian sensation Mochakk and South-African afro-house legend Black Coffee will take turns on stage to excite happy revelers.

The audience will consist of music enthusiasts who have previously won their access to this free and exclusive show via a contest held throughout the fortnight on the Montreux Jazz social networks and within the Festival at the Audemars Piguet Parallel pop-up. This immersive space will plunge participants into the brand’s universe through a musical experience that gives them a chance to win a pass for the Audemars Piguet Parallel event. Winners will be notified by email, while the location will be kept secret until the last minute.

The Audemars Piguet Parallel experience reflects the commitment of the manufacturer from Le Brassus and the Montreux Jazz Festival to encourage musical talents to push their limits and share their passion with the public.

A CLOSING PARTY BRIMMING WITH EMOTION
Audemars Piguet is also teaming up with the Montreux Jazz Festival to organise the closing party on July 20. Festival-goers will have the chance to cheer on a selection of artists whose names will only be announced a few days before the event, which promises to be full of surprises and emotions.

AP AND MUSIC: A LONG-STANDING RELATION
Over the years, Audemars Piguet has multiplied the creative synergies between Haute Horlogerie and the world of music through multiple collaborations. One of its main partnerships began in 2006 when the Manufacture joined forces with EPFL (École Polythechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and a panel of experts, including musicians, for an 8-year research programme on the acoustic tonality of 19^th-century timepieces.

The watchmaker from Le Brassus has also nurtured long-standing friendships with different artists and musicians, including Jay Z, Quincy Jones and Mark Ronson, who share the same values of technical mastery, precision and innovation.

Furthering its engagement in the world of music, Audemars Piguet has been contributing to the Montreux Jazz Digital Project since 2010, in collaboration with the Claude Nobs Foundation and EPFL. This massive project covered the digitalisation, preservation and enrichment of the Festival’s audiovisual archives, acknowledged by UNESCO as part of its “Memory of the World” register. Taking one step further, Audemars Piguet became a Global Partner of the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2019.

In 2019, Audemars Piguet also debuted its APxMusic programme to support rising talents. In 2020, the brand launched 180, a miniseries retracing the creative process of artists invited to collaborate on an original soundtrack. This project was followed by a remarkable performance by THe LYONZ in the unique mountainous setting overlooking Montreux, on the fringes of the Festival’s 2021 edition. This initiative paved the way for the new Audemars Piguet Parallel concert series in 2022. The same year, Audemars Piguet announced Mark Ronson as its new ambassador and produced a series of short videos entitled Syncing Sounds documenting the creative process at play between the British-American producer and R&B artist Lucky Daye as they composed the title “Too Much.” In 2023, the Manufacture assigned the organisation of the Montreux Jazz Festival’s closing party to Mark Ronson, who gathered his musical family on stage for the occasion.

“Music brings people together and resonates deeply. It has always played a key role in AP’s history and we are delighted to be a part of the Montreux Jazz Festival for the 5^th year in a row, continuing to nurture the talents of today and tomorrow while encouraging them to dare explore new avenues.”

Ilaria Resta, Chief Executive Officer, Audemars Piguet

“Over the past five years, Audemars Piguet and the Montreux Jazz Festival have shared some great musical and emotional moments. The Audemars Piguet Parallel experience perfectly embodies this precious collaboration, born of a genuine effort based on the passions and values that unite us. This absolutely unique creative proposition is now a highlight of the Festival’s programme.”

Mathieu Jaton, Chief Executive Officer, Montreux Jazz Festival

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