LUCERNE FESTIVAL - Prolongation of contract for Artistic and Executive Director Michael Haefliger. Jürg R. Reinshagen, President of the LUCERNE FESTIVAL Board of Trustees, and Michael Haefliger, Artistic and Executive Director of LUCERNE FESTIVAL, have agreed on a prolongation of contract until December 31st 2009, with an option to prolong the agreement by another two years. With his willingness to remain in Lucerne, Michael Haefliger announces his readiness to continue putting his highly innovative dedication to LUCERNE FESTIVAL at disposal, proven by the great success of its three festivals - OSTERN, SOMMER and PIANO. For this purpose, he will focus on a continued consolidation of the exquisite LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA with CLAUDIO ABBADO and on establishing the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ACADEMY as a unique platform for an international and hand-picked group of young musicians, who will, under the tutelage of PIERRE BOULEZ, discuss and rehearse modern and the most recently written music.