Cello
Pannon Portrait
An accomplished cellist whose outstanding competition successes began in childhood, including first prizes at Ki mit tud? and the Antal Friss National Cello Competition. As a soloist, he has performed throughout Europe as well as in Australia and China, while music education and supporting young people remain important parts of his artistic work.
Career
Károly Horváth was born in Budapest in 1982. He began studying the cello at the age of eight at the Tóth Aladár Music School, where his teacher was Ferenc Wambach. His exceptional talent became evident at an early age: in 1992, he won first prize in the cello category of an arts competition organised in Budapest by the Hungarian Committee for UNICEF. That same summer, he represented Hungary at a UNICEF gala in The Hague.
He later continued his studies at the Molnár Antal Music School under Katalin Vass. In 1993, at just ten years of age, he won the classical instrumental soloist category of Ki mit tud?, the renowned talent competition organised by Hungarian Television. He subsequently became a regular performer in the Philharmonia’s youth concert series and, at the age of eleven, appeared as a cello soloist at the Liszt Academy in Budapest.
In 1994, he was admitted to the special class for exceptionally talented young musicians at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, where he studied with Tamás Koó. He later continued his studies privately with László Mező and subsequently became a student of György Déry at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music. In 1996, he won first prize in his age group at the Antal Friss National Cello Competition.
In 2000, he successfully gained admission to a music academy in Kassel, Germany, where he studied for two years. His career as a performing musician has taken him to concert stages around the world, including Australia, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany and China. In 2019, he was the featured soloist on a forty-concert tour of China, performing with symphony orchestra accompaniment.
Alongside his career as a soloist, Károly Horváth is committed to passing musical knowledge on to others. He has taught private students from beginners to adults and has also participated in educational programmes supporting disadvantaged communities and in instrumental presentations in rural areas.
With the Pannon Orchestra
As a cellist of the Pannon Cigányzenekar, Károly Horváth brings extensive classical training and international solo experience to the orchestra’s string section.
Awards and Honours
1992 – First Prize, Hungarian UNICEF arts competition, cello category
1992 – Represented Hungary at the UNICEF Gala in The Hague
1993 – Ki mit tud? – First Prize, classical instrumental soloist category
1996 – Antal Friss National Cello Competition – First Prize in his age group
Something Few People Know About Me
I won the classical category of Ki mit tud? when I was only ten years old, and at eleven I performed as a cello soloist at the Liszt Academy in Budapest.