Paul Sacher was born in Switzerland in 1906. He studied conducting at the Basel Conservatory and musicology at the University of Basel. In 1926, Sacher founded the Basler Chamber Orchestra, which specialized in both modern and pre-classical repertory. Two years later he founded the Basel Chamber Choir.
Sacher focused on commissioning new works for his orchestra and establishing contact with international figures such as B茅la Bart贸k, Igor Stravinsky, and Paul Hindemith. He commissioned his first work from B茅la Bart贸k in 1935 titled 鈥淢usic for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta鈥�. He appeared as a guest conductor in many European cities and also cities in the United States.
In 1941, Sacher became the founder and artistic director of the Collegium Musicum Zurich, which remained active until 1992. He led the Basel Academy of Music from 1954 to 1969, and established the Paul Sacher Stiftung (Foundation) in Basel in 1973.
Sacher delivered the Beatty Lecture on November 1, 1994, titled 鈥淧aul Sacher Remembers B茅la Bart贸k鈥�.
Image:聽Paul Sacher conducting the Basel Percussion Ensemble in 1993, photographer, Roland Schmid
