Kurtág 100 – Magyar Maestro Honoured with Fellowship of the Royal Irish Academy of Music on his 100th Birthday

The Magyar maestro has deep ties to Ireland – exemplified in his acclaimed opera of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, which premiered in 2018. Recognising this and his profound contribution to music, the director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Deborah Kelleher, yesterday conferred the great composer with a Fellowship of the Academy, its highest distinction.

Doing so, she remarked: ‘‘Kurtág’s contribution to the musical world is immeasurable. His influence on generations of performers and composers is felt in conservatoires and concert halls across Europe and far beyond. His works challenge us, refine us, and remind us that music can change us at the deepest level.

This Fellowship is a gesture of gratitude: for his music, for his example, and for the uncompromising pursuit of truth that has inspired musicians around the world.

Maestro Kurtág, on behalf of the RIAM, the AEC, and the many musicians whose lives you have touched, we thank you. We honour you. And we celebrate you.’’

Dr Kelleher was joined at the presentation at MÜPA by the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Culture Director, Eugene Downes, Ambassador Almqvist, and Embassy cultural attaché Dr Marianna Szegedi Joó.

Boldog Születésnapot Maestro!