Conductor, composer, opera director, thinker and educator, anchored in the tradition of the great musical polymaths, Iván Fischer is considered one of the most visionary musicians of our time.

His focus is always the music, and to this end he has developed several new concert formats and reformed the structure and working method of the symphony orchestra. In the mid-1980s he founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra, where he has since introduced and established numerous innovations. He envisions a pool of musicians serving the community in various combinations and musical styles. His work as Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra has developed into one of the greatest musical success stories of the last 40 years. With international tours and a series of recordings for Philips Classics and Channel Classics, he has earned a reputation as one of the world’s most celebrated orchestral conductors, for whom tradition and innovation go hand in hand.

He has founded a number of festivals, including the Budapest Mahlerfest, the Bridging Europe festival and the Vicenza Opera Festival. In 2024 he launched the European Orchestra Academy focusing on chamber music, orchestra playing and community responsibility. The World Economic Forum presented him with the Crystal Award for his achievements in fostering international cultural relations. He was principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, the Opéra National de Lyon and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the latter appointing him Conductor Laureate. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra named him Honorary Guest Conductor following many decades of working together. He is a frequent guest conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2024 Iván Fischer is the Music Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra.

Iván Fischer has been active as a composer since 2004, writing mostly vocal music with instrumental ensembles. His opera The Red Heifer made headlines across the world; the children’s opera The Gruffalo enjoyed numerous revivals in Berlin; his most frequently performed work, Eine Deutsch-Jiddische Kantate has been performed and recorded in several countries.

Iván Fischer is founder of the Hungarian Mahler Society and patron of the British Kodály Academy. The president of the Republic of Hungary awarded him the Gold Medal, and the French government honored him as Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. In 2006 he received the Hungarian Kossuth Prize, in 2011 the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award and the Dutch Ovatie Prize, and in 2013 he was named an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Iván Fischer is honorary citizen of Budapest and Vicenza.

Violin | Amira Abouzahra

Amira Abouzahra studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Dora Schwarzberg. She is First Prize winner of a several international competitions, among them the International Arthur Grumiaux Competition for Young Violinists, and Ilona Fehér International Violin Competition (Budapest).  In recital and with orchestra, Amira has appeared at Lincoln Center (New York), Berliner Philharmonie, Covent Garden (London), Budapest Művészetek Palotája and Cairo Opera House.  She has performed with orchestas including the Concerto Budapest Szimfonikus Zenekar, Liszt Ferenc Kamarazenekar, Kremerata Baltica, Orquesta Sinfónica de

Budapest Festival Orchestra

Iván Fischer made his own dream come true when he founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra in 1983 together with Zoltán Kocsis.

Thanks to its innovative approach to music and the uncompromising dedication of its musicians, the BFO has become the youngest ensemble to join the world’s top ten symphony orchestras. In addition to Budapest, the orchestra regularly performs in some of the most important concert venues of the international music scene and is also present on international streaming platforms. Since its inception, the BFO has been recognized by Gramophone, the prestigious British musical periodical, three times: in 1998 and 2007, the magazine’s professional panel of judges awarded the BFO the prize for the best recording, while in 2022, thanks to audience votes, it was named Orchestra of the Year. The BFO’s most considerable successes are connected to Mahler: their recording of Symphony No. 1 was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2013.

As well as recording successes and acclaimed tours, the BFO has also made a name for itself internationally with its series of innovative concerts. The Autism-friendly Cocoa Concerts, the Surprise Concerts – appreciated also at the Proms in London –, informal Midnight Music performances geared towards young adults, open-air concerts in Budapest, and the free Community Weeks are all unique in their own ways. Another special feature of the orchestra is that its members regularly form a choir at their concerts. Each year, the BFO, in collaboration with the Ivan Fischer Opera Company, Müpa Budapest, and the Vicenza Opera Festival, also stages an opera production. The performances have been invited to the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, the Edinburgh International Festival and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg; in 2013, the Marriage of Figaro led the New York Magazine’s list of the best classical music events of the year. The Vicenza Opera Festival, founded by Iván Fischer, debuted in the fall of 2018 at the Teatro Olimpico.

In 2024, the European Orchestra Academy (EOA) has been founded by the collaboration of Iván Fischer, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the European Youth Orchestra (EUYO).