‘Every concert should be a little journey of discovery for the children.’

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

The successful children's concert series by Nadja Furrer / Zugabe GmbH will soon be inviting children and their friends, young and old, to experience music up close and personal once again. On selected Sunday afternoons during the cooler months, Swiss bands will be performing their latest songs on stage – no traditional children's songs, no puppet theatre, but plenty to marvel at, sing along to and empathise with.

To kick off the popular series, we asked founder Nadja Furrer three questions about the project.

Gessnerallee: What inspired you to establish a children's concert series?

Nadja Furrer: The idea came about during my time at the Jazzwerkstatt Bern, a five-day festival where a band from the regular programme played a family concert on Sundays. I was fascinated by how open-minded and curious the children were about the music – even though it wasn't familiar children's songs or well-known hits. I wanted to bring this experience to Zurich and found the ideal venue in Gessnerallee, where children can immerse themselves in new musical worlds in a relaxed atmosphere.

How do you go about curating the artists?

I only invite professional acts who already have some stage experience – ideally from festivals where the audience didn't buy tickets just to see them and know all their songs by heart. The decisive factor for me is attitude: enjoying interacting with a young audience and being open to this very direct, unfiltered exchange. Diversity is just as important to me, both musically and in terms of the personalities on stage. Every concert should be a little journey of discovery for the children.

The musician ‘Cachita’ will open the series. What can the audience look forward to?

For me, Cachita is the perfect start: she brings that summer and holiday feeling back to the Gessnerallee. Her music moves playfully between Swiss German and Spanish, between rap, reggaeton and Latin pop. On stage, she is uncompromisingly direct, full of passion and with a dynamism that immediately spreads to the audience. I am convinced that no one will stay in their seats for long at this concert.

The Cachita concert will take place on 19 October, followed by Ikan Hyu on 9 November and Rita Roof on 25 January. Fai Baba & Amour sur Mars will bring the series to a close on 22 March.

But even before that, it's worth visiting Gessnerallee. Click here for the programme overview, newspaper articles and everything else we want to share with you:

Programme

15 October, 5.30 pm

‘Upheaval as a space for art – voices from Syria and Serbia’, artasfoundation

Artistic creation in crisis areas is confronted with challenging questions. In this series of talks, various actors come together to reflect on their experiences. This time with Abdullah Alkafri (Ettijahat – Independent Culture) and Milan Vračar (Kulturanova). More information

17 October, 9 pm

‘Robertson Head Music Machine’ with Claudia Bühler, Stephen Thomas, Heinz Rohrer, the weathereye

Country blues from this and other centuries. With guitars, vocals and percussion instruments – and with Gessnerallee sound engineer Stephen Thomas. More information

19 October, 3 pm

Children's concert with ‘Cachita’

Musician Cachita sends a clear message with clever and quick-witted lyrics, combining Afrobeat with modern funk and soul elements. To the tickets

Newspaper

‘Pour me another, darling’ (Only in German)

In this format, various authors write about their ‘thoughts on theatre’. An article by playwright and literary critic Laura de Weck about her experience with a school class with whom she wrote a play. Read the article

Furthermore

From 27 January to 1 February 2026, Lyn Bentschik's ‘Schmerzlabor / Pain Lab’ will take place at the Gessnerallee. This offers eight artists the opportunity to explore the creative and political potential of chronic pain together. The week will include four workshops led by individuals who themselves suffer from chronic pain and work with it in their artistic practice.

Prerequisites for participation are, on the one hand, lived experience with chronic physical and/or psychological pain conditions. On the other hand, participants must be willing and curious to reflect on their own experiences of pain on several levels within the group: emotionally, artistically, physically and politically.

Participation is free of charge. Interested parties can apply by email to lbproductions.verein@gmail.com by 31 October 2025. All information about the application process can be found on our website.

And we are looking for an event technician with a focus on lighting (70–80%) to start in January 2026 or by agreement. We look forward to receiving your application by 31 October 2025 at veserwalther@gessnerallee.ch. To the job advertisement

We wish you a pleasant second half of the week.

The Gessnerallee team

PS: For anyone who wants more Gessnerallee in their life after the season opening, we offer an annual pass. There are three price categories to choose from: dream price CHF 350 / desired price CHF 250 / small price CHF 150. Unless otherwise indicated, the annual pass includes all theatre, dance and performance shows as well as concerts and club evenings. The annual pass can be purchased at the box office or online.