2026 marks the centenary of Hungarian composer György Kurtág, whose music is distinguished by precision, clarity, and deep emotional and cultural resonance. The seventh season of Bard Conservatory of Music’s annual Kurtág Festival celebrates this occasion with an expanded program featuring Bard faculty, students, and international artists connected to Kurtág. The festival places Kurtág’s music in dialogue with composers who shaped or reflect his artistic world - from Bach and Bartók to Abrahamsen and Adès.

Artists performing in the festival include Benjamin Appl (baritone); James Baillieu (piano); Sydney Cornett (mezzo-soprano); Lucy Fitz Gibbon (soprano); Kayo Iwama (piano): Benjamin Hochman (piano); András Kemenes (piano); Alexandra Knoll (oboe); Ryan McCullough (piano); Erika Switzer (piano); András Szalai (cimbalom); and additional faculty and students of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.

Artistic Director: Benjamin Hochman.

This festival has been permanently endowed through the generous support of László Z. Bitó '60 and Olivia Carino.

All festival events are free and open to the public. Rolling festival updates will be posted on this webpage and in our weekly eblasts.