Geneva, 28 December 2024 – The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert, presented by Rolex since 2009, demonstrates the power of music to connect and unify people in all corners of the world. The concert, performed annually for more than 80 years, celebrates artistic heritage in its ritual of renewal.

Broadcast in over 90 countries and streamed on Rolex partner medici.tv, the event is accompanied by rich tradition. It always takes place on the morning of 1 January in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, with the programme concentrating on the joyous music of the Strauss dynasty and their contemporaries.

For the seventh time, Italian conductor Riccardo Muti will take up the baton in 2025. His first artistic collaboration with the orchestra was in 1971 and he has been an Honorary Member of the Vienna Philharmonic since 2011.
The Vienna Philharmonic is one of the most highly regarded orchestras in the world. Rolex became its Exclusive Partner in 2008, support that makes it possible for people in other countries to experience the finest music.

HIGHLIGHTS IN 2025
Following the New Year’s Concert, the Vienna Philharmonic will take its distinctive sound to Italy, France and Korea, presented by Rolex. On 25 February, it will perform at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. On 11 May, the Opéra national de Paris, the Vienna Philharmonic and Rolex will partner to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Palais Garnier with a gala concert. Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct with other Rolex Testimonees – Juan Diego Flórez, Sir Bryn Terfel, Rolando Villazón, Yuja Wang and Sonya Yoncheva – joining the Philharmonic on stage for this unique performance. Proceeds will go to the ADO – Apprentissage de l’Orchestre – the youth lyric orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris. On 13 June, the Vienna Philharmonic will perform the Summer Night Concert on the grounds of Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace. Later, in November, the Philharmonic will perform in Seoul at the Seoul Arts Center.

COMMITMENT TO GLOBAL CULTURE 
By championing artistic excellence and achievement in a wide range of the arts − from music, architecture and cinema to dance, literature, theatre and visual arts – Rolex confirms its long-term engagement with global culture.

In the domain of music, Rolex is distinguished by its relationships. Over the years, the company has developed long-standing partnerships with Testimonees across the musical spectrum, from opera and classical, to jazz and world music, including singers, conductors and instrumentalists. The first music Testimonee, in 1976, was New Zealand soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. She was joined by many of the world’s greatest musicians, artists and performers.

Among artists that Rolex partners through the Perpetual Arts Initiative are Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, French tenor Benjamin Bernheim, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez, German tenor Jonas Kaufmann, Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón, Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, pianist Yuja Wang from China, French pianist Hélène Grimaud, Canadian singer and Grammy Award-winner Michael Bublé, and British-American sitarist Anoushka Shankar.

Along with the Vienna Philharmonic, Rolex supports the Salzburg and Whitsun festivals as well as many of the world’s foremost cultural institutions. They include Vienna’s own Musikverein, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, London’s Royal Ballet and Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Opéra national de Paris, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, the Opernhaus Zürich, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

The company recognizes the importance of passing on knowledge from one generation to the next. As such, it has helped emerging musicians through associations with diverse eminent artists, such as Jessye Norman, Zakir Hussain, Gilberto Gil, Youssou N’Dour, Pinchas Zukerman, Brian Eno, Philip Glass and Dianne Reeves.

Rolex also promotes musical excellence worldwide by supporting high-quality online access to today’s classical concerts, festivals, operas and performances through its partnership with medici.tv. 

UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
Music is a universal language that transcends borders and cultures. Rolex celebrates the message of hope that the Vienna Philharmonic expresses through its artistry. 

ABOUT THE VIENNA PHILHARMONIC 
The Vienna Philharmonic is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s most revered orchestras, upholding the greatest traditions in classical music. Founded in 1842 and with more than 180 years of artistic contribution, it is known for its individuality and lustrous sound, as well as for its exacting standards, maintaining artistic integrity and communicating music’s humanitarian message around the world. Today, this is carried out by way of two notable events which are broadcast in numerous countries around the world: the New Year’s Concert and the open-air Summer Night Concert, where, every May or June, over 50,000 people gather in the Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn in Vienna, known as the capital city of music.

ABOUT ROLEX
AN UNRIVALLED REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND EXPERTISE 
Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Perpetual watches are certified by COSC, then tested inhouse for their precision, performance and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization. 
The word ‘Perpetual’ is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 600 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.