Béla Horváth

Béla Horváth, violinist, was born in Hungary. At age of four he began playing the violin with his grandfather. Béla continued his violin studies with the well-known Hungarian violin teacher Valeria Baranyai. In 1996 he entered the Béla Bartók Conservatory where he studied with Istvan Kertesz, first violinist of the Festetics String Quartet. In 1998 Béla won the National Janos Koncz Violin Competition in Hungary. The following year, he was the youngest finalist at the 9th International Carl Flesch Violin Competition and ultimately the fourth prize winner of the competition that year, as well as the recipient of a special prize for the best interpretation of a modern piece specifically composed for the competition by Hungarian composer Miklos Csemicky.

Continuing his violin studies, Béla attended the Franz Liszt University of Music where he studied with Hungarian concert violinist Miklos Szenthelyi. In 2002 he began his studies at the Manhattan School of Music with the world renowned violinist and violist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman and his associate Patinka Kopec. In addition, Béla has worked with some of the world’s leading violinists and pedagogues which include Zakhar Bron, Jaime Laredo, Gyorgy Pauk, Aaron Rosand, Joseph Silverstein and Ruggiero Ricci.

Béla maintains an active performance calendar as a soloist and recitalist. In 2003 Béla made his New York City debut recital in Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall. He has performed in many countries throughout the world, some of which include Austria, Germany, France, England, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, the United States and Canada. Other notable performances include a February 2008 concert in Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall, with Pinchas Zukerman and an upcoming solo performance in Carnegie Hall, Isaac Stern Auditorium, in June 2008.

In addition to his solo career, Béla has performed a great deal of chamber music. He has coached with internationally recognized chamber musicians and teachers, Sylvia Rosenberg, Steven Dann, Michael Tree, Timothy Eddy, Joseph Kalichstein, Daniel Avshalomov, David Soyer, Eugene Drucker, Robert Mann and Lawrence Dutton. In October 2006 he returned to Weill Hall to play a chamber music concert as a member of his piano quartet, Amity Players, who recently recorded two piano quartets by Johannes Brahms for a Canadian label named Marquis Music.

Béla completed his Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music in December, 2008.