ASU School of Music to host the 2019 American Liszt Society Festival

Many of the American Liszt Society Festival events will take place in the Katzin Concert Hall on the Tempe campus.

By Lynne MacDonald |
October 18, 2019

The ASU School of Music in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts will host the 2019 American Liszt Society Festival on Oct. 24–27 to honor the music and legacy of Franz Liszt, considered one of the most influential and central musical figures of 19th century Europe.

This year’s theme is “War of the Romantics: Liszt and his Rivals.” The festival will feature more than 50 performers and presenters in a variety of performances and lectures focused on works by Liszt and his contemporaries, both allies and rivals.

“The wide range of music, featuring works by Brahms, Chopin, Clara and Robert Schumann and of course Liszt, make it a one-of-a-kind festival,” said Baruch Meir, associate professor in the ASU School of Music and festival director. “The festival program offers a dynamic array of recitals, lectures and master classes offered by distinguished artists and scholars hailing from across the United States as well as students and faculty from Arizona State University.”

Internationally renowned pianist Oxana Yablonskaya and Sung Chang, the first-prize winner of the 2015 Bösendorfer USASU International Piano Competition, are the featured guest artists for the festival.

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor, music teacher, arranger, organist, writer, theologian and philanthropist during the Romantic era. With more than 1,400 works for orchestras, ensembles and keyboard to his credit, his piano compositions — from his Hungarian Rhapsodies to his Mephisto Waltzes — are among the most technically challenging in piano repertoire even today.

The American Liszt Society is dedicated to the scholarship and full creative and historical significance of Liszt on the education and development of both the composition and performance of music throughout the Western world, and each year it presents a festival made up of member artists and distinguished guest artists to celebrate Liszt, his influence and his ideals.

“The theme of this year’s festival reminds us of the power that music has to build connections across continents and cultures,” said Heather Landes, professor and director of the School of Music in ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. “We hope that everyone in attendance leaves inspired, refreshed and energized with new knowledge and new colleagues.”

More information about the festival and ticketed events is available at the 2019 American Liszt Society Festival event site. General festival events require registration online with several options available to attend festival events. Tickets for the two featured guest artists’ recitals may be purchased separately at the Herberger Institute box office.