Hungary’s most colorful contemporary music event returns to Budapest for the 12th time, rewriting the boundaries of concert experiences this January. The 2025 Transparent Sound New Music Festival again offers a diverse program featuring performances by international and Hungarian artists, interactive workshops, multidisciplinary events, and exhibitions. This year’s theme, “Polychrome,” highlights the vibrant diversity of artistic worlds
The 2025 edition pairs remarkably distinct events, each with its own unique tone and character, coming together to create a true Polychrome experience across the festival.
Transparent Sound: a sound that is transparent and instantly recognizable. It invites you to approach, discover, and embark on new adventures. From January 11 to February 9, 2025, the 12th Transparent Sound New Music Festival will present over twenty events across multiple venues in Budapest, following the overarching theme of Polychrome.
The first Transparent Sound New Music Festival was launched in January 2014 by composers Balázs Horváth and Samu Gryllus in collaboration with the BMC (Budapest Music Center), the FUGA Budapest Center of Architecture, the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, and the Liszt Academy of Music. Its primary aim was to showcase the innovative spirit of contemporary musical trends across a broad spectrum while offering audiences interactive presentations during or prior to concerts to enhance their understanding of new compositional concepts.
The concept of “transparency” in music extends to works that combine auditory and visual layers, such as new musical theater or multimedia pieces. The festival places a special emphasis on these forms.
The Transparent Sound New Music Festival seeks to build bridges between traditional and experimental musical forms, fostering dialogue with an open-minded audience. Events will take place at venues such as the BMC Concert Hall, the OPUS Jazz Club, the Library of the Music Information Center, the Solti Hall of the Liszt Academy, the House of Music Hungary, the Trafó, the FUGA, the Nádor Hall, the Kunsthalle, OMA (Open Music Archive), and, for the first time, the ISON. The programs aim to make avant-garde or seemingly inaccessible musical trends more approachable and comprehensible.
Songs from the Trapeze: The festival kicks off on January 11 at the Solti Hall of the Liszt Academy with a unique music-theater performance by Ensemble Trapèze (NL). In this production, composer Georgi Sztojanov explores an “unrealized ballet” based on Prokofiev’s works and correspondence.
The festival will also honor the memory of the late Péter Eötvös with two special events. The BMC will screen András Kalmár’s documentary The Last Opera, which delves into the creation of Valuska.
Outstanding international ensembles will grace the festival. The young KOLLEKTIV UNRUHE (LX/DE) will perform at the Nádor Hall, while NAMES (New Art and Music Ensemble Salzburg, AT) will appear at Trafó. The FUGA will host a concert by Slovakian EnsembleSpectrum. At the House of Music Hungary, Márton Illés curates and composes a program featuring from Germany The Monochrome Project, led by Marco Blaauw, and the Hungarian percussion Trio Dakoda.
Collaborative performances will include the Tunnel Concert, a groundbreaking musical adventure at the OPUS Jazz Club featuring Fluidian – Emil Gherasim (RO), Tibor Szemző, and László Gőz. Additionally, Judith Varga’s Submersus, a full-length composition for player piano, will premiere at the festival.
The program is enriched by numerous multidisciplinary collaborations, such as Andrea Szigetvári’s soundscapes created for János Kalmár’s Metaxu sculptures.
The festival also offers a wide range of interactive activities, creating new experiences for all age groups. Zsófia Remes will lead a composition workshop for children, while other highlights include the Transparent Sound Film Club curated by Marcell Dargay and the Texthibition, an international exhibition opening with a musical program. The OMA will also unveil its new gallery as part of the festival.
The festival remains dedicated to making contemporary music accessible and engaging. This year’s Polychrome edition takes the program to a new level, celebrating the convergence of diverse musical worlds and artistic forms. Join us to explore the boundlessness of contemporary music in Budapest!
For detailed event information, visit the festival’s continuously updated website and Facebook page.
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