Bard Conservatory of Music’s annual Kurtág Festival celebrates the last surviving member of the great generation of composers who gave classical music a new direction in the years following World War II. György Kurtág, a seminal figure of the post–World War II musical avant-garde, is celebrated for his intensely expressive music and influential teaching. Born in Romania in 1926, he moved to Hungary to study and later teach at the Franz Liszt Academy. Now recognized as one of the foremost composers of our time, he premiered his first opera, Fin de partie, at La Scala in 2018. After years in Western Europe, he returned to Hungary in 2015, where he continues to compose. He turns 100 in February 2026. The Kurtág Festival has been permanently endowed through the generous support of László Z. Bitó '60 and Olivia Cariño.
Composer György Kurtág. Courtesy of Budapest Music Center, Hungary
Signs, Games, & Messages 2026
March 11 to April 4
The Bard Conservatory of Music presents the seventh season of the Kurtág Festival, Signs, Games & Messages, honoring Hungarian composer György Kurtág’s 100th birthday. The 2026 edition highlights the clarity, precision, and expressive depth of Kurtág’s music, and places his work in dialogue with composers and traditions important to him, including both predecessors and contemporaries. 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.
“Our 2026 Kurtág Festival is the heart of the centenary celebrations in North America, bringing a program that reflects the depth of Kurtág’s musical legacy,” says Artistic Director Benjamin Hochman. “We are pleased to welcome Benjamin Appl, András Kemenes, and András Szalai—artists who have worked closely with Kurtág—and to showcase the central role Bard Conservatory faculty and students play in this festival.” - Benjamin Hochman, festival artistic director
Signs, Games, & Messages: March 11 to April 4, 2026
The 2026 festival presents solo, vocal, and chamber works by Kurtág alongside music by Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Bartók, Benjamin, Abrahamsen, Adès, and others, including U.S. premieres of selections from the later volumes of Játékok. The programming brings together Bard faculty, students, and artists closely connected to Kurtág, reflecting the collaborative spirit that defines the festival.
Artists performing in the festival include Benjamin Appl (baritone); Demian Austin (trombone); James Baillieu (piano); Sydney Cornett (mezzo-soprano); Luosha Fang (violin); Lucy Fitz Gibbons (soprano); Benjamin Hochman (piano); András Kemenes (piano); Alexandra Knoll (oboe); Ryan McCullough (piano); Marcus Rojas (tuba); Erika Switzer (piano); András Szalai (cimbalom); and additional faculty and students of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.
Artists performing in the festival include Benjamin Appl (baritone); Demian Austin (trombone); James Baillieu (piano); Sydney Cornett (mezzo-soprano); Luosha Fang (violin); Lucy Fitz Gibbons (soprano); Benjamin Hochman (piano); András Kemenes (piano); Alexandra Knoll (oboe); Ryan McCullough (piano); Marcus Rojas (tuba); Erika Switzer (piano); András Szalai (cimbalom); and additional faculty and students of the Bard College Conservatory of Music.