BUDAPEST • HUNGARY
LISZT ACADEMY AT A GLANCE The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest is the only music academy in the world founded by Ferenc Liszt. The renowned piano virtuoso, composer, conductor, teacher, author and philanthropist established the institution in 1875. Liszt’s credo was “Génie oblige!” The duty of an artist is to use his gifts for the benefit of humanity and to nurture talent. Teaching at the Academy is rooted in this principle, reflecting the ideals of its visionary and versatile founder, a pioneer years ahead of his time. A straight line can be traced through four generations from Liszt to the Academy’s piano professors of today. One of the world’s finest music academies, offering a full spectrum of music education. Incorporates the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum and Research Centre, the Kodály Music Pedagogy Institute and the Kodály Museum and Archives. Liszt Academy is also recognised as a world-class concert centre with its unique acoustics and exquisite interior. The historic restored Music Palace is a masterpiece of Art Nouveau architecture, awarded by Europa Nostra Prize.
THE FACADE OF THE MAIN BUILDING AT LISZT FERENC SQUARE
LEGACY Liszt Academy has been awarded the European Heritage Label for its outstanding role on the European music scene, for its preservation of European traditions, its creativity, openness and dynamism springing from the duality of university and concert centre activities, being an exemplary cultural institution.
ZOLTÁN KOCSIS AND GYÖRGY KURTÁG
Liszt Academy is proud to nurture the legacy of famous Hungarian musicians like Liszt, Bartók, Kodály, Dohnányi, Hubay, Popper, Weiner, Ligeti and Kurtág, who shaped our style, approach and traditions. They bridge genres, continents and ages: Sir Georg Solti, Antal Doráti, Sándor Végh, György Sebők, János Starker, Aladár Rácz, Vera Rózsa, Géza Anda, György Cziffra, László Polgár, Tamás Vásáry, Éva Marton, Péter Frankl, György Pauk, Zoltán Kocsis, Miklós Perényi, Dezső Ránki, Péter Eötvös, Sir András Schiff etc. SIR ANDRÁS SCHIFF
GYÖRGY LIGETI
ALADÁR RÁCZ
MIKLÓS PERÉNYI
VERA RÓZSA
ZOLTÁN KODÁLY
ANTAL DORÁTI
GÉZA ANDA
DAVID POPPER
GYÖRGY PAUK
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TEACHING FOCUSING ON QUALITY Students of Liszt Academy are educated following the institution’s twin spirits of tradition and progressiveness, while breathing in the inspiring atmosphere of the Concert Centre with its international concert life.
GÁBOR BOLDOCZKI TEACHING TRUMPET
Teaching is conducted on a one-to-one basis and in small groups and workshops, respecting the individual needs of each talented student. The study of all classical instruments, singing and opera, jazz and folk music, orchestral and choral conducting, music pedagogy, and composition are offered as majors. Most programmes are offered in English, leading to BA and MA degrees.
ISTVÁN VARGA TEACHING CELLO
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BALÁZS FÜLEI TEACHING CHAMBER MUSIC GROUP
TOP-QUALITY EDUCATION approximately 200 professors, 900 students diverse international student community from over 40 countries ranked among the 50-100 best performing arts universities in the world well equipped classrooms and facilities more than 100 Hungarian and international prizes won by students & professors each year hosts the Liszt Academy Central Library with the biggest music-related collection in Hungary BALÁZS SZABÓ TEACHING ORGAN
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STUDY PROGRAMMES IN ENGLISH GRADUATE (BA & MA) CLASSICAL PERFORMANCE PROGRAMMES Accordion Bassoon Cello Cimbalom Clarinet Conducting:
Orchestral Conducting Choral Conducting
Double Bass Flute French Horn Guitar Harp Harpsichord Oboe
GRADUATE (BA & MA) COMPOSITION PROGRAMMES
Organ Percussion Piano • Piano Accompanist and Repetiteur Saxophone Trombone Trumpet Tuba Viola Violin Vocal & Opera:
Opera Singing Oratorio and Lied Singing
POSTGRADUATE PERFORMANCE PROGRAMMES Chamber Music Performance Piano Soloist Historical Performance
Composition Composing for Theatre and Motion Picture Electronic Music Media STUDY PROGRAMMES IN THE KODÁLY INSTITUTE (Kecskemét) General Music Studies with Kodály Emphasis Kodály Music Pedagogy International Kodály Certificate JAZZ PROGRAMMES (only non-degree available on request) Bass Guitar Composition Double Bass Drum Guitar Piano
Saxophone Singing Trombone Trumpet
PROGRAMMES PROVIDED ONLY IN HUNGARIAN GRADUATE PROGRAMMES
FOLK MUSIC: Viola • Double bass/Cello/Ütőgardon/ Tamburabőgő • Cimbalom [Hungarian Dulcimer] • Citera [Hungarian Zither] • Hungarian Bagpipe • Singing • Furulya [duct flute with six finger-holes] • Accordion • Violin • Clarinet/ Hungarian Tárogató • Koboz [east-european fretless lute] • Tambura • Tekerő [Hungarian Hurdy-gurdy] • Music Theory and History MUSICOLOGY • Ethnomusicology
CHURCH MUSIC (Choral Conducting/Organ) TEACHER EDUCATION
DOCTORAL SCHOOL (only in Hungarian)
DLA degree: music performance, composition, church music PhD degree: musicology
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PERFORMANCE SKILLS ENHANCEMENT Instrumental studies as majors as well as chamber music and orchestral subjects are regarded as essential parts of professional musicianship development at Liszt Academy. A special feature is that a whole department is dedicated for chamber music education. Master classes, workshops – wide range of masterclasses held by internationally recognized artists, e.g. Jordi Savall, Boris Berman, Emerson Quartet, Leszek Możdżer, Avishai Cohen, Gordon Stout, Felix Renggli, Maria Graf, Bruno Canino, Nobuko Imai, David Fray, Thomas Adès, Steven Isserlis Performance opportunities – students featured in public concerts in breathtaking, state-of-the-art venues as a member of the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra under world-renowned conductors such as Dennis Russell-Davies, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Péter Eötvös and Pinchas Steinberg, or the Alma Mater Choir as well as casual chamber ensembles of departments the most outstanding current and former students are given the opportunity to perform as soloists or with their chamber ensembles Talent Day: a themed day once a year to showcase the diversity and high quality of studies in public classes and concerts Concerts – free access for students to all concerts at Liszt Academy
GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY TEACHING VIOLIN STUDENTS
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INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS Following the principles and mission of Ferenc Liszt we establish and develop international projects cooperating with many art universities from all over the world. Thematics of these various initiatives range from exploring the ouvres of great composers – such as Liszt and Bartók – through ensemble playing and operas, to contemporary reflections and compositions, and interdisciplinary projects. PROJECTS (SELECTION): Reconnections – annual workshops and concerts in cooperation with the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, celebrating 10 years in 2023. ECMA PRO: International Career Development and Socially Engaged Outreach in Chamber Music. In 2019 Liszt Academy joined as a partner to the European Chamber Music Association (ECMA) founded by the most prestigeous European musical higher educational institution to promote young musicians and chamber music formations. 12 ECMA member universities and festivals succesfully applied for a Creative Europe grant. ECMA PRO, the international program aims to present young formations, boost their professional careers through masterclasses, workshops, festival performances and showcase-type concerts all over in Europe. During the implementation of this project, Liszt Academy organizes a showcase every year for 3 or 4 chamber music ensembles. HarMA: European landscape of teaching practices and pedagogical innovation in Higher Music Education Institutions – Music theory fields. Liszt Academy, as part of a consortium led by the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles in an Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership, took part in this project to develop collaborative tools, share knowledge and transfer pedagogical innovation in music theory at higher music education institutions throughout Europe. The program ended in 2023 with such a success that the consortium won another grant for the 2023–2027 period to develop the pedagogical tools, the multilingual music analyis glossary and to create a new, organic website, that works as a HUB for music analysis professors and students. ERASMUS Blended Intensive Programs (BIP): As a result of the new ERASMUS BIP mobilities, Liszt Academy is able to organize 2 or 3 international musical projects where students from all over Europe visit the university for a short mobilty. The program includes an online part where students usually listen to
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presentations from well-known professors and an in person part where students work together to complete a musical project. The Academy has organized different types of orchestral (symphonic, wind) and chamber music projects (memorial concert for the 100th year annyversary of György Ligeti’s birthday) with the help of this mobility. This is a great opportunity for the students and the professors to get to know different cultures, musical styles and institutions. Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander festival: For more than 20 years the students of Liszt Academy have the opportunity to participate at this festival during the summer period in Spain. The festival provides an opportunity for the selected students to play solo or in orchestra. The most exciting part is that they are able to play chamber music with world-renowned musicians who sit in with them and they perform together. Every year from more than 100 applicants, around 10–15 students from the Academy are selected to join this festival. International Kodály Certificate Programme (IKC): Established and initiated by the Kodály Institute of Liszt Academy in 2022. It is a comprehensive study and certification programme combined with an optional extra module in Teaching Methodology (Pedagogy). The programme is offered in English language in six consecutive levels, each yielding a relevant certificate. It is available through partner organisations under the auspice of the Kodály Institute in a growing number of countries and regions. KodályHUB: Erasmus+ International Strategic Cooperation project for the creative renewal of music education practice in Hungary, the Netherlands and Scotland based on Kodály’s music pedagogical principles, offering wide range of available programmes through the website kodalyhub.com. PRESTO: Practices and Resources for Equipping Schools to Teach Music Online) is a repository of curated resources that help to build resilience and flexibility into music-teaching in the school sector by means of digital readiness. These innovative resources cover the main fields of music teaching: classroom music lessons, instrumental teaching, and choral activities. It is an international collaborative project, under the leadership of the Kodály Institute of Liszt Academy with experts from Ireland, Finland and Scotland, and funded by the Erasmus+, available via the KodályHUB since 2023. Move mi Music: It is a child-centred music teacher app that offers an effective way to develop young children’s musical skills in musical writing, reading and part-singing. Teachers can create gamified tasks and exercises for diverse and experience-based lessons. Developed by the Kodály Institute of Liszt Academy with AutSoft Ltd, and launched in 2019, the app is available in 7 languages (Chinese, English, French, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish) and through the large app stores such as AppStore, Google Play Store, Microsoft Windows Store, and Huawei AppGallery. Occasional projects: Opera Exam Festival – a four-day showcase with guest performances by partner music conservatories; Kurtág—Ligeti Workshop – five-day instrumental and composition master-classes; Crosscurrents – a contemporary music programme series with the Music Academy of Vienna.
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ÉVA MARTON INTERNATIONAL SINGING COMPETITION Liszt Academy’s Éva Marton International Singing Competition, founded in 2013 and held in September of even numbered years since 2014, is attracting an ever-increasing number of talented artists and has gained considerable international attention. Each time, around 150 young talents from five continents apply, and in 2018 the competition was admitted as a member of the prestigious World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC). The jury, headed by Prof. Em. Ks. Éva Marton herself, and organized with the support of the Hungarian state, includes renowned dignitaries of the Hungarian and international opera life. Miguel Lerín, one of the most influential managers in European opera is a regular member of the panel; notable jury members include Peter Mario Katona, casting director of the Royal Opera in London, Anatoli Goussev, Ukrainian-born tenor and singer living and working in Italy, Italian tenor Vittorio Terranova, Dmitry Vdovin, artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Programme, mezzosoprano Andrea Meláth, head of the Department of Vocal & Opera Studies of Liszt Academy, and Szilveszter Ókovács, director general of the Hungarian State Opera.
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The live rounds of the celebrated international competition are broadcast online so audiences around the world can follow the competition. Awards include cash prizes worth thousands of euros and a number of special prizes, including concert invitations and scholarships. Winners of past competitions who advanced in their carriers thanks to the event include Serbian soprano Sonja Šarić, Berlin-based Russian tenor Andrei Danilov, MexicanAmerican tenor Galeano Salas, Hungarian soprano Szilvia Vörös and Belarusian baritone Alexander Roslavets.
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BARTÓK WORLD COMPETITION Liszt Academy launched Bartók World Competition on the occasion of the 135th anniversary of Béla Bartók’s birth in 2016, and the first event was held the next year. Besides featuring a repertoire demanding the highest musical expertise, Bartók World Competition has a unique structure with its six-year cycle. Organized with the support of the Hungarian state, it is built around the most characteristic strands of the Bartók oeuvre, that is, piano, violin, chamber music and composition. Individual instrumental competitions are held every other year starting in 2017, with composer competitions in between in even numbered years, always tied into the forthcoming instrumental round. This distinctive structure is effective both at drawing the attention of the best instrumentalists of the upcoming musician generation to the works of Bartók and at the same time inspiring young composers to create new works written in the spirit of Bartók. The competition was admitted as a member of the prestigious World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) in 2022.
BÉLA BARTÓK
The jury always includes renowned dignitaries of the Hungarian and international music life. In recent years, panel members were Daniel Phillips, Thomas Adès, John Corigliano, Unsuk Chin, Johannes Meissl, Stephan Picard, Roland Daugareil, Yayoi Toda, Salvatore Accardo, Kenji Watanabe, Einar Steen-Nøkleberg and Andrei Korobeinikov as well as Péter Eötvös, András Keller and Kristóf Baráti, among others. Winners and award recipients of past competitions who advanced in their carriers thanks to the event are violinists Cosima Soulez-Larivière (France/The Netherlands) and Ágnes Langer (Hungary), pianist Ádám Szokolay (Hungary), as well as Chaos String Quartet (Austria) and Quartet Integra (Japan).
• 2017 Violin competition (1st event) • 2018 Composition competition (for solo piano pieces) • 2019 Piano competition • 2020 Composition competition (for string quartet pieces) • 2021 String quartet competition • 2022 Composition competition (for violin-piano duos) • 2023 Violin competition (new cycle started) • 2024 Composition competition (for solo piano pieces) • 2025 Piano competition • 2026 Composition competition (for string quartets) • 2027 String quartet competition • 2028 Composition competition (for violin pieces, preparing for the new cycle)
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LISZT ACADEMY FACILITIES The main university building is located in the inspiring city of Budapest; the Academy lies on the doorstep of the Hungarian capital’s dynamic concert life, and offers easy access to the city’s thriving entertainment life and rich cultural scenery Concert halls, an opera rehearsal studio, and numerous practice venues More than 40 classrooms, some named after worldfamous teachers of the Academy, like Kodály, Bartók, Dohnányi and Hubay Research library meeting the needs of the university: 450 000 music scores, 70 000 books and 100 journals, 25 000 CDs, DVDs and vinyl records More than 200 newly renovated musical instruments in the Instrument Rental Office
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The innovatively reconstructed building on Wesselényi Street named after György Ligeti houses the management and administration of the Academy. The building also contains lecture rooms suitable for teaching both theoretical and practical music subjects, a professional studio available for high quality recording and 28 practice rooms for students. Old Academy of Music: Opened in 1875, the building on Andrássy Avenue is now hosting the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum and Research Centre in addition to some classrooms and was the second home of the institution until 1907. It was used for other purposes for several decades, but since 1980 it has been again managed by Liszt Academy. The building provides rooms for church music, organ and harpsichord studies as well as in part for chamber music, strings and guitar classes. The building’s Chamber Hall is also a popular concert venue, with direct access to the rooms of Liszt’s last apartment in Budapest, which can now be visited as a museum.
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OUR STUDENTS SAY “During my studies at Liszt Academy of Music I have had amazing opportunities to meet people (teachers and Hungarian and international students) who have changed many important things in my life. They have shown me new ways of thinking. Thanks to all of them I have realised that everything is possible and I have learned a lot about myself and the many opportunities of a musician life. I can´t imagine my professional life in music without all these experiences and the big support of my teachers and friends at Academy.”
András Kurgyis
“For me Liszt Academy is an opening to the classical music world, full of encouraging, charming and helpful professors. I feel the atmosphere helps me to find myself in music, in life and in my future. I am very grateful to be part of this culture, which makes Liszt Academy the best university I have ever had.”
“You can come and do schoolwork here whenever you want, regardless of classes and professors. I always get satisfactory answers to my questions even if they were not put by me. This is a real University, where – though there are fewer „straps” to hold on to than at secondary school, there are still plenty compared to real life – I can plan, brainstorm and create freely. Each of my professional moves is watched carefully, so I can make personal progress.”
Winni Wan-Chun Tsou
István Márkus
Gabriela Jílková
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“During these two years while I’ve been a viola student at the Strings Department, at Liszt Academy I’ve had the chance to participate in masterclasses that were held by internationally acclaimed maestros. I find it a fantastic opportunity to learn from such great artists as Nobuko Imai, Ettore Causa, Maxim Rysanov, Hartmut Rohde, etc., whose courses are very difficult to attend otherwise.”
“For me Liszt Academy is a master institution of music in a global sense. As a pianist still learning my art, I have gained priceless knowledge from a wide selection of fantastic piano and chamber music teachers. As a pianist at the dawn of my musical career, I have had the oportunity to perform abroad thanks to an amazing team of people at the foreign relations department. As a pianist wanting to hear world-class musicians at live concerts, I have had the opportunity to hear them in house thanks to the Academy being one of Europe´s most prestigious concert venues. Hopefully, the future still holds big things for Liszt Academy.”
“Studying at Liszt Academy is a privilege. It is an institution where we can acquire our profession while enjoying a vast array of possibilities already during our student years. It has a concert centre where we can take the stage in the footsteps of our role models or even alongside them. Our teachers don’t only develop our skills and competencies, but, as outstanding musicians, they also prepare us for real life. This time at Liszt Academy seems almost too short to absorb everything from this institution where Bartók and Kodály once used to teach.”
Jan Vojtek
“In Liszt Academy I have met great teachers and classmates. I have the opportunity to sing in the most beautiful concert hall in Europe. And I am really proud to study at a school founded by Ferenc Liszt.”
“Liszt Academy, a holy palace for music, is a perfect place to realize music dreams. It is also a great encouragement for my future career. ” Liu Xiao Xi
Jessica Kindlinger
Ninh Long
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SCHOOL FOR EXCEPTIONAL YOUNG TALENTS The main objective of the School for Exceptional Young Talents is to discover gifted young musicians early in their musical studies and provide them with all the help necessary to develop their abilities, so that they may reach the highest possible artistic level. The School is open to especially gifted students of piano, violin or cello, guitar and harp aged 8 to 18, and instruction is held in English (or German, based upon previous agreement). Courses for students of other instruments may be available in exceptional cases.
BARTÓK MUSIC SECONDARY SCHOOL Founded in 1840, the Bartók Béla Secondary School of Music, Instrument Making and Repair is the oldest secondary education institution in Hungary. Adopting its current name in 1966, the School came under the auspices of Liszt Academy in 1973, becoming the practice school of the Academy. The School’s educational spectrum is broad: besides classical music, jazz and folk music are offered to its students; and since 2014, the School has been the leading centre for making and repairing music intruments in Hungary. In addition to individual instrumental teaching, focus is placed on familiarizing students with life in an ensemble. Students can gain experience in mixed choir, symphony, wind and chamber orchestras. Students are also well represented in national competitions and are regularly invited to prestigious concerts. Currently there are more than 350 students in 10 departments of the school.
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KODÁLY INSTITUTE The Kodály Zoltán Musical Pedagogy Institute of Liszt Academy has been a distinguished international centre for advanced studies in Kodály-based music education and music teacher training ever since its opening in Kecskemét in 1975. The Institute provides graduate and post-graduate training programmes for both Hungarian and international students in the field of Hungarian music pedagogy and methodology based on the music pedagogical concept developed by renowned Hungarian composer, educator, and researcher Zoltán Kodály. The Institute has had a profound influence on several generations of music educators from around the world who came to study in Kecskemét participating in the Institute’s summer and one-year courses. The Kodály Institute has significantly contributed to the spread of Kodály’s music education principles across five continents. The Institute today provides BA, MA post-graduate and non-degree training programmes at Kecskemét, and master courses with its experts all over the world. A major renovation is underway with the historic building being totally refurbished, and in a later phase expanded with new wings containing several lecture rooms, dormitories, a sound studio and new spaces for the library and the archive.
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LISZT FERENC MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND RESEARCH CENTRE Though he refused to draw a salary from the Academy, Ferenc Liszt, professor and founding president, received a service apartment in the building of the Old Academy of Music. He spent the final five years of his life in the apartment. Every single object in this museum – including the very table Liszt composed at, his abbé hat (galero) and travel bag, the Chickering concert piano in the salon decorated with peacock wallpaper, and the main instrument in masterclasses, the Bösendorfer piano – evoke the unique figure of this music genius, whose personality and aura immediately capture the imagination of visitors from all over the world. The institution nurtures close professional relations with Liszt memorial centres functioning elsewhere in Europe, including those in Bayreuth, Weimar, Raiding and Schillingsfürst. This building was used as the main building of the Academy from 1879 to 1907. It still houses the Church Music Department. Organ, harpsichord and harp classes are held here, as are various language courses and chamber music, strings and guitar classes. The Chamber Hall is a venue for public and university concerts, exams and auditions. The Liszt Research Centre coordinates research on the life and work of Liszt in Hungary. The museum provides tourists with audio guides in 15 languages; in addition, personal guided tours are available in seven foreign languages. www.lisztmuseum.hu
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ZOLTÁN KODÁLY MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES The Kodály Memorial Museum, which opened in 1990 in the composer’s former flat in Budapest, operates under the supervision of the Kodály Institute and is one of the most important memorial places in Hungarian musical culture. From October 1924 till his death in March 1967 Kodály lived at the Körönd (‘circle’) which today bears his name. Besides the permanent exhibition that presents Kodály’s apartment in its original splendour, the Kodály Museum holds temporary exhibitions and serves as a venue for short courses, chamber music concerts and musical gatherings. The Kodály Archives is a private independent establishment and also a co-existing institution of the Museum that operates under the same roof. Its primary task is to collect, preserve and register documents relating to Kodály (manuscripts, printed scores, photos, sound recordings and motion pictures). Another aim of the Archives is to promote research on Kodály. www.kodaly.hu/museum
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LISZT ACADEMY CONCERT CENTRE The Concert Centre of Liszt Academy was launched in 2012, a year before the renovation of the main building was finished. It is dedicated to the organization of the Academy’s rich concert life through presenting high profile international and Hungarian artists, orchestras and projects besides running the concerts enhancing the academic life of the university as well as coordinating guest productions. Since its reopening Liszt Academy has become again – as it always was – the most important stage for classical music in Hungary, presenting more than 500 concerts a year of the finest soloists, orchestras and composers of our times. Chamber music is the main aristic profile of the Concert Centre, as does the organising of various series engaging students of the Academy. The Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra – as the National Youth Orchestra – runs concert series with the artistic leadership of Maestro Gábor Takács-Nagy. The professors of Liszt Academy, often outstanding and internationally celebrated musicians themselves, frequently take the stage in chamber music formations alongside their world-famous colleagues and ensembles.
MANCHESTER CAMERATA
LISZT ACADEMY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
JULIA LEZHNEVA, CAPPELLA GABETTA
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As one of the most important traditions of the university, students can attend all concerts free of charge – the students’ balcony has become a legendary spot in our building. The Concert Centre also organises international music competitions. The Éva Marton International Singing Competition has become one of the most prestigious events of its kind, while the Bartók World Competition distinguishes itself with its unique structure following Bartók’s oeuvre: violin, piano, string quartet and composition. OPERA EXAM
MATTHIAS GOERNE AND THE KAMMERORCHESTER BASEL
EMŐKE BARÁTH AND ANASTASIA RAZVALYAEVA
JORDI SAVALL
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LISZT ACADEMY MUSIC PALACE The main building of Liszt Academy is regarded as a true sanctuary of music. Built by architects Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl between 1903 and 1907, thoroughly refurbished between 2011 and 2013 with the support of the EU, it is one of the most impressive examples of Central European Art Nouveau architecture. The building reveals a very complex architecture integrating the rich and manifold decorations of the façades and the interiors of the foyers and main halls as a whole into an elaborate iconographic programme of ”a temple of Apollo”. With a huge statue of Ferenc Liszt on the main façade, the building is dominated by the motifs and symbols of Greek mythology: swans, lyres, serpent-decorated altars, figures of Muses, frescoes with symbolic scenes of church and secular music as well as the famous painting in the first floor foyer depicting the ”fountain of arts”. But the highlight of this iconographic programme is undoubtedly the Grand Hall. GRAND HALL The effect of the elements is amazing: successive arches have the role of holding the symbolic vegetation dominating the room, with golden laurel leaves on the ceiling. The 850-seat main concert venue with its intricate adornment is known for its unparalleled acoustics and atmosphere – musicians who performed here or visited include, besides the world-famous Hungarian artists Leonard Bernstein, David and Igor Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter, Dmitri Shostakovich, Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, Dizzie Gillespie, Lamberto Gardelli, Joshua Bell, David Fray, Andreas Ottensamer, Yuja Wang, Gauthier Capuçon, José Cura, Julia Lezhneva, Philippe Jaroussky, Chick Corea, and many renowned orchestras from around the world.
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SOLTI HALL The 300-seat Sir George Solti Chamber Hall is equipped to fulfil its primary role as a functioning opera theatre. The main building’s complete refurbishment finished in 2013 saw the restoring of Solti Hall’s original decoration, orchestral pit, trap cellar and fly loft. Thanks to its restored original proportions, the hall has very good acoustics, and with modern technologies it is most suitable for chamber performances. It became a multifaceted and popular concert venue as well as the scene for the annually held prestigious Opera Exam Festival. The hall is named after Sir Georg Solti (1912–1997), Hungarian-born British conductor and pianist, former student of the Academy. He was one of the most highly regarded conductors in the second half of the 20th century, music director of many renowned orchestras and opera houses (the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Opera, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden). His wife, the late Lady Valerie Solti was an avid arts supporter and principal patron of Liszt Academy’s Bartók World Competition.
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GUIDED TOURS FOR INDIVIDUAL VISITORS We provide guided tours in English with mini concerts. Students, families and visitors over 65 as well as people with disabilities and their carers are offered discounts. Tickets can be purchased online or at Liszt Academy Ticket Office: 1061 Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 8. FOR GROUPS Guided tours of the building for groups are by prior arrangement. Languages available: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Romanian. Groups must have minimum 9 people and maximum 36 people. Further information and bookings for groups: tourism@lisztacademy.hu
For further information please scan
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RETURN OF THE NEWLY RESTORED ORGAN OF THE GRAND HALL ON THE BIRTHDAY OF FERENC LISZT The first organ made exclusively for a concert hall in Hungary, the instrument of the Grand Hall was first played at the inauguration of Liszt Academy’s new building on 15 May 1907. This magnificent instrument is one of the few Romantic organs in the world of comparably high quality and grand size. As well as being the largest organ ever produced by its builders A. Voit & Söhne, the instrument enjoyed immediate international acclaim, as for the first time in the world the stage keyboards supplied with electric tracker action enabled the organist to sit in direct proximity of the audience and the other musicians performing on the stage. Sadly, the original instrument increasingly lost its genuine character as a result of repeated misguided reconstructions between 1925 and 1967 and the climatic conditions of the hall at the time. In 1967 a decision was made for a completely new instrument. The original façade of the organ was silenced, leaving the pipes to function merely as decorations to the Grand Hall, while parts of the Voit organ were exiled to various regions of the country. The replacement instrument was ordered from Walcker, a West German firm, in 1966, with 86 stops and four manuals. The reconstruction of the original organ was funded by the Hungarian state and took all heritage conservation criteria into consideration. Beginning in 2010 it lasted over 8 years. Reborn in the autumn of 2018, the Voit organ, renewed in both appearance and sound, is once again a key element in the concert life of Liszt Academy. The organ’s size and robust new condition enable the concert performance of the entire organ literature. FACTS&FIGURES Voit & Söhne 1907, Opus 975; Klais-AerisOrgona 2018 (IV/77) Number of stops: 77 (71 speaking stops, 4 transmissions, 1 combined stop, 11 piece 44-tone Carillon (Celesta) Number of pipes: 4472 (99 speaking front pipes, 32 non speaking front pipes, 22 dummy front pipes) Number of manuals: 4 Number of pedalboards: 1 Range of voice: manuals (C-g’’’, 56 notes), pedals (C-f’, 30 notes)
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UNIQUE AUDIOVISUAL AND STAGE TECHNOLOGY By preparing recordings with professional HD sound and video quality, operating theatre and stage technological systems as well as undertaking tasks related to stage equipment, lighting, sound and visual technology, the Productions and Stage Operations Directorate and its part AVISO Studios play an important role in the academic and concert life of Liszt Academy. AVISO Studios is a department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Productions and Stage Operations Directorate and was founded in 1997. The cutting-edge technology and the skilled, experienced team are at the service of the students, the academic staff of the university and the musicians taking to the stage. State-of-art stage, audio and video studio devices were co-financed by the European Union and are used in the concert halls of the main building of Liszt Academy and also in the Ligeti Building.
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GUESTBOOK: PERFORMERS’ QUOTES
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MISCHA MAISKY
JANINE JANSEN, ITAMAR GOLAN
SALVATORE ACCARDO
DAVID GREILSAMMER
Editor-in-chief: Júlia Torda, director, Communications and Marketing Directorate Editors: Júlia Bársony-Belicza, Zoltán Zsiray-Rummer Publication manager: Edit Maros Layout editor: Hajnalka Patkó-Huszti Photos: Krisztián Bódis, Ádám Bősze (Fortepan), György Darabos, András Dimény, Dénes Erdős, István Fazekas, Gábor Fejér, Andrea Felvégi, H. J. Kropp, József Hajdú, László Mudra, János Posztós, Nadia F. Romanini, Kata Schiller, Zoltán Tuba, Gábor Valuska, sonningmusik.dk Published by the Communications and Marketing Directorate of Liszt Academy 2023 Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music H-1061, Budapest, Liszt Ferenc tér 8. E-mail: press@lisztacademy.hu, communication@lisztacademy.hu www.lisztacademy.hu