The György Cziffra Festival
The music festival, named after one of the most outstanding Hungarian pianists in the world, György Cziffra, was founded in Budapest in 2016 by the Kossuth Prize-winning pianist János Balázs.
The spirit and musical heritage of the eponymous genius is a priority cultural asset in Hungary. The György Cziffra Festival collaborates with the most prestigious festivals, symphonic orchestras and musicians in Europe, as well as a long list of outstanding Hungarian performers who profess the ideology conceived by Ferenc Liszt. In addition to the classical music focus, the programme offering a unique theme also creates new directions in cooperation with outstanding performers of jazz and pop music as well as of bar and café gypsy music, where an improvisational vision is coupled with exceptional artistic standards.
From the very beginning, the festival has devoted particular attention to empowering young musical talents by granting awards, facilitating concert opportunities, master classes and a mentoring programme to help them unfold their gift. The festival’s decade-long efforts have contributed significantly to the name and legacy of György Cziffra gaining a rightful place in Hungary and internationally and made it possible that the musical ideology he represented could live on. The festival has initiated and inspired numerous exhibitions, books, documentaries, musical works, studies, sculptures, memorial plaques, commemorative medals and the creation of gastronomic products.
The most famous concert halls of Budapest, London, New York, Vienna, Paris, Senlis, Rome, Geneva and Oslo have been the scenes of great success in recent years, where such artists and ensembles as Martha Argerich, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Fazil Say, Arcadi Volodos, Mischa Maisky, José Cura, Vadim Repin and the most outstanding Hungarian artists have taken to the stage.
In 2021, the 100th anniversary of György Cziffra’s birth was officially celebrated by the Government of Hungary as a Memorial Year at the initiative of the Cziffra Festival. It was also included in the List of Anniversaries Recommended by the Executive Board of UNESCO. The more than 150 Hungarian and international concerts during the Memorial Year created an excellent opportunity to re-emphasise the interpretation of the Romantic Period, the emotional expressiveness and the improvisational style of performance, and draw attention to Hungary’s cultural diversity and its distinguished representatives.
In 2024-2025, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Cziffra Festival, during which more than 40 concerts and events are held in five countries featuring world-renowned orchestras and artists.
International patron of the Cziffra Festival: Gerard Beckerman, President of Fondation Cziffra
Our Festival’s statement – sustainability, diversity, and social justice
We closely work together with European Festivals Association and its members. We share the common European key issues as diversity perspectives, social equity relating to the artists, contributors and organization staff. We are committed to a sustainable future and to improving the social, economic and environmental well being of our artist and colleagues community. It is our policy to seek continual improvement throughout our business operations to lessen our impact on the local and global environment by conserving energy, water and other natural resources; reducing waste generation and recycling.