Editing Basel (section)

=== Theatre and music ===
[[File:2025-05-10 ESC Basel Drumherum 010.jpg|thumb|Metro decor for the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2025]]]]
Basel is the home of the [[Schola Cantorum Basiliensis]], founded in 1933, a worldwide centre for research on and performance of music from the Medieval through the Baroque eras. [[Theater Basel]], chosen in 1999 as the best stage for German-language performances and in 2009 and 2010 as "Opera house of the year" by German opera magazine ''[[Opernwelt]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-01-07 |title=Basel: culture pure |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107230642/http://www.basel-virtuell.ch/en/culture |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref> presents a busy schedule of plays in addition to being home to the city's opera and ballet companies. Basel is home to the largest orchestra in Switzerland, the [[Sinfonieorchester Basel]]. It is also the home of the [[Basel Sinfonietta]] and the [[Kammerorchester Basel]], which recorded the complete symphonies of [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] for the [[Sony]] label, led by its music director [[Giovanni Antonini]]. The Schola Cantorum and the Basler Kammerorchester were both founded by the conductor [[Paul Sacher]], who went on to commission works by many leading composers. The Paul Sacher Foundation, opened in 1986, houses a major collection of manuscripts, including the entire [[Igor Stravinsky]] archive.
The baroque orchestras La Cetra and Capriccio Basel are also based in Basel.

In May 2004, the fifth European Festival of Youth Choirs (Europäisches Jugendchorfestival, or EJCF) opened; this Basel tradition started in 1992. Host of the festival is the local [[Basel Boys Choir]].

In 1997, Basel contended to become the "[[European Capital of Culture]]", though the honor went to [[Thessaloniki]].

In 2025, Basel hosted the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2025|Eurovision Song Contest]] at [[St. Jakobshalle]], becoming the third Swiss city to host the competition after [[Lugano]] in 1956 and [[Lausanne]] in 1989.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Oltermann |first=Philip |date=2024-08-30 |title=Basel to host Eurovision song contest for Switzerland in 2025 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/aug/30/basel-to-host-eurovision-song-contest-for-switzerland-in-2025 |access-date=2024-09-01 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>