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Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra
Introduction
Anima Musicae – the soul of music. The ensemble, which started as a creative string workshop, has become a guest at prestigious concert halls and festivals across Europe and is one of Hungary’s most influential chamber music ensembles.
Founded in 2010, the Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra has received several international awards and domestic honors, and it is a regular performer at prominent concert venues in Hungary and Europe. The Junior Prima and Artisjus award-winning group has performed at venues such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus. For years, the ensemble has had its own concert series at the Liszt Academy and the Nádor Hall. Since its inception, it has performed with world-renowned artists such as Emőke Baráth, Kristóf Baráti, Gergely Bogányi, Sir James Galway, David Grimal, Barnabás Kelemen, Sergey Nakaryakov, Miklós Perényi, Ferenc Rados, János Rolla, Shlomo Mintz, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Kirill Troussov, Dénes Várjon, István Várdai, and Tamás Vásáry. The orchestra is a regular guest at both domestic and international festivals, and for several years, it has been the resident ensemble of the Festival Academy Budapest and the Saint Gellért Festival.
The orchestra has released numerous recordings under the Hungaroton label, and its performances have also been recorded by NAXOS and Ongaku Records. With a diverse repertoire spanning from Baroque to 20th-century works, contemporary music holds a prominent place in its program. The orchestra has premiered nearly 80 pieces dedicated to it. The Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra considers the musical education of young people as part of its mission, annually bringing live classical music to thousands of children, both independently and in collaboration with the Hungarian Philharmonic.
Awards and Recognitions
- 2011: V. “Summa Cum Laude” International Youth Festival and Competition, Vienna – 1st place
- 2012: Junior Prima Award
- 2013: Successful pre-selection for the 2014 T.I.M. Competition – Como, Italy
- 2014: T.I.M. International Music Competition, Chamber Music Category – 3rd place, Paris, France
- 2018-2020: National Youth Orchestra title
- 2020: Artisjus Award
- 2022: Sülysáp Memorial Medal
Concerts, Festivals
A regular performer on domestic stages, the ensemble has been organizing a concert series for years at the Liszt Academy’s Grand Hall, the Nádor Hall, and is frequently heard at the Óbuda Community Centre. It is the resident orchestra of the Festival Academy, led by Barnabás Kelemen and Katalin Kokas, and the Saint Gellért Festival. The orchestra has also performed at the “MVM Zenergia” charity concert.
The chamber ensemble has played in numerous concert halls across Europe, including the Vienna Musikverein, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus. It has also performed in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Turkey, and at prestigious festivals in neighboring countries.
Youth and Charity Concerts
The Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra considers the musical education of young people to be part of its mission. Annually, both independently and in collaboration with the Hungarian Philharmonic, it brings live classical music to thousands of children. As part of its charitable activities, the orchestra has performed at the St. Francis Children’s Home, the VI. Disability Studies Conference, the Óbuda Senior Citizens’ Club, and the Hospice Hospital, as well as at the MVM Zenergia charity concert at the Palace of Arts. During concerts, competitions, and festivals, the orchestra provides performance opportunities for numerous young talents.
World-Renowned Guest Artists
Since its founding in 2010, the ensemble has performed with prominent Hungarian artists such as János Balázs, Emőke Baráth, Kristóf Baráti, Barnabás Kelemen, Katalin Kokas, Zoltán Fejérvári, Ernő Kállai, László Fenyő, Miklós Perényi, Vilmos Szabadi, Dezső Ránki, János Rolla, Gábor Takács-Nagy, István Várdai, Tamás Vásáry, and Andrea Vigh. Among its international guest artists, the orchestra has had the honor of hosting Raúl da Costa, David Grimal, Sir James Galway, Massimo Mercelli, Sergey Nakaryakov, Gustav Rivinius, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Sebastian Bohren, Kirill Troussov, and Maxim Rysanov.
Recordings
Since 2015, the Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra has been releasing its albums under the Hungaroton label, with its performances also recorded by NAXOS and Ongaku Records.
Among its recordings, the orchestra’s serenade series stands out, featuring works by Dohnányi, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, Schubert, and others. Their most recent recording was released in 2024.
- 2015: Mozart – Divertimenti, Hungaroton
- 2019: Existentia – Karosi Bálint’s Orchestral Works, Hungaroton
- 2019: String Serenades, Volume 1: Dohnányi & Tchaikovsky, Hungaroton
- 2020: String Serenades, Volume 2: Josef Suk & Antonín Dvořák, Hungaroton
- 2020: Cohler Plays and Conducts Mozart, Ongaku Records
- 2021: String Serenades, Volume 3: Herbert, Elgar, Fuchs, Schubert, Hungaroton
- 2022: String Serenades, Volume 4: Reinecke, Wolf, Karlowicz, Kalinnikov, Hungaroton
- 2023: Concertos for Soloists and String Orchestra, Naxos
- 2024: Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Hungaroton
Soma Balázs-Piri
Soma Balázs-Piri was born in Szeged in 2004, but spent his early childhood in Horgos, Vojvodina, in an environment where music found its way to him at an early age. His talent was noticed by a kindergarten music teacher who said she heard and experienced something about Soma that she had never heard before – and asked to enroll Soma in music school.
In the first year he was only learning solfege, but he could choose an instrument from the second year onwards – by which time he was eight years old. This relatively late start in classical music circles later became an advantage. Soma recalls: while his peers were already practicing for an hour or two a day, he was still playing in the street with the neighbour’s children. It was a real, carefree childhood.
This emotionally balanced period, rich in experiences, has shaped his artistic world ever since. Soma still places great emphasis on cultivating his friends and family relationships alongside his musical vocation. The inner harmony in which he lives is reflected in his playing: his music is not only made up of sounds, but also of feelings, stories and moments he has lived.
Since 2013, he has been living in Szeged with his parents, brother and 11-year-old sister – in a close-knit, loving family that has been a safe haven for his artistic journey.
He began his musical studies at the Péter Király-König Music School, where he studied with Emőke Szobonya Sóti for nine years.
From a young age, he had the opportunity to develop under the mentorship of renowned artists such as Professor Ferenc Kerek, Gergely Bogányi and Kálmán Dráfi.
He completed his secondary school studies at the András Dugonics Piarist Gymnasium in Szeged and was accepted to the piano performance course at the Mozarteum University of Music in Salzburg, where he is currently a third-year student. His teacher is the renowned Canadian pianist Connie Shih.
Prizes and awards:
– First prize in 16 international and national piano competitions
– Winner of the Virtuosi classical music talent competition (2018)
– Young Ambassador of Classical Music in Hungary (2020)
– Hungarian National Champion of Young Musicians of Europe (2021)
– Forbes Hungary – Big Interview (2023)
– Award for the Culture of Szeged – Golden Ring (2025)
He was only nine years old when he first appeared as a soloist with the Szeged Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has worked with many national and international orchestras, including conductors such as Plácido Domingo, Ádám Medveczky, Gábor Hollerung, Eugene Kohn, Howard Shelley, András Keller and Yoon Kuk Lee, the musical director of the Szent Gellért Festival.
Soma is a regular performer at Hungary’s leading concert venues: he has played at the Palace of Arts, the Vigadó in Pest and the Great Hall of the Liszt Academy. In 2019, the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall of Müpa Budapest hosted a concert theatre performance of “Amadeus – Mozart’s Life in Pictures”, in which he played the role of the young Mozart and played a period fortepiano. In the same year, he was invited to perform with Plácido Domingo at the opening of the St Gellért Forum. This year he had the opportunity to perform at the opening concert of the St Gellért Festival for the third time.
His international career is also outstanding: he has performed in New York, in London as soloist with the world-famous London Mozart Players, in front of 20,000 spectators at the O2 Arena in London, in Doha, in Strasbourg, in Washington at the Hungarian American Embassy, in Dubai on the main stage of the EXPO, in Forte dei Marmi at Andrea Bocelli’s villa, with artists such as Anna Netrebko. He has also performed in Dusseldorf, Zagreb and most recently in Singapore, where he appeared as a soloist at the Hungarian Days and accompanied three world stars.
In 2020, he recorded Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra conducted by Plácido Domingo. The Maestro not only supports him musically, but also believes in him personally: he has provided financial support for the purchase of his concert piano, and in an interview with TV2 in August 2019, he said he was confident that Soma would become one of the world’s most outstanding pianists.
Soma believes deeply that the power of music goes beyond aesthetic pleasure: it can uplift, heal and serve communities. That’s why he always says yes to charity appeals with all his heart and soul.
He played at the Gala of the Early Arrival Foundation, for the residents of the Fót Children’s Home, and in Győr, at the “Thanksgiving Concert for Health Care Workers”, an expression of social appreciation for the workers during the COVID epidemic.
In 2024, he was invited to the “Live Show with José Carreras” charity gala, broadcast live on German MDR television, to support leukaemia patients. During the three-hour show, which featured world stars, more than €3.5 million was raised.
His teachers agree that Soma’s greatest strength is his exceptional musicality, combined with his humble, open and natural personality.
Yongbeom Kwon
Countertenor Yongboem Kwon graduated from the Berlin University of the Arts.
He has performed at renowned venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Berliner Dom, Dresden Frauenkirche, and the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. His repertoire spans early music, oratorio, opera, art song, and contemporary works.
He appears regularly in performances of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in the Netherlands and has sung the St. John Passion in France. He has worked with leading ensembles including the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra.
In 2025, he received both the 3rd Prize and the Audience Prize at the Farinelli Competition for Countertenors. Praised for his expressive tone and artistic sensitivity, he performs internationally with distinguished conductors and ensembles.
Mónika Tóth
Born in 1974 in Heves. Between 1981-1988 she was a student of the local State Music School, where she studied with Tivadarné Szabó.
She graduated with honours as a violin teacher and chamber musician from the Szeged Conservatory of the Liszt Academy of Music in 1997. Márta S.Dobos, Péter Masopust, Lajos Huszár and László Meszlényi were her mentors.
In 1999, she was awarded scholarships from the Soros Foundation and the Marco Fodella Foundation and studied early music specialisation at the Accademia Internazionale della Musica in Milan under Enrico Gatti.
She received her Master’s degree in Baroque Violin “cum laude” in 2007 at the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory in Palermo, as a student of Enrico Onofri. (Il Giardino Armonico)
Parallel to her studies, she attended master classes with Simon Standage, Lucy van Dael, Jaap Schrőder and Malcom Bilson.
In 2000 she was awarded second prize at the “Premio Bonporti Rovereto” international chamber music competition (Estro Cromatico) and in 2001 she was third prize winner at the “I.Telemann Wettbewerb” in Magdeburg (Eclisse).
Between 2000 and 2006 she was a member and second concertmaster of the Orfeo Orchestra under the baton of György Vashegyi. In 2005, she was concertmaster at the opening of the MÜPA Festival Theatre, where she performed Monteverdi’s opera Orfeo, directed by Csaba Káel.
She performs regularly with renowned European baroque orchestras and chamber music ensembles such as I Barocchisti, Ensemble Zefiro, Imaginarium Ensemble, Stella Matutina, Ensemble Castor, Accademia Bizantina, Il Giardino Armonico, Dolce e Tempesta, Europa Galante, Capella Leopoldina Graz, Barucco Wien, Neue Hofkapelle Graz, Accentus Austria, L’Eclisse, Musica Perduta.
As a chamber music artist and concertmaster she has participated in festivals such as Regensburg, Trigonale,Berlin,Stockholm,Barcelona, Leipzig, Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Mantova, Milan, Crete, Mexico City, Jerusalem and Festival Academy Budapest.
He has recorded 50 CDs with Decca, EMI, Sony, Archiv, Naiv, Arts, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Chandos, Hungaroton, Symphonia,Taktus, Amadeus, RTSI, Brilliant Classics, Erato, Querstand, Panclassics, Passacalia, Arcana, Preiser Records and Virgin.
She has collaborated with vocal soloists such as Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, Julia Lezhneva, Max Cencic, Silvia Frigaro, Gemma Bertagnoli, Roberta Mameli, Franco Fagioli; conductors and instrumental soloists such as Gustav Leonhardt, Diego Fasolis, Anderas Staier, Alfredo Bernardini, Malcolm Bilson, Enrico Onofri, Giovanni Antonini, Bahrt Kujiken, Gabriele Cassone, Elisa Citterio.
Between 2005 and 2010, she was a teacher of baroque violin at summer schools of early music in Tokaj, Bélapátfalva and Agárd in Hungary, and in 2011 she founded the Miszla Academy of Early Baroque Music (Tolna County). Since then, she has been organizing international master classes twice a year at Nemeskéry Castle.
Since 2012, she has been mentor of the youth baroque orchestra “I Talenti Vulcanici”, founded by the “Capella della Pietá de’ Turchini” Early Music Centre in Naples.
Since the 2018/19 academic year, she has been teaching baroque violin at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. In October 2019 she received the Wagner Betty Award in Heves.
Yoon Kuk Lee
Born and raised in South Korea, Yoon Kuk Lee received his earliest musical training from his mother. At the age of 13, he immigrated with his family to America, where he graduated from a special science and math high school in New York and enrolled at Williams College.
In 1976, he graduated with the honor title “Cum Laude” in philosophy and music then traveled to Austria, to study conducting and composition at the Salzburg Mozarteum University of Music with teachers such as Sandor Vegh, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Herbert von Karajan.
One of Lee’s early successes as a composer came in the form of winning the highest prize at the 1982 Austria Radio (ORF) competition, which led to public concerts and radio broadcasts of his music. A couple of years later, Lee accepted a teaching position at the Mozarteum University of Music. Since 1987, he has been making guest conducting appearances with the St. Petersburg Camerata, the KBS Symphony Orchestra of Korea, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, the State Symphony Orchestra of Saloniki, South Czech Philharmonie Budweis, the Korean Chamber Orchestra, the Enesco Philharmonic Bucharest, Korean Philharmonic Orchestra, Szeged Symphony Orchestra of Hungary, Jyväskylä Sinfonia of Finland and Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra etc.
Starting 2000, he served as the artistic director of the Austro-Korean Philharmonie Vienna which he founded together UN General Secretary Ban-Ki Moon and between 2002 and 2005, he was the conductor of the Festival International Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra.
In 1992, he accepted the assignment of establishing the Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie, gathering young professional musicians to introduce a new chamber orchestra to the European music scene. Since then, the orchestra presented under his artistic direction highly creative subscription concert series in its home city Salzburg and toured extensively all over the European continent; literally from Sevilla to Cyprus, winning critical acclaim everywhere and enjoying exuberant reception in major concert halls such as Musikverein of Vienna ( in which all seven performances of Kammerphilharmonie so far were met with 2000 excited listeners), Konzerthaus of Vienna, Gasteig and Herkulesaal of Munich, Tonhalle of Zürich, National Philharmonie of Madrid to mention a few.
Also under his leadership, the Kammerphilhatrmonie performed successfully at renowned festivals such as “Carinthischen Sommer” festival, Festival International Cognac and Festival International Echternach (Luxembourg) and Salzburg Festival. The orchestra also appeared on several live radio and television broadcasts of Austrian National Network(ORF).
Between 1996 and 1999 he took on – together the pianist Cyprien Katsaris -the project of performing and recording complete works for piano and orchestra by Mozart (not only the piano concertos), introducing to the world for the first time in recording history an edition of such kind. It resulted in the production of 15 CDs which are being released in European market under the label Piano 21. His highly acclaimed release of C.P.E Bach Sinfonias with Naxos brought worldwide recognition. Such as being chosen as one of the 10 best CDs by the CD magazine “Gramaphone” and from WQXR FM of New York.
Numerous well-known soloists have shared the stage with Lee, including: Mischa Maisky, Edith Mathis, Grace Bumbry, Pierre Amoyal, Irena Grafenauer, Guy Touvron, Sergei Nakajarkov, Cyprien Katsaris, Ingrid Haebler, Wolfgang Schulz, Michel Dalberto, Paul Badura-Skoda and Radovan Vlatkovic, Ruth Ziesak, to name a few.
Ziyu He
The outstanding violinist Ziyu He was one of the youngest soloists with the Vienna Philharmonic
when he made his debut with this world-class orchestra under Adam Fischer at the Musikverein
in 2017 at the age of just 17. The year before, he won both the International Mozart Competition
in Salzburg and the Yehudi Menuhin Competition, and in 2014 he was the Eurovision Young
Musician of the Year.
His orchestral appearances include performances with the Mariinsky Orchestra St. Petersburg,
Macau Orchestra, Suzhou Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Beethoven Philharmonic, RAI
National Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, Bochum Symphony, China Philharmonic, Shanghai
Philharmonic, the Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts, Georgian Philharmonic,
Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Orchestra della Toscana, the Philharmonic
orchestras of Zagreb, Georgia, Slovakia and Sofia, the Singapore Symphony and Mozarteum
Orchestra Salzburg, with conductors such as Adam Fischer, Christopher Warren-Green, Choo
Hoey, Tung-Chieh Chuang, Diego Matheuz, James Judd, Howard Griffiths, Ilyich Rivas, Kazuki
Yamada, Kerem Hasan, Kriistina Poska, Pietari Inkinen, Thomas Rösner, Steven Sloane, Lio
Kuokman, Valery Gergiev and Hans Graf, to name but a few.
Ziyu He recently made his debut with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra under Lio Kuokman, and
was invited to join the Singapore Symphony Orchestra on several occasions for concerts and CD
recordings, most recently in May 2026, and will tour China with them in October. He has also
performed with the Camerata Schweiz, the Belgrade Philharmonic and Howard Griffiths, as well
as with the Sofia Philharmonic under Uros Lajovic, played concerts at the BBC Belfast Proms and
made his debut at the George Enescu Festival. Highlights include a concert and recordings of
works by Hans Werner Henze with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg under Maestra Lin Liao
and the Brahms Double concerto under Maestro Hans Graf, performances of the Britten concerto
with the Slovak Philharmonic under Maestro James Judd and the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic
with Maestro Carlo Tenan, with solo recitals at the Vienna Konzerthaus in the “Great Talents”
series. A concert with Suzhou Symphony and Thomas Rösner, performances in Munich in the
“Rising Stars” series and with Benjamin Schmid rounded off the past season. As the violinist with
the renowned Altenberg Trio, he regularly plays in their popular concert series in the Brahms Hall
of the Vienna Musikverein, and recently had two performances of the Mendelssohn Concerto in
their Great Hall. This season he was once again in Vienna ́s Musikverein with the Tonkünstler
Orchestra and Maestro Graf with the Hindemith Violin Concerto.
Ziyu He began learning the violin at the age of five with Xiangrong Zhang in his native China. At
the age of just 10 he was invited by Paul Roczek to study with him at the Mozarteum University
in Salzburg. He completed his master’s degree in violin there in 2021 and began postgraduate
studies with Benjamin Schmid. In 2023 he completed a master’s degree in viola with distinction
after studies with Thomas Riebl. He plays the 1698 “ex Rouse-Boughton” violin by Antonio
Stradivari on loan from the Austrian National Bank and a Giuseppe Guadagnini viola, dated 1797,
made available to him by generous private sponsors.
János Benyus
János Benyus’s musical career began at the Aladár Tóth Music School, where he first encountered the French horn and quickly developed a passion for the instrument. He continued his studies at the Béla Bartók Music High School in Budapest, as a student of Tibor Beleznay. His pursuit of excellence led him on to the Ferenc Liszt University of Music, where he deepened his knowledge in Ádám Friedrich’s class.
Alongside his studies, he regularly participated in international master classes, including those led by such renowned artists as Peter Damm, Timothy Jones, and Ab Koster.
Benyus’s outstanding talent and dedication are also evident in his solo recitals: he is the winner of four international horn competitions, including those in Chieri (2007), Sannicandro di Bari (2008), and Jeju, South Korea (2010). In 2011, he won the horn category at the Brno International Brass Competition and was also awarded the competition’s grand prize. In addition to his career as a soloist, he is a sought-after orchestral musician: he serves as principal horn at the Hungarian State Opera House and with the Concerto Budapest ensemble. In addition to his work as a performing artist, Benyus is also committed to music education: he regularly holds master classes and serves on the juries of competitions. In addition to his two orchestral engagements and his active role in the In Medias Brass Quintet, it may come as a surprise, but it’s true: he is a father of eight children.
Introduction to the Hódmezővásárhely Military Band
The Hódmezővásárhely Military Band is one of the most active wind bands in the Southern Great Plain region. Their instrumental lineup allows them—beyond their primary mission—to perform a wide variety of musical styles, which are always a great success at the Hungarian Defense Forces’ ceremonial events, recruitment programs, and festivals organized by neighboring towns. They maintain excellent relationships with several local governments in Csongrád-Csanád, Bács-Kiskun, and Békés counties, as well as with the Armed Forces’ retiree organizations.
In addition to their regular street performances and professional demonstrations, they give several highly successful concerts each year, through which they promote military band culture and the Hungarian Armed Forces.
They have received recognition on multiple occasions. In 2013, they received the Ferenc Bessenyei Arts Award for their role in the artistic and cultural life of the county-level city of Hódmezővásárhely. The Csongrád-Csanád County Assembly awarded the ensemble the Csongrád-Csanád County Culture Award. The World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) honored the band for its high-quality work.
The band’s conductor is Major Balázs Gömöri, and its assistant conductor is First Lieutenant Béla Sipos.
Béla Horváth
Oboist Béla Horváth was born into a family of musicians. He began his musical studies in his hometown of Pécs, as a student of Miklós Csikós. He then became a student at the Béla Bartók Music School (Conservatory) in Budapest, where oboist János Kemény guided him toward the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music. There, he earned his degree in music education in 1994. His teacher was Emília Csánky. From 1991, he was a member of the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, and from 1992 to 2000, he played with the Budapest Festival Orchestra.
Since 2000, he has been the principal oboist of the National Philharmonic Orchestra.
In addition to his orchestral work, he frequently performs as a soloist and chamber musician. He has performed with Heinz Holliger, Maurice Bourgue, Zoltán Kocsis, the Amadinda Percussion Ensemble, and the Keller String Quartet. He has performed with the Budapest Wind Ensemble and numerous domestic and international ensembles.
From 2014 to 2019, he was a professor at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest.
As a dedicated performer of contemporary music, he has regularly participated in UMZE concerts since 2004.
In 1989, he won the János Richter Woodwind Competition in Győr, and in 2013, he was named “Artist of the Year” by the National Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lila
Cellist LiLa began her musical journey at the age of seven under the guidance of Professor Min Cao in Shanghai. In 2016, she transitioned to the Juilliard School Precollege division where she studied with Professors Richard Aaron and Sieun Lin. Since 2018, LiLa has continued her studies at Kronberg Academy with Frans Helmerson. She plays a 1690’s Giovanni Grancino Cello on loan through the Beare’s International Violin Society and has received numerous accolades, including first prizes in prestigious competitions such as the Osaka International Music Competition, ‘Antonio Janigro’ International Cello Competition, and the Tchaikovsky International Competition for Young Musicians. Among others, LiLa attended the Verbier Festival Academy in 2019 and has collaborated with esteemed orchestras such as Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra, Prague Royal Philharmonic, and Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra under conductors including Christoph Eschenbach and Valery Gergiev. As a chamber musician, she has shared the stage with artists including Steven Isserlis, Christian Tetzlaff, and Gidon Kremer.
Bálint Mohai
Mohai Bálint was born in Budapest in 1989 into a family of musicians. His mother, Cecília Bodolai, is a violist with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. He began studying the bassoon at the age of twelve under the guidance of his father, Tibor Mohai, and Tamás Pécsi at the Ernő Dohnányi Music School. He then continued his studies at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music in Budapest in the class of József Vajda. He graduated with distinction from the Liszt Academy of Music, earning his Bachelor’s degree in the class of István Hartenstein. He completed both his Master’s and Postgraduate degrees with distinction at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) in the class of Prof. Eckart Hübner.
In 2014, he was appointed Principal Bassoon of the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and the Budapest Philharmonic Society, where he performed until 2021. Since 2019, he has also served as Principal Bassoon of Concerto Budapest under the direction of András Keller, with whom he continues to perform regularly. He is the founder of the Budapest Wind Quintet and the Budapest Bassoon Trio, a founding member of the Musiciens Libres Chamber Ensemble in Budapest, and was a member of the Berlin-based Ensemble Mini Chamber Ensemble from 2012 to 2022. Prior to that, he was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra under the direction of Vladimir Ashkenazy from 2006 to 2013.
His first international success came in 2008, when he won First Prize and a Special Prize for the interpretation of the competition’s commissioned work at the 42nd Concertino Praga International Music Competition.
In 2010, he was one of the winners of the Talent Competition of the Liszt Academy of Music and was awarded an Erasmus Scholarship.
In 2011, he won the 36th International Wind Competition in Emsbüren and, in the same year, also received First Prize at the 16th International “Talentinum” Music Competition in Zlín.
In 2012, he became the first bassoonist in the history of the competition to reach the final of the EBU New Talent International Music Competition in Bratislava, founded by Sir Yehudi Menuhin in 1969. In the same year, he was awarded a one-year scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
In 2013, he received scholarships from the Ad Infinitum Foundation in Berlin and the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Foundation. In 2014, he was awarded the DAAD Grand Prize by the Berlin University of the Arts.
In 2015, he won Second Prize at the Paris Grand Prix International Competition.
In 2019, he received a Gold Award in the overall Wind Category of the 4th Manhattan International Music Competition.
In 2021, he received the Opus Klassik Award in Berlin for Best Chamber Music Recording with Ensemble Mini (now Freigeist Ensemble).
In 2023, he won the Absolute First Prize at the 7th Danubia Talents International Music Competition.
In 2024, he became an official artist of the Bernd Moosmann Bassoon Master Manufactory in Waiblingen.
In 2026, he received the Orchestra Musician of the Season Award from the Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra.
As a chamber musician, he has had the privilege of performing with many distinguished artists, including, among others, Elizabeth Leonskaja, Wenzel Fuchs, Stefan Dohr, András Keller, László Fenyő, Barnabás Kelemen, Klaus Thunemann, Mikhail Pletnev, Kristóf Baráti, Miklós Lukács, Sergei Nakariakov, and Lucas Debargue.
Ildiko Szabady
Ildiko Szabady, a Junior Prima Award-winning flutist, graduated in 2020 from the Liszt Ferenc
Academy of Music in Budapest, under the guidance of Dr. Veronika Oross. Despite her young age, she
has achieved outstanding results in numerous prestigious domestic and international competitions.
Among her accomplishments, she won first prize at the XVI. Chieri International Music Competition
(2016) and earned several prizes at renowned competitions, such as the World Flute E-Competition
“Napolinova” in 2021 (3rd prize), the Danubia Talents International Competition in 2021 (2nd prize),
the International Moscow Music Competition in 2021 (2nd prize), the International Music
Competition Malopolska in 2021 (2nd prize), and the Medici International Competition in 2022 (2nd
prize). Her artistic work has been recognized with prestigious scholarships, including the Republic
Scholarship (2018), the Bank of China Scholarship (2019), and the Junior Prima Award (2024).
She won auditions three times for the Encuentro de Santander Festival in Spain (2018, 2019, 2021),
where she participated in several concerts under the direction of renowned foreign artists.
As a soloist, she has performed with distinguished orchestras such as the Savaria Symphony
Orchestra, the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra, the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the
Szolnok Symphony Orchestra, the MÁV Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestra of the
Academy of Music. She has appeared as a soloist under the baton of world-renowned conductors
such as Oliver von Dohnányi, Masahiro Izaki, Antal Mátyás, and Gilbert Varga.
She has performed in Spain, Krakow, Chieri, and Israel, presenting both chamber and solo works.
Since 2022, she has been the principal flutist of the Piedra Orchestra at the St. Margarethen Opera
Festival (Austria). She has played in prestigious concert halls with orchestras, such as the Musikverein
in Vienna, the Konzerthaus in Klagenfurt, the Brucknerhaus in Linz, the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt,
the Schönbrunn Palace, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Throughout her artistic career, she has placed a special emphasis on contemporary music and actively
seeks new musical opportunities. She regularly works on studio recordings, capturing the works of
renowned Hungarian and international composers. She is a frequent guest artist with several
Hungarian orchestras and served as the principal flutist of the MÁV Symphony Orchestra in 2022–
2023. During her orchestral engagements, she has collaborated with conductors such as Péter Eötvös,
Péter Csaba, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Pinchas Steinberg, and Leonard Slatkin.
Currently, she is the principal flutist of the Budapest Scoring Studio Orchestra, the solo flutist of the
Szolnok Symphony Orchestra, and a student at the Doctoral School of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of
Music.
Zoltán Péter
He began his musical studies in his hometown of Hódmezővásárhely, and after graduating from the Szeged Conservatory of Music, he earned his clarinet performance degree with distinction at the Szeged Faculty of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
Since 2007, he has served as Principal Clarinet and Section Leader of the Szeged Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, he has performed on numerous occasions, including concertos by Copland, Mozart, and Weber, as well as Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with many distinguished artists in a variety of acclaimed performances.
He further developed his musical expertise through his work with several internationally renowned ensembles. In 1990, he joined the European Union Youth Orchestra as Principal Clarinet. In 1997 and 1998, he was twice selected as Principal Clarinet of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, bringing together Europe’s most talented young musicians, where he worked with such distinguished conductors as Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Iván Fischer, Kent Nagano, and many others.
His artistic achievements include Second Prize at the Weiner Leó Memorial Competition held in Szeged in 1990. In 2011, he was awarded the Ferenc Bessenyei Art Prize. In 2013, he was named Musician of the Season by the Szeged Symphony Orchestra, and in 2014, he received the Csongrád County Prima Award.
Alongside his artistic career, he is also actively engaged in teaching, adjudicating competitions, and mentoring young musicians.
Philipp Comploi
Along with his concertizing with the TRIO ALBA, he is a sought-after leader and soloist in orchestras
and ensembles specializing in performing on historical instruments such as the La Folia
Barockorchester, Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble, Orchester Wiener Akademie, Ensemble Delirio,
Quadriga Consort and Ensemble Castor.
Performances as a soloist and chamber musician have taken him to festivals and concert venues
throughout all continents like Musikverein and Konzerthaus Vienna, Mozarteum Salzburg,
Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Schleswig-
Holstein Festival, to Teatro Gran Rex in Buenos Aires, Chamberfest Ottawa and the National Center
of Performing Arts in Beijing.
Philipp has made numerous awarded recordings for Harmonia Mundi (SONY Classical), MDG
(Musikproduktion Dabringhaus&Grimm), Carpe Diem and Capriccio.
He is playing on a violoncello by „Anthony Posch“, built 1721 in Vienna.
Danka Nikolic
Danka Nikolic studied at the University Mozarteum Salzburg with Professor Thomas Riebl, where she
also served as his teaching assistant. She completed her studies with distinction at the Hamburg
University of Music and Theatre under the guidance of Professor Thomas Selditz.
A prizewinner at numerous national and international competitions, Danka Nikolic regularly appears as
both a soloist and chamber musician at international festivals. She has performed as a soloist with
ensembles including the Orchestra Barocca de Sevilla, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Ensemble
Zefiro, and the Orquesta Barroca de Bogotá. Her chamber music partners have included distinguished
artists such as Alexander Sitkovetsky, Valentin Radutiu, Per Rundberg, Isabelle van Keulen, and Kirill
Troussov.
She is a member of Camerata Salzburg and principal viola of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss.
She is also a frequent guest with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Balthasar Neumann
Ensemble, and is regularly invited as guest principal viola with the Kammerakademie Potsdam,
Hofkapelle München, Ensemble Zefiro and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra.
From 2017 to 2021, Danka Nikolic was the founder and artistic director of the International Chamber
Music Festival Isla Cristina in Spain.
Passionate about historically informed performance, she also performs on baroque viola and viola
d’amore, appearing regularly as a soloist on both instruments.
Diana EMANDI – Baroque Violin
Diana Emandi graduated from the Faculty of Music at the West University of Timișoara in 1996
and furthered her violin studies with Peter Csaba at the International Masterclasses in Szombathely,
Hungary.
After beginning her professional career with the Orchestra of the Romanian National Opera in
Timișoara, she joined the Banatul Philharmonic Orchestra of Timișoara in 1992, where she
continues to perform today.
Her artistic career has increasingly focused on historically informed performance, particularly on
the baroque violin. A defining stage in her artistic development was her participation in
masterclasses with internationally renowned specialists, including Mira Glodeanu, Bruno Cocset
(Académie de Sablé), Richard Gwilt (Ringve Summer Mastercourses), and Frédérick Haas (Royal
Conservatory of Brussels).
In 2005, together with her husband, violinist Codrin Emandi, she co-founded La Follia Baroque
Ensemble Timișoara, an ensemble that has since become the focus of her artistic activity. Through
La Follia, she has performed extensively across Europe and the United States, appearing in major
cultural centers including Paris, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Detroit, Cleveland, and
many others.
With La Follia Baroque Ensemble, she has been invited to perform at numerous distinguished
festivals, including the Timișoara Musical Festival, the Miercurea Ciuc International Early Music
Festival, the Brașov International Chamber Music Festival, the Cluj Musical Autumn Festival, the
La Stravaganza Festival, Festival des Écrins (France), Festival Mezza Estate (Italy), the Santander
International Festival (Spain), the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (SIBFEST), Festival de
Wallonie (Belgium), Nuits Baroques au Palais de Béhague (Paris), the WunderKammer
International Early Music Festival (Trieste, Italy), the Brežice Festival (Slovenia), and the
American–Romanian Festival (Detroit, USA).
Throughout her career, she has collaborated with internationally renowned ensembles and
musicians, including Le Poème Harmonique, Le Tendre Amour, Concerto de’ Cavalieri, Il
Convito, Ausonia, Janas Ensemble, Amandine Beyer & Gli Incogniti, Austrian Baroque
Company, and artists such as Jaap Schröder, Jean-Pierre Menuge, Jean-Christophe Frisch, Paola
Erdas, Marcel Ponseele, Thor-Harald Johnsen, Thomas Boysen, James Munro, Frédérick Haas,
Mira Glodeanu, Vincent Dumestre, Veronika Skuplik, Farran Sylvan James, Edwin Crossley-
Mercer, Núria Pujolràs, Deborah Cachet, Marcello Di Lisa, Monika Toth, Federico Guglielmo, Ryo
Terakado, Maude Gratton, etc…
In 2006, together with Codrin Emandi, she co-founded Societatea Musica Antica, an organization
dedicated to promoting early music in Romania. Through this initiative, they established the
Timișoara Early Music Festival, recognized as one of Romania’s leading festivals devoted to
historically informed performance. They also founded the Brebu Nou Early Music Festival and
Masterclass, further contributing to the promotion and development of early music in Romania.
Zsuzsanna Tóth
Tóth Zsuzsanna Szegeden született, klasszikus énekesi diplomáját 2004-ben szerezte a Szegedi Tudományegyetem Zeneművészeti Karán. Régizenei tanulmányait a Hágai Királyi Konzervatóriumban folytatta, ahol Peter Kooij, Jill Feldman és Rita Dams irányításával kitüntetéses mesterdiplomával végzett. Művészi fejlődését számos neves előadó – többek között Hamari Júlia, Csengery Adrienne, Charles Toet és Nigel North – mesterkurzusai is gazdagították.
Pályafutása során a holland és belga régizenei élet meghatározó szereplőjévé vált. Szólistaként és énekesként olyan nemzetközi hírű együttesekkel dolgozott együtt, mint a Collegium Vocale Gent, a Nederlands Bach Society, a Nederlands Kamerkoor, a l’Arpeggiata, a Sete Lágrimas és a Tetraktys. Közel húsz éve állandó tagja a világszerte elismert Vox Luminis együttesnek, amelynek koncertjein és lemezfelvételein a mai napig rendszeresen közreműködik.
Több mint húszéves művészi pályáját gazdag régi- és kortárs zenei diszkográfia, valamint kiterjedt nemzetközi koncerttevékenység jellemzi.
Zsuzsanna Tóth was born in Szeged and earned her degree in classical singing in 2004 from the Faculty of Music at the University of Szeged. She continued her studies in early music at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where she graduated with honors under the guidance of Peter Kooij, Jill Feldman, and Rita Dams. Her artistic development was further enriched by master classes with numerous renowned performers, including Júlia Hamari, Adrienne Csengery, Charles Toet, and Nigel North.
Over the course of her career, she has become a leading figure in the Dutch and Belgian early music scene. As a soloist and singer, she has collaborated with internationally renowned ensembles such as Collegium Vocale Gent, the Nederlands Bach Society, the Nederlands Kamerkoor, l’Arpeggiata, Sete Lágrimas, and Tetraktys. For nearly twenty years, she has been a permanent member of the world-renowned ensemble Vox Luminis, with which she continues to perform regularly in concerts and on recordings to this day.
Her artistic career, spanning more than twenty years, is marked by a rich discography of early and contemporary music, as well as extensive international concert activities.
Yoon Jae Lee
Our guest conductor, Yoon Jae Lee enjoys a multifaceted career as a conductor, arranger, pianist, and teaching artist. As Founder & Artistic Director of Ensemble 212, Mr. Lee has built one of today’s finest ensembles based in New York. They have received critical acclaim for their innovative programming of works by living composers, exciting interpretations of the standard repertoire, and his own arrangements and transcriptions. As an advocate for new music, Mr. Lee has conducted numerous New York and world premieres of works by award-winning composers including Huang Ruo, Daniel Felsenfeld, Ke-Chia Chen, Texu Kim, Nina C. Young, and Jeffrey Mumford. Recent highlights include video productions with Ensemble 212 featuring concertos for haegeum with Soo Yeon Lyuh and his first commercial recording featuring works by Michael Couper and Villa-Lobos with the Mimesis Ensemble on the Arabesque Records label. His list of conducting engagements include ensemble mise-en’s 6th annual new music festival, the PRIZM Chamber Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, Sullivan County Chamber Orchestra, Bruckner Orchester Linz, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, and Opera on Tap. Mr. Lee served as cover conductor for the Philadelphia Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Albano Ballet Company which commissioned his chamber arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker.
Mr. Lee’s arrangements and transcriptions have been performed throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America by leading orchestras such as the Baltimore, Phoenix and Singapore Symphony Orchestras. Praised by audiences and critics alike, David Patrick Stearns of the Philadelphia Inquirer claimed his orchestral transcription of Mendelssohn’s Octet “Incorporated winds and brass intelligently.” The New York Times described his chamber version of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony as “Illuminating with solos leaping out in unusually bold detail.” He is currently engaged in the Mahler Chamber Project to arrange all the symphonies and Das Lied von der Erde for chamber orchestra.
A native of New York City, Mr. Lee is a 2nd generation Korean-American. He received degrees in piano and conducting from the Mannes School of Music where he was awarded the N. T. Milani Memorial Conducting Fellowship and the Peter M. Gross Fund. He also studied at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria. During that time, he served as Assistant Conductor to the Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie. His conducting mentors include Michael Charry, Dennis Russell Davies, David Hayes, and David Zinman.
Mr. Lee has participated in Kurt Masur’s conducting masterclass, the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, and the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute led by his keen interest in historical performance practice. He served on the faculty at the Queens College – Aaron Copland School of Music, City College of New York and Haverford College. https://linktr.ee/yjlconductor