The alpine horn player Eliana Burki, born in 1983 in Switzerland, is among the internationally most successful representatives of her profession. She has had concerts far beyond the borders of Europe, including the United States, South America and the Middle and Far East - and become the most sought-after ambassador of this Swiss national instrument. She has opened up a new repertoire for the alpine horn with her band iAlpinisti, and also as a soloist with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Radio Orchestra. She has also incorporated jazz and funk, as well as influences from the folk music of the countries she has visited.
Burki was just four years old when an alpine horn ensemble playing at the finish line of a bicycle race sparked her passion for the instrument. Two years later, she convinced the legendary blower from Solothurn Hansjürg Sommer (known as the ‘pope of the alpine horn’) to take her on as his only pupil. Soon thereafter she participated in the Federal Yodelling Festival: A little girl in traditional costume that stood out among experienced men. But when Burki played a blues piece at a later yodelling festival, she failed to win over the jury. She had violated the traditional standards by playing a different genre of music.