Premier concert: The Music Hater 3.0 – Showdown with Film Music – Danubia Orchestra
November 3, 2025, Monday, 7:30 PM
Péter Janklovics is back, swinging his humor-hammer at the greatest classic film scores, smashing through the familiar themes of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Jaws. Yes, there are people who don’t like film music. And he’s not holding back. The hit series’ finale lands at the Budapest Congress Center with the Danubia Orchestra, conductor Máté Hámori, and Péter Janklovics.
Featuring: actor-comedian Péter Janklovics
Best of KERO 75
November 16, 2025, Sunday, 8:00 PM
One unforgettable night in honor of Miklós Gábor Kerényi. Seventy-five years, a life under the spell of theater. A name synonymous with the rise of Hungarian musical and operetta, an artistic legacy that raised generations and filled theaters with love, passion, and song. Time to celebrate him.
Best of KERO 75 brings the biggest stars of Hungarian theater to the stage to relive Kerényi’s greatest triumphs. The most beloved songs from decades of musicals and operettas return, performed with heart, friendship, and love — just as he taught them. Not just a show. A thank-you. An all-out celebration where the “KERO spirit” fills the stage and the audience — that belief in theater you only understand once you’ve felt it. Be part of it. A night where past glories meet present talent and every song beats with the heart of a man without whom Hungarian theater would be different. The legend lives and steps on stage.
Péter Srámek Album Launch, Special Guest: Éva Csepregi
November 17, 2025, Monday, 7:00 PM
JODOKCELLO
November 23, 2025, Sunday
Doors: 6:30 PM, Show: 8:00 PM
Jodok Vuille — better known as JODOKCELLO — is the new sensation in classical crossover, arriving in Hungary for the first time with a monumental solo show. The Swiss cellist from Emmental, who inspires more than 11 million fans worldwide, takes the Budapest Congress Center stage on November 23, 2025.
After a sold-out world premiere in Zurich, the spotlight turns to Budapest. This production is more than a concert: an audiovisual journey fusing classical cello with modern pop and film hits, elevated by breathtaking visuals.
Director: Nejc Levstik, a Slovenian creative mind who stages the show with cinematic rhythm and artistic sensitivity.
Lighting designer: Crt Birsa, head of the globally known Blackout Lighting Design, behind multiple international arena concepts. In Budapest he unveils a unique, emotion-driven lighting design.
The JodokCello program reimagines hits by Bruno Mars, Coldplay, David Guetta, Hans Zimmer, and Ludovico Einaudi — one cello, special arrangements, visual storytelling, and heart-forward energy. Don’t miss this rare chance to experience JodokCello live.
Cinefonic 2025
November 29, 2025, Saturday, 7:30 PM
Family Cinefonic 2025
November 30, 2025, Sunday, 11:00 AM
Cinefonic 2025 Extra
November 30, 2025, Sunday, 7:30 PM
The BDZ’s signature concert woven from film music.
Featuring: Budapest Academic Choral Society (Budapesti Akadémiai Kórustársaság) (chorus master: Ildikó Balassa), Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra (Budafoki Dohnányi Zenekar)
Conductor: Gábor Hollerung
Attila Kökény and Viktor Rakonczai – Christmas Evening, With Us
December 20, 2025, Saturday, 8:00 PM
Classical Christmas 2025 – Danubia Orchestra
December 21, 2025, Sunday, 3:00 PM and 7:30 PM
A truly heartwarming experience just days before Christmas Eve, with the most beautiful seasonal music — and this time the kids take center stage. After countless programs nurturing young talents, the spotlight belongs to them: future dancers, singers, and musicians celebrate with us to the sounds of the season at the Budapest Congress Center.
With: Children’s Choir of the Zoltán Kodály Hungarian Choir School (Kodály Zoltán Magyar Kórusiskola)
Program:
– Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve – Polonaise
– Bizet: Children’s Games Suite
– Mozart: Violin Concerto in D major, K. 211 – Andante
– Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker – Act I Pas de deux and Waltz of the Snowflakes
Intermission
– John Williams: Home Alone – Main Title
– Jenkins: Adiemus
– Shared Christmas Sound – joint production of the Danubia and Maltese Symphony
– Rezső Ott: Children’s Christmas – classic and new children’s songs about Christmas
Vera Tóth – Celebration: Voices of the Soul
December 22, 2025, Monday, 7:00 PM
Vera Tóth returns to Budapest and to the Congress Center after 2017 with a singular, soul-lifting Christmas gala. With the Tóth Vera Band and a gorgeous string section, she blends music, theater, film, and psychology. The evening elevates the holiday mood with sublime melodies and thoughtful storytelling. Under the banner Celebration – Voices of the Soul, her own works and intimate Christmas classics intertwine with reflective thoughts, helping us focus on the season’s essence and touch the deepest strings of the soul. Join this unique holiday concert where not just the ears, but the spirit soaks in wonder. See you December 22, 7:00 PM, at the Budapest Congress Center.
The Nutcracker – Ukrainian Classical Ballet
December 23, 2025, Tuesday, 8:00 PM
Christmas without The Nutcracker? Not happening. Tchaikovsky’s classic returns, with Clara and the Nutcracker’s magical adventures brought to life by the renowned Ukrainian Classical Ballet in Budapest. This company blends traditional ballet with a modern touch and distinctive expression. With over 800 performances in 20 countries and nearly 50,000 enchanted Nutcracker viewers last year across Europe, they bring a refreshed staging packed with stunning visuals, cutting-edge projections, and inventive direction to the Congress Center, right before Christmas. A highlight of Advent for the whole family.
Bach: Christmas Oratorio
December 26, 2025, Friday, 7:45 PM
Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio – Cantatas 1, 2, 3, and 6, BWV 248
Julian Prégardien (tenor), Julia Lezhneva (Julija Lezsnyeva) (soprano), Olivia Vermeulen (mezzo-soprano), Hanno Müller-Brachmann (bass-baritone)
Collegium Vocale Ghent (Collegium Vocale Gent) (artistic director: Philippe Herreweghe)
Conductor: Iván Fischer
With star soloists, a world-famous choir, and the season’s most iconic masterpiece, the BFZ presents four of Bach’s six cantatas — from the jubilant Nativity opening with trumpets and timpani to the majestic finale exalting divine power. The Evangelist is sung by Julian Prégardien, praised for crystal-clear articulation; the angel-voiced Julia Lezhneva brings aerial soprano lines, joined by Olivia Vermeulen’s time-stopping clarity and Hanno Müller-Brachmann’s supple baritone. Founded by Philippe Herreweghe, Collegium Vocale Ghent delivers the choral movements with its signature luminosity.
Despite the title, think of it as a cycle of cantatas: composed in Leipzig for 1734–1735, the six parts track the festive period from December 25 to Epiphany, each standing alone yet forming a grand arc through biblical narration, secco recitatives for the Evangelist, radiant chorales, and reflective poetry likely shaped with Bach’s collaborator Picander — and by Bach himself. A festive journey through the proclamation, the shepherds’ adoration, the naming, and the Magi’s homage, crowned by a finale that resounds like a sublime ode.
