In this episode, Simon Mundy meets János Balázs, Founder & Artistic Director of György Cziffra Festival. 

The music festival runs in Budapest from 10 till 25 February 2024, and travels all over the country and internationally throughout the year.

György Cziffra Festival was founded in Hungary by János Balázs, Steinway Artist and Kossuth Prize winner pianist to commemorate one of the most prominent pianists of the 20th century. Since 2016, the festival has invited the most prestigious Hungarian and international artists in order to achieve the common objective. The events will be organised in the concert halls of the Liszt Academy, the Müpa and the MOM Cultural Centre. In addition to the concert series, the festival has also been extended with other outstanding programmes, and there is special focus on the classical music education of young people. The festival provides young artists with free professional programmes and master courses, and it was the first Hungarian festival to found prizes and award them to talents starting their career and in order to recognise – both financially and morally – human achievements creating the highest cultural values. Within five years, this has become one of the most successful and most special festivals in Hungary, addressing thousands of people every year.