Zsuzsanna Szálka

Zsuzsanna Szálka is an international cultural manager and lecturer in cultural management. As an External Officer, she connects CEU to Austria’s cultural and start-up scene through strategic partnerships and targeted outreach while fostering collaborations with local and international stakeholders in the cultural and start-up sectors. 

Zsuzsanna has served in various leadership roles in the cultural sector. She was the coordinator of the CEU Culture Hub between 2018-2024, classical music curator and advisor of international collaboration at the House of Music, Hungary, and music curator of the Ördögkatlan Festival. From 2014 to 2021, she directed the Átlátszó Hang New Music Festival in Budapest, and she was the founder and festival manager of the Night of Choirs Budapest from 2013 to 2016.

Since 2014, she has been a recurring visiting lecturer in cultural project management and the operational management of cultural institutions at CEU’s Cultural Heritage Studies Program. She has also been a guest lecturer in cultural management at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the University for Continuing Education Krems, and the University of Applied Arts Budapest.

From 2014 to 2017, Zsuzsanna served as the head of concert management at the Liszt Academy of Music. Between 2007 and 2013, she worked as the manager of International Affairs at Müpa Budapest.

In her career, Zsuzsanna has successfully managed several notable cultural projects, including:

• 2018–2020: MusicaFemina International
  A two-year Creative Europe Cooperation Project focused on raising awareness of gender balance in the music industry through international collaboration.
• 2013–2016: Night of the Choirs Budapest
  An a cappella festival hosted at unique locations in Budapest, featuring over 70 vocal ensembles and attracting an audience of more than 3,000.
• 2011: The Enchanted Pig by Jonathan Dove
  A community opera project staged in a Bauhaus church ruin, featuring over 60 non-professional singers and musicians. The production, developed and realized by choir members, drew more than 3,000 spectators across six performances.
• 2008–2013: Cultbath Festival, Budapest
  A month-long summer festival offering over 30 performances in music, literature, and other arts, set in spas, baths, and unconventional venues across Budapest.

Courses taught in Cultural Heritage Studies Program:

Operation Management of Cultural Institutions

Cultural Heritage Project  and Event Management