The Liszt Utrecht 2026 will take place from January 16 to January 24, 2026 at the TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht.

Although the event revolves around the music of Franz Liszt, each edition has a different composer as its theme. After the 2022 edition, which focused on Schubert, the 2026 edition will put a somewhat forgotten composer/pianist in the spotlight: Carl Maria von Weber. Liszt was an admirer of von Weber’s works and regularly performed them at his concerts.

The Liszt Utrecht 2026 edition will spotlight von Weber’s original piano solos and chamber music compositions, as well as Liszt’s transcriptions of his operatic works. In addition, there will be a new work by the Dutch composer Joey Roukens.

Liszt Utrecht extends over a long period and consists of 5 phases:

1. Online selection (application deadline September 1, 2024)
2. Live First Round (9-11 January 2025)
3. The Academy (summer 2025)
4. The Festival (16-22 January 2026)
5. The Finals (January 24, 2026)

FIRST LIVE ROUND (JANUARY 9-11 2025)

For the first live round, 20 pianists are invited for a 40-minute performance in TivoliVredenburg.

THE FESTIVAL PHASE (JANUARY 16 – 24 2026)

The festival phase consists of six different recitals. Each of the selected eight pianists will perform:

1. ‘A Night at the Opera’ , during this opening concert all pianists will perform one opera transcription.
2. ‘Von Weber’ recital, with the performance of his sonatas and Liszt transcriptions. Four different programs will be allocated to the artists by drawing lots.
3. ‘Chamber music’ recital. Here the pianists will perform with violinist Lea Hausmann, cellist Sam Shephard and three other musicians in performances of Van Weber’s beautiful works for duo, trio and quartet, as well as Franz Liszt’s works for piano trio. Four different programs will be allocated to the artists by drawing lots.
4. ‘Liszt Stories’ recital. Artists are challenged to devise a thematic recital, using one of Liszt’s 20 lesser-known works as a starting point.
5. ‘Liszt Sonata’. Each pianist will perform the highlight of Liszt’s oeuvre.
6. ‘Piano Promenade’ , during this outdoor concert all pianists will give a short recital.

Liszt Utrecht 2026 Jury

Selection/Live First Round

• Nino Gvetadze
• Leslie Howard
• Igor Roma
• Muza Rubackyte

Jury Festival / Final

• Suzana Bartal
• Mariam Batsashvili
• Severin von Eckardstein
• Janina Fialkowska
• Alexander Gavrylyuk
• Saskia Giorgini
• Sun Yingdi