Tamás Vásáry

Born in Debrecen on August 11, 1933, Tamás Vásáry is a Hungarian pianist turned conductor. A child prodigy at the local conservatory, he gave his first public concert at the age of eight and studied with composer and pianist Ernő Dohnányi, before entering the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, where his father was appointed State Secretary after the Second World War. After winning the Academy competition at the age of fourteen, he played in cabarets to support the family following political unrest that led to his father losing his job and being placed under house arrest. In 1953, composer and teacher Zoltán Kodály, an old friend of Béla Bartók, hired Tamás Vásáry as his assistant and encouraged his solo debut in Eastern Europe and Moscow. The young pianist shone in competitions, earning a place as finalist in the 5th Frédéric-Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw and the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in Paris in 1955, followed by the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 1956. During the competition, he lobbied the Belgian royal family on behalf of his father, whom he succeeded in having released through diplomatic channels. Tamás Vásáry embarked on a new career in the West, first in Switzerland, then in London. He gives concerts throughout Europe and the United States, in recital and at festivals. He records for Supraphon, Deutsche Grammophon, Chandos, Academy Sound and Vision, Collins Classics and Hungaroton, becoming an acclaimed interpreter of the Romantic repertoire, particularly Chopin, Liszt and Schumann. Moving to London in 1970, he pursued a career as a conductor, being appointed Artistic Director of the Northern Sinfonia from 1979 to 1982, in collaboration with Iván Fischer, and then of the Bournemout Sinfonietta from 1989 to 1997. His repertoire extends to 20th-century music, including Stravinsky and James MacMillan, as well as Mozart operas. From 1993 to 2004, Tamás Vásáry conducted the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, before becoming its honorary music director for life. In 2006, he founded the Zoltán Kodály World Youth Orchestra, and continues to perform or conduct international ensembles. On February 5, 2026, Tamás Vásáry died in Budapest at the age of 92.