Iván Fischer fulfilled a dream when he and Zoltán Kocsis founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra in 1983. From the very beginning, the ensemble’s goal was to present music at the highest level and thus contribute to the community.

The BFO is one of the best orchestras in the world. It regularly performs at the world’s major concert venues, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Royal Albert Hall and Barbican Centre in London. The ensemble is regularly invited to perform at major international festivals such as the Mostly Mozart Festival, the Salzburg Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.

The BFO has won two Gramophone Awards. Its recordings of Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 5 won several awards.

The BFO’s innovative concerts are recognised worldwide. These include the autism-friendly »Cocoa Concerts«, surprise concerts and musical marathons. The Midnight Music Concerts are particularly popular with young audiences, while the »Dancing on the Square« project aims to involve disadvantaged children. The orchestra is co-producer of the Bridging Europe Festival with Müpa Budapest.

Iván Fischer conducts and directs the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s opera productions, which have been performed at the Abu Dhabi Festival, among others. Furthermore, the production of »Le nozze di Figaro« took first place on New York Magazine’s list of the best classical music events in 2013. The Vicenza Opera Festival, founded by Iván Fischer, opened in autumn 2018.