Miklós Szenthelyi - artistic director

Miklós Szenthelyi (1951) is a Liszt Prize and MSZOSZ Award holder violinist, founder of the Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, and professor at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

He graduated at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in 1973 as a pupil of Dénes Kovács, whose request to become his assistant in that very same year Miklos accepted. He has been a lecturer since 1978 and docent since 1989. He has also been leading the department of special talents since 1978. His disciples include concertmaster of the Hungarian Radio Symphonic Ensemble and leader of the Kodaly string quartet - Attila Falvay, as well as Kristof Barati and Joszef Lendvai from the younger generation.

In the beginning of his career he attended many international competitions with great success. At the Leo Weiner Sonata Competition in 1971 he won 2nd prize with Judit Szenthelyi; then two years later first prize with Andras Schiff. In 1975 Szenthelyi was far the best and the international jury gave him first prize at the Violin Comptetition of the Hungarian Radio. This first prize opened his international artistic career: he has been invited as soloist to almost every country in Europe as well as to Japan, Brazil, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Cuba, Canada and the United States of America where he had already been touring ten times. During these tours to the States he gave three performances with cellist Leonard Rose. 

As a regular guest soloist of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra he has played at least 30 concerts abroad and approximately 100 concerts with his own ensemble, the Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. At recitals his permanent sonata partner is his sister, Judit Szenthelyi pianist, who is also a Professor at the Liszt Academy of Music.

Eleven records have been released with him under the Hungaroton label: four orchestral, three solo LPs and four chamber music records. He played solos on all albums that were recorded featuring the Hungarian Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. He published compositions by Sarasate as well. In 2002 Szenthelyi recorded all Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin composed by J.S. Bach and then he performed them all as part of a single concert at the St. Stephen Cathedral in Budapest.

Miklós Szenthelyi likes artistic challenges. Both in 2011 and 2012 he undertook such special concerts that enchanted not only his fans in the audience, but also received the highest appreciation from the professional public and the Hungarian musical experts. In 2011 at the Jubilee concert in the Palace of Arts he played nine concertos in four concerts on a single day – this was part of the official program of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU.

Miklos Szenthelyi’s artistic work does not go without recognition. He was awarded with the Liszt Prize in 1986, MSZOSZ Award in 1990, Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic, Officers Cross in 1994, the Vilmos Tatrai Memorial Ring Award in 2000, the Kossuth-Prize (the highest among the Hungarian cultural prizes) in 2008 and he was nominated to the Prima Primissima-Award in 2012.