American Liszt Society Festival
The focal point of each year's American Liszt Society calendar of events. Historically, festivals have been held at a wide variety of locations in the United States and Canada. Festivals are typically hosted by a university, a library, a local ALS chapter, or a music performance organization.
Those interested in hosting a festival should contact the President of ALS.
International festivals have been added to provide performance opportunities abroad for ALS members.
Such festivals have been held in China, Budapest, Prague, Brazil, and Italy.
Please join us this fall for the 2026 American Liszt Society Festival “Toward Re-Enchantment: Beauty as a Portal to the Sacred” to be held at the Glenn Korff School of Music at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. The festival explores the theme of beauty as a means of revealing a shared transcendent reality offering an inspiring glimpse of our human destiny. Featured performances include the opening evening gala with Liszt’s ground-breaking Via Crucis with pianist Nicholas Susi and the University Singers. This will be followed by the UNL Orchestra’s performance of Liszt’s final tone poem From the Cradle to the Grave and the monumental chant inspired concerto Totentanz with Richard Fountain soloist. The second evening of the festival in collaboration with the Lied Center for Performing Arts features Van Cliburn finalist Angel Stanislav Wang in a solo piano recital including Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor. Other highlights of the festival include a complete performance of Messiaen’s Visions de l’Amen and Liszt’s third book of Années de pèlerinage. Invited scholars include renowned Liszt and Chopin scholar Alan Walker exploring the moral imperative of art immortalized in Liszt’s “Genie Oblige!” and theology of art scholar Junius Johnson unpacking the inherent theology of beauty resulting from the human encounter with art. Other composers featured include Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Franck, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Bach, and Schumann, as well as contemporary composers Arvo Pärt, Richard Danielpour, Victoria Bond, N. Lincoln Hanks, Einojuhani Rautavaara, and Judith Shatin. The festival will also feature world premieres by Sawyer Gage and Andrew Fowler. The festival concludes with a celebratory banquet as we reminisce on an unforgettable three days exploring a re-enchanted world. Register now!
Why Attend a Liszt Festival?
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Franz Liszt was perhaps the most misunderstood musician in the history of our art. His image has been used as a model of showmanship and shallow virtuosity. In fact, one important source on the history of piano playing includes a chapter on Liszt entitled
"Thunder, Lightning, Mesmerism, and Sex"! (Harold Schonberg, The Great Pianists.)
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One has only to read a few pages of Alan Walker's monumental three-volume biography of Franz Liszt before realizing that, in truth, Liszt was a deep thinker, and he had a profound effect on the musical minds of his day.
His inspiration, genius, and generosity influenced the development of musical thought well into the twentieth century.
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His was an attitude of service to his fellow musicians and to humanity.
The paradox of the notoriety of his worldly existence has, for over a century, obscured the deep religious conviction evident in his music.
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The Annual Conferences, also known as Festivals, of The American Liszt Society, hosted by various universities or other organizations throughout North America, provide an opportunity to learn more about this fascinating musician through lectures, recitals, master classes, and concerts.
Often, a sumptuous banquet and informal receptions are included in the itinerary, which most often covers a three-day time span. Perhaps equally important is the camaraderie enjoyed by Festival participants and the new musical friendships that are established as an outgrowth of the event.
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Each Conference/Festival has a theme that presents Liszt's music and the music of his contemporaries and successors in public venues.
Some Liszt Festival themes have included "An Exploration of the Italian Aspect of Liszt: Spirituality, Italian Art and Poetry, and Virtuosity,"; "The Works for Piano and Orchestra,"; "Heaven on Earth: Exploring the Sacred in Music,"; "A Celebration of Liszt and Matthay"; "Liszt in Paris"; "Anniversaries and Connections"; "Liszt in Weimar"; "Liszt and the Future"; "Celebrating Liszt and Chopin"; "Liszt as Missionary,"; "Liszt and Hungary,"; and "Liszt and His Pupils." to name just a few.
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The yearly Conference/Festival and its partner events will appeal to scholars, performers, and music lovers of all ages,
from professional musicians to young students.
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Hopefully, by attending these festivals, an image of Liszt will emerge for you that will contribute to a reassessment of his treasury of uplifting music, his importance in the dissemination of music throughout Europe in the nineteenth century, and his beneficence that allowed both the mighty and the meek to attain a higher spiritual and musical good. We sincerely hope it will be possible for you to join us in an unforgettable musical experience!