Berki László

László Berki was born in Budapest on 28 September 1965 into a distinguished musical family. His father, the late László Berki Sr., was a prominent figure in Hungarian folk and Gypsy music: from 1968 to 1997 he served as lead primás of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, and from 1985 to 1997 as artistic director of the 100-Member Gypsy Orchestra.

László Berki began playing the violin at the age of nine. After six years of music school and a further two years of advanced training, he was admitted in 1980 to the preparatory department of what was then the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where he studied for two years.

His professional career began in 1982, when he joined the orchestra of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble as a violinist. In 1984 he entered “Vonópárbaj ’84”, a nationwide primás competition organised by Hungarian Television, where he achieved a podium finish.

In January 1985 he became lead primás of the Budapest State Dance Ensemble, a position he held until November 1989. He then returned to the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, serving as a section leader and deputy concertmaster until March 1997.

In 1985 he joined the newly established 100-Member Gypsy Orchestra as a founding member. He remained with the internationally renowned ensemble for almost four decades, until September 2023, first as a primás and later as concertmaster.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has performed in around 45 countries across all five continents. He has appeared in Japan eleven times and completed two three-month tours of the United States and Canada.

His artistry has been recognised with numerous honours, including the Silver Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary in 1995, the Lyra Award in 1999, the Dankó Pista Award in 2021 and the Lerner Award in 2024.

Since 2024, László Berki has served as a primás and concertmaster of the Pannon Cigányzenekar, bringing decades of international stage and orchestral experience to the ensemble’s artistic work.