People - 05.10.2026 - 13:00
Malcolm Green takes a sip of tap water, stretches his legs and squints into the autumn sun. We’re sitting on the east terrace of the University of St.Gallen’s distinctive SQUARE. The waters of Lake Constance glisten in the distance amongst the green hills of the Appenzell region. "It’s almost kitsch, this morning," says the musician, spreading his arms towards the lake: "A landscape like in the musical The Sound of Music." He laughs. The final performance of his latest engagement is still taking its toll on him. "Ever seen a grandfather dancing on stage as a bear? Voilà, that’s me," beams Green, shaking his head at himself.
He has taken to the stage dozens of times this year as Baloo in The Jungle Book, alongside around 40 children from the Storchentheater in the heart of Gallusstadt. What makes this performance special is that Green was the only adult in the cast. At the Storchentheater, the stage belongs to the children. Whenever Green performs, his three musical babies are always with him – the saxophone, the flute and his voice. This gave his bear role just the right groove. "As a musician, I have to keep challenging myself – whether it’s to achieve a good sound or to try out a completely new art form. Acting gave me immense pleasure, but it’s also exhausting to go full throttle in the warm fur costume of a jungle dweller. With all these fantastic, energetic kids around, you really have to put in the effort as Grandad." The jazz musician as a saxophone-playing jungle bear: that, too, is part of Malcolm Green’s multifaceted personality.
Baloo’s motto, "Give a bit of a relaxed approach a go," is only partly in keeping with Green’s way of life. He often made important decisions very quickly. "I told my friends in the US, “If I ever manage to catch a plane, I’m off – catch me if you can.” Green found the atmosphere in America in the 1970s stifling: racism, segregation and inequality at every turn. When asked how he found his homeland during his most recent family visit to the US, he remarks with dismay: "Unfortunately, the stifling atmosphere of those years has returned with Trump’s MAGA policies." In 1979, the young musician packed his bags. And he managed to get hold of a plane that catapulted him away from the US vibe of the 1970s: to Eastern Switzerland.
Thanks to his musical talent, he managed to secure the one-way ticket he’d longed for – it took him to Europe. With the musical Raisin in the Sun, Green performed with a big band at the St.Gallen City Theatre and in Paris. There he had a life-changing encounter: the artist met his future wife, a woman from St.Gallen. The two fell in love in Paris: “Tacky, but true,” smiles Green. He speaks of her with great affection.
‘That’s my city!’, beams Malcolm Green, letting his gaze wander from the SQUARE terrace over the two cathedral spires to the summit of the Säntis. “It’s the best place for someone who wants to play music and find inspiration in nature every day.” During the conversation, Green switches between St.Gallen German and American English. As if languages were instruments, too, between which one can switch effortlessly in a good conversation.
Music has been a constant companion throughout his life. “Music was my first love,” sighs Green. He grew up in Richmond, Virginia, where, at the age of five, he sang in the gospel choir at Riverview Baptist Church. At nine, the gifted boy began playing the saxophone. He later studied at Norfolk State University and Howard University in Washington D.C. He didn’t just want to sing for fun, but to immerse himself deeply in music. He learnt to arrange harmonies, compose and improvise on stage. One artist who inspired him was Michael Jackson – particularly his song “Gone Too Soon”.
Following his first performances in Europe, Malcolm Green studied the flute at the Bern Conservatory. This was followed by engagements with the musical West Side Story in Belgium and performances in a wide variety of ensembles. In 1983, Malcolm Green won the Swiss Talent Festival with his first LP, “Love Has Sides”. He plays Dixieland and modern jazz, rock and gospel, working with Art Lande and Urs C. Eigenmann, amongst others, and later discovers his love for Cuban jazz. For Green, sticking to just one style is always too restrictive. With the group "The Green Experience", he plays songs such as “Satisfaction”, “Hound Dog” and “No Woman, No Cry”.
Perhaps this curiosity is the real driving force behind his career. For Green, music means staying alert, having a feel for the emotions of people from different walks of life and generations in a single space. Sometimes this involves taking on the role of a sad bear who must part with Mowgli, the human boy he has grown fond of, on the outskirts of the village. This scene moved him deeply, as it embodies so much wisdom about life: "You have to let go – so that something new can emerge." It’s a thought that often crosses the musician’s mind at the HSG graduation ceremonies.
It is no coincidence that we are meeting on the campus of the University of St.Gallen. For around 35 years, Green has been providing the soundtrack to a wide variety of celebrations with his unmistakable sound. His name is particularly closely associated with Graduation Days. When, after countless lectures, exams and days spent studying in the library and at Rotmonten-Badi, the graduation certificate is finally handed out, he provides the musical backdrop that evokes a sense of relief and optimism. “I always try to create a feeling of togetherness,” says Green. He observes his audience closely and then decides which song will be good at that moment. It isn’t necessarily the most sophisticated pieces that are the best, but those that everyone knows well. So that the spark of enthusiasm can catch on. “Simply the Best” is one of them, or the classic “We Are Family”.
The emotional highlight of a graduation day often belongs to the musician. Once all the speeches have been made and the certificates handed out, his music takes centre stage. “Are you HAPPY? Are YOU happy?”, Malcolm Green calls out to the audience. The graduates wave their certificates happily, singing, dancing and celebrating. Party on! Graduates, the President's Board, faculty and families all swing together to the beat. For a brief moment, roles and generations fade away. What remains is a moment of togetherness. Then, with all your senses, you can feel what the HSG Community means.
Green sometimes realises, even years later, just how deeply this touches the people in the auditorium. Former students approach him in town or after concerts: “Hey, I remember you – you made me and my family dance at my graduation!” They might not remember the speeches from their graduation ceremony all that clearly, they say, but they do remember the moment when they were hugging friends and family to the tune of one of his songs. “I’m delighted every time I get to play the soundtrack to these young people’s time at HSG – and help them look forward to the next stage of their lives with optimism,” says Green.
Some encounters on campus go on to develop further. Members of the HSG community book Green for weddings, christenings and even funerals. Over the course of some four decades, he has thus not only become the musical companion for life’s milestones but has himself become a part of contemporary history. He plays almost anywhere for his audience. Green has even performed at the Äscher mountain inn, high above Lake Seealpsee. Although deep chasms make him anything but comfortable. Yet for the love of music, the artist overcomes even his own aversion to steep alpine slopes.
The city thanked Malcolm Green for his cultural commitment in its own special way: in 2001, the St.Gallen Carnival Society named him Malcolm XXVII, an Honorary Citizen of Födle. The honour is bestowed upon individuals who have rendered outstanding service to St.Gallen. Since this honour, at the very latest, the jazz musician from Virginia has definitively become a St.Gallen original.
The self-confessed FC St.Gallen fan doesn’t miss the chance to enjoy a bratwurst with mustard and Bürli in the University Restaurant at the end of his campus visit today. Covered in Bürli flour, he laughs when asked: “So, what’s next in your life?” He pauses to think. “I’ll let myself be surprised.” So perhaps there is a bit of Baloo in him after all? Musically, though, it’s likely to remain a challenge to maintain that laid-back vibe. Whenever people gather somewhere and Green finds the right sound for the moment, he’ll play. Live in concert. Just the way St.Gallen’s music lovers and the HSG community loves to experience Malcolm Green.
You can find out more about Malcolm Green’s artistic portfolio on his website. His most recent appearance as Baloo the Bear was at the St.Gallen children’s musical theatre, the Storchentheater. Prior to that, he’d also performed various jazz gigs there, as reported by the St.Galler Tagblatt, for example. You can find out all about the HSG finale of the distinctive Graduation Days here.
Cover image: University of St.Gallen
Photo gallery: 1) Storchentheater St.Gallen, 2) to 4) Malcolm Green, 5) University of St.Gallen, 6) University of St.Gallen / Regina Kühne
