From 24 to 31 August, Budapest’s musical life comes alive again – the MiraTone Festival and Academy is back, now one of the region’s most important classical music events.
In recognition of its openness, innovation, and community-based and sustainable operation, the festival has now twice received the EFFE Label, which the European Festivals Association awards to the continent’s most outstanding arts festivals.
Year after year, the festival’s founder and artistic director, violinist Miranda Liu, uses her tireless energy and boundary-pushing creativity to build not only innovative concert programmes but new communities as well. Her optimism and passion carry the whole festival along – and with it the artists and the audience.
“I believe everyone can find something that touches them, inspires them or makes them think,” says Miranda Liu. “Building a concert series is never random: placing pieces side by side creates new layers of meaning, and every evening something unrepeatable is born. That is the essence of the MiraTone musical experience.”
The 2025 MiraTone Festival sets a new standard for the richness of its programme – once again, extraordinary experiences await the audience this year. The opening concert on 24 August puts Beethoven in the spotlight at the FUGA Budapest Centre of Architecture, and over the week works by 27 composers will be performed at several venues, in both solo piano and chamber music concerts. The programme also marks anniversaries such as the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth, the 215th of Schumann’s birth, the 275th of Bach’s death, the 80th of Bartók’s death, and the 70th anniversary of Enescu’s death. Music lovers can look forward to masterpieces including Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Chaconne in D minor, Beethoven’s Spring Sonata, Schubert’s timeless quartet “Death and the Maiden” and Bartók’s Piano Quintet. The artists will evoke friendships between composers, present works never before heard in Hungary, and invite the audience to an exciting encounter between Chopin and Polish film music.
The line-up is highly impressive, welcoming returning and new artists alike: Miranda Liu, Borbély László, Győri Noémi, Hauser Adrienne, Pálfi Csaba (Hungary), Ioana Cristina Goicea (Romania/Austria), Nagao Haruka (Japan), Ján Krigovský and Daniel Rumler (Slovakia), Tomáš Krejbich and Tomáš Jamník (Czech Republic), Bartosz Koziak and Paweł Kowalski (Poland), Simeon Goshev (Bulgaria) and Horácio Ferreira (Portugal). A prominent role goes to the V4 String Quartet, which brings together musicians from the four Visegrád countries and has become one of the most exciting symbols of cultural cooperation in the region.
Yet MiraTone is not just a festival – it is also a creative community that inspires the musicians of the future. The invited artists not only perform but also give masterclasses to emerging talents from all over the world. Over the eight days, participants attend hundreds of masterclasses and also perform in the MiraTone Young Artists concert series – in concert halls, galleries, churches, libraries and community spaces – so classical music literally steps off the stage and into the everyday life of the city.
The festival’s main venues are the FUGA Budapest Centre of Architecture, the Festetics Palace and the Budapest Music Center Concert Hall.
Tickets are available at up to 30% off, with no handling fee, at https://miratone.jegy.hu while stocks last. Secure your place for this unique musical experience soon, and join us for several of the festival’s events!
