Music Against Oblivion: Exile Art Celebrates a Grand Double Anniversary in 2026
The Exile Art Center at the mdw (University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna) has announced an extraordinary program for 2026. With a series of high-caliber concerts and exhibitions, the institution will celebrate its tenth anniversary as a university center and the 20th anniversary of its founding association. The goal remains unchanged: to make audible the voices of those who were silenced by the Nazi regime.
Eva Teimel, Ö1 Ulrike Sych, Rector of the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Gerold Gruber, founder and director of the Exile Art Center (f.l.t.r.). / Picture: © mdw/Stephan Polzer
Rector Ulrike Sych and Center Director Gerold Gruber presented the highlights of the upcoming anniversary year in Vienna. Since its founding, the Exilarte Center has become a globally unique resource for the music of composers whom the Nazis persecuted, expelled, or murdered.
An archive as a lifeline for music history
The center functions not only as a research facility but primarily as an archive that actively preserves estates. Exilarte now houses over 30 important estates, including those of Hans Gál, Wilhelm Grosz, and Julius Bürger. Gerold Gruber emphasizes that the aim is not only to archive the works, but also to bring them back into public consciousness and the repertoire of concert halls through publications and performances.
The program highlights for 2026
The anniversary year is marked by collaborations with renowned Viennese institutions:
March & April: The anniversary year kicks off on March 13 with the concert “INVISIBLE” at the Musikverein, featuring star violinist Yury Revich and actor Cornelius Obonya. This is followed on April 15 by the opening of a major anniversary exhibition in the Liszt Hall of the mdw.
May & June: In May, the National Library hosts a music salon devoted to Erich Wolfgang Korngold, a renowned exile who transformed Hollywood film music. On June 9, Vinzenz Praxmarer conducts works by Julius Bürger at the ORF RadioKulturhaus. Bürger, a student of Franz Schreker, fled to the USA in 1938; his music was long thought to be lost.
The highlight in September: On September 23, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra invites you to a gala concert at the Vienna Konzerthaus. Conducted by Katharina Wincor, the program includes premieres by Wilhelm Grosz and Hans Winterberg.
End of the year: The grand finale on December 13 will be the Austrian premiere of Richard Fuchs' cantata “Vom jüdischen Schicksal” (On the Jewish Fate) in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. Fuchs, who was briefly interned in the Dachau concentration camp in 1938 after the November pogroms and later emigrated to New Zealand, wrote this monumental work in 1937, but was never allowed to perform it in Nazi Germany.
International appeal and social responsibility
The work of Exilarte extends far beyond Austria's borders. In addition to the concerts in Vienna, events are planned in London, Prague, New York, and Los Angeles. This international presence underscores the importance of reappraising the cultural heritage that was scattered around the world by National Socialism.
During the presentation, Rector Ulrike Sych emphasized the university's moral duty: "We stand for the preservation of the dignity and rights of all people. This stance requires us to take responsibility for history."
The anniversary year 2026 thus promises to be not only a musical journey of discovery, but also a powerful symbol of democracy and against forgetting. The media partnership with Ö1 also ensures that this “unheard” music is made accessible to a wide audience.