Kovács Zoltán
Composer
Place of Birth
Budapest
Date of Birth
1969
Zoltán Kovács was born in Budapest in 1969. He began to learn to play the piano at the age of 7. Later, at the age of 13, he started to play the bassoon. He continued his studies at the Bartók Béla Vocational School of Music, where he was taught composition by Miklós Kocsár and bassoon by László Hara, Jr. In 1987, he was admitted to the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. There, his composition professor was Emil Petrovics, while he learned to play the bassoon from Tibor Fülemile and Gábor Janota.
It was in these years that he wrote his first orchestra piece (Accompanying Music 1988), which made him a recognised figure, and whose recording with the Radio Orchestra earned him a special award from Hungarian Radio in 1990. In 1991, he won the audition of the Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera House for the place of first bassoonist. From 2001, as a member of the Concordia Wind Quintet, he participated in several concerts in Hungary, as well as abroad.
He received his composer diploma in 1993, and this was the occasion at which his Violin Competition was performed by Ágnes Soltész and the orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera House (conducted by János Kovács). Between 1994 and 1996, he taught orchestration and score reading at the Academy of Music.
Since 2012 Zoltán Kovács has been a member of Hungarian Academy of Arts.
Awards
2007 Artisjus-Prize
2008 Benedek Istvánffy-Prize
2009 Ferenc Erkel Prize
2021 Bartók-Pásztory-Prize
It was in these years that he wrote his first orchestra piece (Accompanying Music 1988), which made him a recognised figure, and whose recording with the Radio Orchestra earned him a special award from Hungarian Radio in 1990. In 1991, he won the audition of the Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera House for the place of first bassoonist. From 2001, as a member of the Concordia Wind Quintet, he participated in several concerts in Hungary, as well as abroad.
He received his composer diploma in 1993, and this was the occasion at which his Violin Competition was performed by Ágnes Soltész and the orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera House (conducted by János Kovács). Between 1994 and 1996, he taught orchestration and score reading at the Academy of Music.
Since 2012 Zoltán Kovács has been a member of Hungarian Academy of Arts.
Awards
2007 Artisjus-Prize
2008 Benedek Istvánffy-Prize
2009 Ferenc Erkel Prize
2021 Bartók-Pásztory-Prize
| Year | Title | Publisher | Code | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Puskás Levente és Váradi Judit: Tetra | Magánkiadás | ISRC HU-AK5-1900001 |
| Title | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| The Knock-kneed Lad | Mixed choir | 1995 |
| Knights of the Round Table | Ensemble | 2002 |
| Adagietto | String orchestra | 1995 |
| Grant Me Tranquillity | Choir a cappella | 0 |
| Amor Sanctus | Solo voice(s), choir & orchestra | 2003 |
| Ave Maria | Mixed choir | 2008 |
| Capriccio Brasiliano | Chamber Music | 2001 |
| Dream Dances | Concerto | 2000 |
| Elegy and Tango | Chamber Music | 2014 |
| Elegy and Tango - Hommage a Piazzola | Orchestral work | 2019 |
| I Went to the Forest | Children's choir | 0 |
| Espagna | Instrumental solo | 2002 |
| Flute Quintet | Chamber Music | 1997 |
| Violin Concerto | Concerto | 1993 |
| Three Songs on Attila József´s Poems | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 1992 |
| Three Dances (In memoriam Erkel) | Symphony orchestra | 0 |
| Bassoon Concerto No. 1 | Concerto | 1996 |
| Symphony No. 1 - After the Legend of Saint Agnes | Symphony orchestra | 2001 |
| String Quartet No. 1 | Chamber Music | 1991 |
| Basson Concerto No. 2 | Concerto | 2012 |
| Symphony No. 1 | Orchestral work | 2013 |
| Come to me | Female choir | 2007 |
| Double Concerto for Trumpet, Trombone and Orchestra | Concerto | 2007 |
| Chinese Poems | Female choir | 2005 |
| Accompanying Music | Solo voice(s) with orchestra | 1988 |
| Missa Pannonica | Solo voice(s), choir & orchestra | 2018 |
| Moldavia | Chamber Music | 2004 |
| Moldavian Cantata | Solo voice(s) with orchestra | 1998 |
| Musica di maggio | !to be determined | 0 |
| Folksong Reminiscences | Chamber Music | 2013 |
| Rhapsody for Saxophone and Piano | Chamber Music | 2017 |
| Brass Quintet | Chamber Music | 0 |
| Scottish Ballads | Solo voice(s) with solo instrument(s) | 2023 |
| Sinfonietta | String orchestra | 1997 |
| Spagna | Instrumental solo | 2002 |
| Capricious Serenade | String orchestra | 2006 |
| Sonatina for Viola and Piano | Chamber Music | 2007 |
| Taormina Pictures - I. Full Moon in Taormina | Symphony orchestra | 2015 |
| Tisza | Symphony orchestra | 2023 |
| Árpád Tóth Reminiscences | Chamber Music | 2017 |
| Vae Victis | Symphony orchestra | 2003 |
| Waiting For You | Female choir | 1989 |
| Dream Dances No. 2 | Chamber Music | 2008 |
| Dream Dances No. 3 | Chamber Music | 2009 |