Vienna Musikverein to premiere works by Mary Dickenson-Auner in November 2026

In a poignant return to its historic stage, the Vienna Musikverein will this November premiere the string quartets of Dublin-born composer Mary Dickenson-Auner, a figure silenced by the Nazi regime in 1938. Eighty years after her music was banned, the Auner Quartett will open a four-concert cycle titled "Jenseits vom tanzenden Wien" (Beyond Dancing Vienna), with performances set to take place from November 25, 2026, to May 22, 2027.

Mary Dickenson-Auner, a trailblazer in her field, trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London and built her career in Vienna. Born in 1880, she co-founded the Royal Irish Academy of Music and studied under renowned mentors such as Émile Sauret and Otakar Ševčík. Her career flourished until 1938 when she was forced to flee her home city due to her British passport, a victim of the anti-Semitic policies of the time. Despite the suppression of her work, she continued to compose, stating that her suppressed notes "broke forth like a tidal wave" after the age of 60.

The cycle, a bold project supported by the Alexander Zemlinsky Fund, aims to place Dickenson-Auner among her contemporaries who also faced similar fates. Among these are Alexander Zemlinsky, who fled to American exile, and Egon Wellesz, who escaped to Oxford. The cycle also includes works by composers Fritz Kreisler, who wrote his quartet "A Confession to Vienna" in New York, and Thomas Hampson, who will perform songs by these displaced composers on March 17, 2027.

Daniel Auner, the quartet's first violinist and a relative of the composer, will perform her Fourth String Quartet, a piece that has remained unpublished for decades. The concerts will feature a diverse range of works, including pieces by Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms, and Arnold Schönberg, alongside readings by other artists.

Peter Marboe, former Vienna City Councillor for Culture and chairman of the Alexander Zemlinsky Fund, expressed excitement about the project. "What a bold, exciting project this is," he said. "It brings to light the work of a remarkable composer who was unfairly silenced."

The Auner Quartett, founded in 2013, is no stranger to success. The group won the Eugène Ysaÿe Competition in Liège in 2018 and served as Austria's NASOM cultural ambassador in 2020/21. The quartet's commitment to preserving the legacy of marginalized composers makes their work on Dickenson-Auner's music particularly significant.

For those interested in attending, full programmes and tickets are available online at [the website provided]. The cycle promises to be a celebration of resilience and the enduring power of music, offering a profound insight into the lives and works of composers who were once silenced but are now finally being heard.