School Closing Ceremony in the Renewed Grand Hall

In her closing speech, Liszt Academy President Dr. Andrea Vigh primarily thanked all those who participated in the reconstruction project of the Liszt Academy for their valuable contribution, emphasizing the role of former president Dr. András Batta. The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music have seen some remarkable months since the reopening of the main building of the Liszt Academy on 22 October 2013, which earned the institution unparalleled public and international attention, said the President. The Art Nouveau music palace, renewed in all its splendor, introduced itself as a Concert Centre (that is, an independent concert organizer) as well. "The Liszt Academy became the focus of Budapest cultural life at once, having had more than 100,000 visitors since its reopening and hosting the greatest performers of the international music scene from Steve Reich to Joshua Bell and Chick Corea," the President pointed out. Among the full-house concerts, the University can take special pride in the series which present the various departments and most talented students of the Liszt Academy ("On the Spot", "Génie Oblige!", Doctoral Concerts) as well as the graduation concerts and other student performances open to the public. As the President underlined, the Liszt Academy offers a unique opportunity to its students in allowing them to perform on the same stage as the international stars. Citing the motto of the Liszt Academy, Dr Andrea Vigh opined that the sensational concert season of the reopening would be long and proudly remembered by many.

University education could restart in the main building at Liszt Ferenc Square in February 2014, and although the introduction and adoption of new systems required a great deal of flexibility from the operators as well as the teaching staff and students of the institution, the new spaces which have been created as a result of the reconstruction undoubtedly enrich the world-class training portfolio of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. This was demonstrated by the range of markedly successful international projects which took place during the spring season: the Opera Exam Festival in February, the Jerusalem-Budapest Reconnections Project, the International Music Training Conference, the great concerts of the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra, the Liszt-Bartók Workshop or the recently launched Ovid Project. Confirming the worldwide renown of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, the institution has, besides more than a dozen international workshops, a great number of foreign students annually: in addition to the 30 graduates (whom the President specially greeted in English), in the next academic year the University will offer training to about 60 students of the Erasmus programme and the same number of part-time or full-time international students.

As for the future Dr. Andrea Vigh explained that her job as President of the Liszt Academy would be easy and difficult at the same time: on the one hand, she can start to carry out her plans with a clean slate; and on the other hand the expectations toward her make any decision all the more weighty. As she pointed out, she considers as her most important task to maintain the kind of openness that has always characterized the Liszt Academy, as well as to ensure that all members of the Academy – teachers, students and staff – can identify with the spirit of the school. She stressed the primacy of "school", for the harpist and university professor, who has headed the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music since 1 November 2013, is convinced that in education lies the true essence of the unequalled merits and uniquely inspiring atmosphere of the Liszt Academy, the 139-year-old tradition providing the ground for the concert life as well. Therefore, she recognizes as her priority to find and maintain the ideal balance between the high quality music education and the rich musical life which form an exceptional unity within the Liszt Academy. As Dr. Andrea Vigh emphasized, the Liszt Academy is the number one institution of Hungarian music training, and also plays a central role in the international music scene. Furthermore, she asked both the students and the professors to devote attention to, besides the thrilling concert events, the quiet everydays as well, since without the thorough and absorbing work of preparation no artist can create the fifteen-minute miracle on stage which attracts people into the concert hall every night.

After expressing her credo, the President went on to review the successes of the past academic year. In presenting the competition achievements of our teachers and students, Dr. Andrea Vigh mentioned, among others, the winners of the New Hungarian Composers' Forum of late September 2013, the latest international triumph of the Kelemen Quartet, the professors awarded with the Kossuth, Erkel, Liszt, Prima Primissima, Pro Cultura Hungarica and Gramofon Prizes, as well as the Junior Prima Prize and Creative Art Prize winning students (a comprehensive list of the winners can be found at this link). She also addressed the professional awards for the new brand image of the Liszt Academy created by Liszt Academy's Communications Directorate.

The presentation of the competition wins was followed by the handing out of awards: Dr. Zsuzsanna Domonkos, Director of the Liszt Museum, was the first to receive the Silver Raven Memorial Plaquette of the Los Angeles Collegium Corvinum, which was granted by Prof. Judit Neszlényi, the manager of the organization of Hungarian artists in California and a former student of our university. Certificates of habilitation were given to professors Gábor Dienes, János Döbrössy, László Norbert Nemes, Gyula Fekete and Csaba Kutnyánszky, while Teréz Pichner, piano artist teacher of the Bartók Béla Conservatory of Music, and professor István Lantos, featuring on piano at the school closing ceremony, were awarded President's Honor. (The cellist Gergely Devich, who recently won third prize at the Eurovision Young Musicians contest also performed at the ceremony playing the Allegro appassionato by Saint-Saëns, accompanied by Márta Kovalszki on piano.) Following the handing out of awards and certificates, the nearly 300 BA and MA graduates of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music received their diplomas.

Our heartfelt congratulations to all awardees and fresh graduates!