We, Katalin Kokas and Barnabás Kelemen, the artistic directors of Festival Academy Budapest, believe that art is transcendent. It is only possible and worth thinking about art as a conduit for unity. It is in this spirit that we organise the Ilona Fehér International Violin Competition for the fourth year in a row, which, in the past years, has attracted violinists under the age of 20 from more than 25 countries.
We have organised this competition annually with the aim to bring people together, to learn from each other and to accept others through making music together.
We have always been welcoming artists, judges and contestants regardless of their background and nationality. Violinists have the same chance whether they came from Russia, Germany, the United States or Ukraine. It was always about the preparation, humbleness and professionalism of the performers, who left their nationality outside the concert hall.
The war in Ukraine is a difficult issue for all artists, as it is for us. We want to stand up for the importance and value of acceptance and inclusion. We would like to ensure all applicants that no one will ever be discriminated against because of their nationality or any other attribute they may have.
Everyone is equally valuable and important for us, because music connects, and teaches love and acceptance!
Katalin Kokas and Barnabás Kelemen
