Ms. Irina Bokova

In the words of Franz Liszt, "music is the heart of life -- without it, there is no possible good and, with it, everything is beautiful."

In this spirit, I am delighted to salute the rebirth of the Liszt Academy of Music, which has been restored to its former splendour and equipped with state-of-the-art.

In the heart of Budapest, this prestigious cultural institution has trained generations of gifted musicians and brought outstanding performances to a country renowned for its "passionate belief in the power of music as a celebration of life" -- to quote Sir Georg Solti, one of the Academy's most illustrious alumni and founder of the World Orchestra for Peace, designated as UNESCO Artist for Peace.

UNESCO shares this same belief, and this is why we have organized international celebrations to commemorate such eminent Hungarian – and global -- cultural icons as Franz Liszt, Béla Bartók, and most recently, in 2012, Sir Georg Solti. The same conviction guides all of UNESCO's work to safeguard cultural heritage and to promote cultural diversity as wellsprings of belonging and creativity in a world of change. Human ingenuity is the ultimate renewable energy in this new age of limits – the arts, and music especially, are a powerful way to mobilise this fully, for the The Liszt Academy of Music embodies this spirit and these objectives. I wish all present at this International Gala a wonderful celebration of life, in all its beauty.