On the 12th of January, 2026 Ambassador Szilvia together with Professor Pongruk Sribanditmongkol, President of Chiang Mai University (CMU) had the honor to unveil the bust of the world-famous Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor and music teacher, Ferenc Liszt at Thailand’s second largest city, the center of the northern region of the Kingdom, in Chiang Mai. From now on, the statue of the visionary Hungarian composer will stand as a constant reminder of the Thai-Hungarian friendship at the campus of the Faculty of Fine Arts of CMU. The ceremony was followed by a Liszt piano recital at the Payap University of Chiang Mai by renowned Thai pianist, Phu Koanantakool to whom Ambassador Szilvia was delighted to hand over the prestigious Pro Cultura Hungarica Award as a recognition of his dedicated work of promoting the lifework of Liszt not only in Thailand but globally as well.
Days like this remind us that culture and music are able to bring nations like ours – which are physically divided by more than 9000 kms – closer than ever.
