The MÁV Symphony Orchestra concluded its 80th anniversary 2025/26 season on 7 July 2026. The season’s rich and diverse programme fittingly celebrated this milestone, combining tradition with innovation to offer audiences unforgettable musical experiences. World premieres, sold-out concerts, internationally acclaimed guest artists and world-renowned soloists, performances abroad—including a tour of China and concerts in Vienna—as well as prestigious professional awards all marked the 2025/26 season. Among these achievements, the Orchestra received the Fidelio Audience Award for Best Concert Performance of an Opera 2025 for its performance of Puccini: Tosca, conducted by Gergely Kesselyák.
Gratitude and Farewell
At the closing company meeting, Managing Director György Lendvai expressed his gratitude to the musicians for their outstanding artistic achievements. In his address, he highlighted the Orchestra’s exceptional sense of unity and mutual respect, emphasizing that its greatest strength lies in its unwavering commitment to continuous artistic development.
The most moving moments of the meeting came when the Orchestra bid farewell to their colleague András Fodor with prolonged applause and heartfelt tributes. The double bassist joined the ensemble in the spring of 1959 and, after reaching retirement age, continued serving as Head of the Music Library, carrying out his work with exemplary professionalism and dedication throughout. Now, at the age of 89, András Fodor retires after an extraordinary 67 consecutive years of service. His knowledge, work ethic, and humanity have left a lasting legacy not only within the Orchestra but also in the Hungarian musical community, making his career truly unique.
The Orchestra also experienced an emotional farewell as Chief Conductor Róbert Farkas took leave of the ensemble. Since 2021, he had led the Orchestra’s artistic work for five seasons. In recognition of his consistently outstanding artistic leadership, he received the Bartók Radio Conductor of the Year Award during this season. Alongside his exceptional musicianship, colleagues praised his kindness, generosity, and friendship, wishing him every success in the next chapter of his career while expressing their hope of welcoming him back for future collaborations.
The Orchestra also warmly bade farewell to violinist Zsuzsa Belics Tóthné and violist Zoltán Pető on the occasion of their retirement.
Musician of the Year 2025/26
The recipient of the Orchestra’s Musician of the Year award, elected by secret ballot at the season-closing meeting, was clarinettist Balázs Sándor. His colleagues honoured both his exceptional artistic excellence and his open, approachable personality.
Csaba Sukta, President of the MÁV Symphony Orchestra Foundation, praised the Orchestra’s artistic accomplishments while also outlining the Foundation’s efforts to ensure long-term stability and smooth operation, as well as its future plans. In his speech, he stressed that safeguarding the future of this historic ensemble—with the continued support of its founding organisation, MÁV Ltd.—is not only a responsibility but also a privilege and a noble mission for the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
A Season of Premieres and International Stars
Alongside preserving the great classical repertoire, the MÁV Symphony Orchestra has always placed special emphasis on presenting contemporary works, Hungarian premieres, and world premieres. The opening concert of the anniversary season featured the world premiere of Gyula Bánkövi’s LOCO, commissioned by the Orchestra to commemorate the bicentenary of the launch of the world’s first public passenger railway. On the same evening, audiences also heard the Hungarian premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s Trumpet Concerto, with Gábor Tarkövi as soloist.
During the anniversary season, composer-conductor Gergely Vajda paid tribute to György Kurtág’s 100th birthday with …fantasia concertante…, a work specially composed for the occasion. Other highlights included the Hungarian premiere of Turkish pianist-composer Fazıl Say’s Mother Earth Piano Concerto, performed by the composer himself, and the first Hungarian performance of Oscar- and Grammy Award-winning composer Tan Dun’s multimedia work The Secret of Wind and Birds, inspired by the natural world.
The Orchestra was delighted to welcome back celebrated cellist Miklós Perényi as a returning guest artist, as well as world-renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov, with whom the MÁV Symphony Orchestra has enjoyed a close artistic and personal relationship for many years. Another memorable event was the joint performance by the Ránki family. Throughout the season, the Orchestra was conducted by an outstanding roster of distinguished maestros, including Neeme Järvi, Lawrence Foster, Gábor Takács-Nagy (Principal Guest Conductor), Gergely Madaras, Gábor Káli, Gergely Kesselyák, and János Kovács.
Supporting the Next Generation
Supporting young musical talent remained a key priority throughout the 2025/26 season. Students from Budapest’s conservatoires appeared as soloists in the Orchestra’s Grandparents and Grandchildren Concerts, a series that has enjoyed uninterrupted success for more than thirty years at the Hungarian National Museum and is now also presented at its second venue, the Eötvös10 Theatre Hall.
A major highlight in the professional development of young musicians was the 11th International Conducting Masterclass of the world-renowned professor Jorma Panula, where ten young conductors gained invaluable podium experience conducting the MÁV Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra also continued its successful collaboration with the conducting department of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under the leadership of Andrés Orozco-Estrada.
The Orchestra likewise maintains a long-standing partnership with the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. It regularly performs at examination concerts for violin and vocal students, conducting diploma concerts, and provides orchestral training opportunities for instrumental students during concerts conducted by Gábor Takács-Nagy. This season also featured young singers from the Éva Marton International Opera Studio, joined by the National Youth Choir of Scotland, performing Haydn’s Te Deum and Harmoniemesse.
The rich repertoire of the MÁV Symphony Orchestra’s 2025/26 season reflected the ensemble’s progressive artistic vision, dynamic development, unwavering commitment to musical excellence, and enduring dedication to its audiences.
