The Liszt Academy’s Liszt Museum will hold the Liszt Birthday Festival from 15 to 22 October 2026. Published on 12 October, the programme opens both the concert hall and museum: solo recitals, a song cycle, guided tours, children’s activities and an orchestral closing concert are included.
From piano to Winterreise
On 16 October, Fülöp Ránki places Liszt’s contemplative and grotesque sides next to each other. The next day, Aleksandr Kaspurin, winner of the 2026 Utrecht Liszt Competition, performs the complete Transcendental Études in one sitting. The evening programme is Schubert’s Winterreise with bass István Kovács and pianist Gábor Farkas; the organiser says Kovács replaces the ill Peter Edelmann.
The festival also offers free museum-education activities for children and guided tours accompanied by short concerts. On 20 October, Sebastian Cazan performs Liszt’s Sonata in B minor and Chopin’s Third Sonata.
Finale in the Grand Hall
At the birthday concert on 22 October, Gábor Takács-Nagy conducts the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra. Gábor Farkas is soloist in Liszt’s Totentanz; the programme also includes the string-orchestra version of Angelus! and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.
What is at stake for readers?
The festival is not built around one star appearance. It offers entry points ranging from virtuoso piano to family museum programmes. Venues, start times and ticket conditions vary by event, so visitors should check the Liszt Academy’s official event pages before travelling.
Business opportunity
The combination of concerts and museum programming creates room for cultural-tourism packages, music-publishing and instrument partners, educational collaborations and Budapest hospitality offers.
The hero image is archival: it shows the Grand Hall after a 2020 concert, not the 2026 festival.
Summary
The Liszt Birthday Festival runs 15–22 October 2026 in Budapest at the Old Liszt Academy and the Liszt Academy Grand Hall, with concerts, tours and children’s activities.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the 2026 Liszt Birthday Festival?
- 15–22 October 2026 in Budapest.
- What is on the 22 October closing programme?
- The Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gábor Takács-Nagy, performs Liszt and Beethoven with pianist Gábor Farkas.
