Fischer Iván
conductor
20 January 1951 (Budapest)
One of the most renowned conductors of today's world of classical music, Iván Fischer was born into a musical Hungarian family in 1951. He attended the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest where he studied piano, violin, cello and composition. He continued his musical studies in Vienna, where he graduated in Hans Swarowsky's famous conducting class. He became interested in early music and worked closely with Nikolaus Harnoncourt as harpsichordist and conductor.
His international career started at the age of 25 when he won the BBC's Rupert Foundation Conducting Competition and with it invitations to conduct all the major British orchestras. Extremely active in opera, he was from 1984 to 1989 music director of the Kent Opera and has also conducted productions at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, the Bastille Opera of Paris and the opera houses of Zurich, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Brussels and Budapest.
In 1983 he founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra together with his colleague and friend, the pianist Zoltán Kocsis. The success of this new orchestra was quickly recognised by audiences and critics throughout the world and invitations to prestigious festivals and concert series were forthcoming. His work as Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra has developed into one of the greatest musical success stories of the last 30 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. Iván Fischer has recorded extensively for Philips, CBS, Sony, Decca, Hungaroton and Quintana.
He has founded a number of festivals, including the Budapest Mahlerfest, the Bridging Europe festival and the Vicenza Opera Festival. The World Economic Forum presented him with the Crystal Award for his achievements in fostering international cultural relations. He 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.
Principal Guest Conductor 1989-1996 of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, he has conducted in North America numerous orchestras, including the Baltimore, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles Philharmonic, St.Paul Chamber, St.Louis Symphony and San Francisco Symphony orchestras. He is founder of the Hungarian Mahler Society, and patron of the British Kodály Academy. He has founded a number of festivals, including the Budapest Mahlerfest, the Bridging Europe festival and the Vicenza Opera Festival. The World Economic Forum presented him with the Crystal Award for his achievements in fostering international cultural relations.
He has received the Gold Medal of Merit of the President of the Republic of Hungary, and for promoting international cultural relations he was awarded with the Christal Award by the World Economic Forum of Davos. In 1984 he recevied the title of Merited Artist, and in 2006 he was awarded one of the highest Hungarian state award, the Kossuth Prize, in 2011 with 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. In 2024 he was given the Conductor of the Year Prize of Bartók Radio.
One of the most renowned conductors of today's world of classical music, Iván Fischer was born into a musical Hungarian family in 1951. He attended the Béla Bartók Conservatory in Budapest where he studied piano, violin, cello and composition. He continued his musical studies in Vienna, where he graduated in Hans Swarowsky's famous conducting class. He became interested in early music and worked closely with Nikolaus Harnoncourt as harpsichordist and conductor.
His international career started at the age of 25 when he won the BBC's Rupert Foundation Conducting Competition and with it invitations to conduct all the major British orchestras. Extremely active in opera, he was from 1984 to 1989 music director of the Kent Opera and has also conducted productions at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, the Bastille Opera of Paris and the opera houses of Zurich, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Brussels and Budapest.
In 1983 he founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra together with his colleague and friend, the pianist Zoltán Kocsis. The success of this new orchestra was quickly recognised by audiences and critics throughout the world and invitations to prestigious festivals and concert series were forthcoming. His work as Music Director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra has developed into one of the greatest musical success stories of the last 30 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. Iván Fischer has recorded extensively for Philips, CBS, Sony, Decca, Hungaroton and Quintana.
He has founded a number of festivals, including the Budapest Mahlerfest, the Bridging Europe festival and the Vicenza Opera Festival. The World Economic Forum presented him with the Crystal Award for his achievements in fostering international cultural relations. He 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.
Principal Guest Conductor 1989-1996 of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, he has conducted in North America numerous orchestras, including the Baltimore, Montreal, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles Philharmonic, St.Paul Chamber, St.Louis Symphony and San Francisco Symphony orchestras. He is founder of the Hungarian Mahler Society, and patron of the British Kodály Academy. He has founded a number of festivals, including the Budapest Mahlerfest, the Bridging Europe festival and the Vicenza Opera Festival. The World Economic Forum presented him with the Crystal Award for his achievements in fostering international cultural relations.
He has received the Gold Medal of Merit of the President of the Republic of Hungary, and for promoting international cultural relations he was awarded with the Christal Award by the World Economic Forum of Davos. In 1984 he recevied the title of Merited Artist, and in 2006 he was awarded one of the highest Hungarian state award, the Kossuth Prize, in 2011 with 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. In 2024 he was given the Conductor of the Year Prize of Bartók Radio.