István Anhalt

István Anhalt was a Hungarian-born composer, conductor, and pianist. In his youth, he was forced to work with other Jewish men in the Hungarian Army during World War II. He eventually escaped and was hidden by friends until the war ended. Anhalt went on to become the assistant conductor at the Budapest Opera. Afterwards, he went to Paris to study composition with Nadia Boulanger. In 1949, he moved to Canada, where he eventually gained Canadian citizenship in 1955. He held two teaching positions at McGill University and at Queen’s University of Kingston. Anhalt is known for his use of twelve-tone techniques and his experimental electronic works.​¹