Artist database

4 March 1928 Budapest - 12 February 1989

Conductor, composer, Liszt Award Winner (1973), Merited Artist (1985) and owner of the Gold Degree of the Work Order of Merit (1988).

He started his music studies between 1944 and 1946 in the composing class of the Capital’s Upper Music School, where his masters were Géza Szatmári and Mihály Hajdú. From 1946 to 1950 he studied at the composing, the church conductor and music teacher training department of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music Budapest.

From 1950 to 1954 he was repetiteur and later also conductor of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble. Between 1954 and 1955 he was choir conductor of the Central Artist Ensemble of the Ministry of the Interieur. Between 1955 and 1958 he was leader of self-motivated choirs and orchestral ensembles such as OKISZ Central Choir and Symphonic Orchestra.

He was music director of the Danubia Artist Ensemble of the Ministry of the Interieur (1958-1960) and the founding choir master of the choir of the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble (1964-1985). In 1986 he founded the State Choir (now: National Choir). He was board member of the National Board of Choirs as well as founding member of the Liszt and Kodály Society.

As conductor he guest performed all over the world. He released five Hungaroton albums (including cantatas, choral works, folk songs, folk song arrangements and incidental music to dance productions). With his choral works he won at international composing contests five times (Arezzo: 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981; Montserrat: 1982).

(See his obituary in the periodical Muzsika, 1989/5.)

see also: Pászti Miklós - chorus master