Antal Szalai
Encyclopedia
Antal Zalai is a Hungarian
concert violin
ist.
Antal Zalai began his classical
violin studies at the age of five. He graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
in 2009 where he was a student of Kati Sebestyén
. Prior to his studies in Brussels
, his teachers were László Dénes, Péter Komlós and Jozef Kopelman in Budapest
.
In addition, Zalai has attended masterclasses with Isaac Stern
, Pinchas Zukerman
, Erick Friedman
, Tibor Varga, Lewis Kaplan
and György Pauk
.
At age 15 he gained international recognition by performing the Bartók Violin Concerto No.1
at Lord Yehudi Menuhin
's 80th anniversary tribute gala concert at the Grand Hall of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music
in Budapest. In the development of his career, Zalai has enjoyed collaborations with eminent conductors such as Fabio Luisi
, Paavo Järvi
, Yoel Levi
, Lawrence Foster
, Gilbert Varga, Shlomo Mintz
, Ludovic Morlot
, Laurent Petitgirard, Enrique Bátiz Campbell, Yip Wing-sie
, and Gábor Takács-Nagy
.
He made his UK
debut in Liverpool
in 2008 where he performed the Glazunov Violin Concerto
with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and conductor Ludovic Morlot
. He performed the same violin concerto at his Berlin
debut in 2008, as soloist of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
in the Berliner Philharmonie
.
In April 2010 Zalai made his Viennese
debut in the Vienna Symphony's "Frühling in Wien 2010" gala concert conducted by Fabio Luisi in the Wiener Musikverein. He won the opportunity during an online competition on the internet platform Talenthouse
.
As a recital
ist, Antal Zalai has performed in the Carnegie Hall
Weill Recital Hall in New York
, the Kennedy Center
Terrace Theater in Washington, D.C.
, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory
, the Victoria Hall (Geneva)
, the Concert Hall of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
in Vancouver
among others.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
concert violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist.
Antal Zalai began his classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
violin studies at the age of five. He graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
Royal Conservatory of Brussels
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels is a drama and music college in Brussels, Belgium. An academy for acting and the arts, it has been attended by many of the top actors and actresses in Belgium such as Josse De Pauw, Luk van Mello and Luk De Konink....
in 2009 where he was a student of Kati Sebestyén
Kati Sebestyén
Kati Sebestyén, a native of Hungary, is Professor of Violin and head of the string department at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels. She has played as a part of the Haydn Quartet and leads the Sebestyén String Ensemble.-External links:*...
. Prior to his studies in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, his teachers were László Dénes, Péter Komlós and Jozef Kopelman in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.
In addition, Zalai has attended masterclasses with Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
, Pinchas Zukerman
Pinchas Zukerman
Pinchas Zukerman is a world-renowned violinist, violist, and conductor. He is considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries, and his ongoing 45-year career has seen him perform with the world's best-known orchestras and record over 100 works...
, Erick Friedman
Erick Friedman
Erick Friedman is considered by many as one of the greatest American born violinists of the past century. Erick Friedman's illustrious career took him to many of the great concert stages of the world appearing as guest soloist with most of the great orchestras throughout the United States and...
, Tibor Varga, Lewis Kaplan
Lewis Kaplan
Lewis Kaplan is an American violinist. He was born in Passaic, New Jersey. He resides on the Upper West Side in New York City with his wife, Adria...
and György Pauk
György Pauk
-Biography:Born in Budapest, Hungary, Pauk entered the Franz Liszt Academy of Music there at age twelve where he studied under Zoltán Kodály. In 1956 he left Hungary for the Netherlands and, after being persuaded by violinist Yehudi Menuhin, he permanently settled in London in 1961.Since then he...
.
At age 15 he gained international recognition by performing the Bartók Violin Concerto No.1
Violin Concerto No. 1 (Bartók)
Béla Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 1, BB 48a was written around the years 1907–1908, but only published in 1956, after the composer's death. It was premiered on May 30, 1958 in Basel, Switzerland...
at Lord Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
's 80th anniversary tribute gala concert at the Grand Hall of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music
Franz Liszt Academy of Music
The Franz Liszt Academy of Music is a concert hall and music conservatory in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875...
in Budapest. In the development of his career, Zalai has enjoyed collaborations with eminent conductors such as Fabio Luisi
Fabio Luisi
Fabio Luisi is an Italian conductor. On September 6, 2011, he was named Principal Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera....
, Paavo Järvi
Paavo Järvi
Paavo Järvi is an Estonian-American conductor, and current Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris.Järvi was born in Tallinn, Estonia, to conductor Neeme Järvi and Liilia Järvi. His siblings, Kristjan Järvi and Maarika Järvi, are also musicians...
, Yoel Levi
Yoel Levi
Yoel Levi is a musician and conductor. Born in Romania, he grew up in Israel. He studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, earning a Master of Arts degree with distinction. He also studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music under Mendi Rodan. Levi won the 1978 International Besançon Competition...
, Lawrence Foster
Lawrence Foster
Lawrence Foster is an American conductor.He became the conductor of the San Francisco Ballet at the age of 18, and served as Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta...
, Gilbert Varga, Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz is an Israeli violin virtuoso, violist and conductor. He regularly appears with orchestras and conductors on the international scene and is heard in recitals and chamber music concerts around the world.- Awards :...
, Ludovic Morlot
Ludovic Morlot
Ludovic Morlot , is a French conductor.As a youth, Morlot trained as a violinist. He later attended the Royal Academy of Music, and began his studies in conducting in London in 1994, where his mentors included Sir Colin Davis, George Hurst and Colin Metters. At the Royal College of Music, he was...
, Laurent Petitgirard, Enrique Bátiz Campbell, Yip Wing-sie
Yip Wing-sie
Yip Wing-sie is a well known conductor in Hong Kong.She is the music director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Two decades after winning the First Prize and "LYRE d'OR" of the prestigious Concours International des Jeune Chefs d'Orchestre de Besonçon, Yip has become an icon for classical music in the...
, and Gábor Takács-Nagy
Gábor Takács-Nagy
Gabor Takács-Nagy is a Hungarian violinist and conductor. He began violin studies at age 8. He attended the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where he was a winner of the Jenő Hubay prize...
.
He made his UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
debut in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 2008 where he performed the Glazunov Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto (Glazunov)
The Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82, by Alexander Glazunov is one of his most popular compositions. Written in 1904, the concerto was dedicated to violinist Leopold Auer, who gave the first performance at a Russian Musical Society concert in St. Petersburg on February 15, 1905...
with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and conductor Ludovic Morlot
Ludovic Morlot
Ludovic Morlot , is a French conductor.As a youth, Morlot trained as a violinist. He later attended the Royal Academy of Music, and began his studies in conducting in London in 1994, where his mentors included Sir Colin Davis, George Hurst and Colin Metters. At the Royal College of Music, he was...
. He performed the same violin concerto at his Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
debut in 2008, as soloist of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
The Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is an orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1946 by American occupation forces as the RIAS-Symphonie-Orchester . It was also known as the American Sector Symphony Orchestra...
in the Berliner Philharmonie
Berliner Philharmonie
The Berliner Philharmonie is a concert hall in Berlin, Germany. Home to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the building is acclaimed for both its acoustics and its architecture....
.
In April 2010 Zalai made his Viennese
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
debut in the Vienna Symphony's "Frühling in Wien 2010" gala concert conducted by Fabio Luisi in the Wiener Musikverein. He won the opportunity during an online competition on the internet platform Talenthouse
Talenthouse
Talenthouse is a global social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Talenthouse Inc. Talenthouse addresses artists working in design, music, film, fashion, art, dance and photography as well as their supporters. Through Talenthouse artists can connect to each other...
.
As a recital
Recital
A recital is a musical performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt....
ist, Antal Zalai has performed in the Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
Weill Recital Hall in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the Kennedy Center
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
Terrace Theater in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
, the Victoria Hall (Geneva)
Victoria Hall (Geneva)
The Victoria Hall is a concert hall located in downtown Geneva, Switzerland.It was built in 1891–1894 by the architect John Camoletti and financed by the consul of England, Daniel Fitzgerald Packenham Barton, who dedicated it to Queen Victoria and gave it to the city of Geneva.Currently, the...
, the Concert Hall of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
Royal Conservatory of Brussels
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels is a drama and music college in Brussels, Belgium. An academy for acting and the arts, it has been attended by many of the top actors and actresses in Belgium such as Josse De Pauw, Luk van Mello and Luk De Konink....
and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts is located on the campus of the University of British Columbia near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is situated within the natural landscape of the campus and is surrounded by evergreens and rhododendrons...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
among others.
Discography
- 1999 The Leo WeinerLeo WeinerLeo Weiner , was one of the leading Hungarian music educators of the first half of the twentieth century and a composer.- Education :Weiner was born in Budapest. He had his first music and piano lessons from his brother, and later studied at the Academy of Music in Budapest, studying with János ...
Album - 2001 BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
/KreislerFritz KreislerFriedrich "Fritz" Kreisler was an Austrian-born violinist and composer. One of the most famous violin masters of his or any other day, he was known for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing. Like many great violinists of his generation, he produced a characteristic sound which was immediately...
/YsaÿeEugène YsaÿeEugène Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist, composer and conductor born in Liège. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tzar"...
/Petrovics - 2003 Leopold AuerLeopold AuerLeopold Auer was a Hungarian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer.-Early life and career:...
- 2010 George EnescuGeorge EnescuGeorge Enescu was a Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor and teacher.-Biography:Enescu was born in the village of Liveni , Dorohoi County at the time, today Botoşani County. He showed musical talent from early in his childhood. A child prodigy, Enescu created his first musical...
- 2011 Béla BartókBéla BartókBéla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
Complete Works for Violin Vol.1