Karasszon Eszter
cello
Eszter Karasszon’s career as a cellist has taken her all around the world. Despite her young age, not only has she given concerts in numerous European countries – including The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland – but has also performed in China, Israel and the United States. Music has been a part her life since birth, as she grew up in a family of musicians and received her first instrument at the age of four and a half. At eight years old she won an award, as the youngest competitor, at her first national cello festival, and since then she’s been among the prize-winners at numerous Hungarian and international competitions, most recently in 2015 at the David Popper International Cello Competition. In 2016 she graduated with honours from Csaba
Onczay’s class at the Liszt Academy. She has performed several times, with considerable success, at the János Starker National Cello Competition; and in 2010 she had the opportunity to play before the master himself in Bloomington.
Alongside her solo career, Eszter Karasszon has also had a number of chamber music successes, and in 2013 her ensemble took the Ernő Dohányi Chamber Music Competition by storm. They played Brahms’ Clarinet Trio, and the performance also caught the attention of András Keller, who invited the cellist to join his Concerto Budapest orchestra. As a member of the orchestra, Eszter Karasszon has gained valuable experience both in terms of her repertoire and her understanding of the instrument, and she has the opportunity to work with exceptional musicians and conductors on a daily basis. Once she accompanied Steven Isserlis in the orchestra, in a performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto, and after the concert Isserlis gave an impromptu masterclass at her request.
When it comes to chamber music, Eszter Karasszon regularly plays with Vilmos Szabadi, with whom she travelled to China for a tour, and recently they gave a concert together in New York. The works of 20th-century and contemporary Hungarian composers – Kodály, Bartók, Dohnányi, Vajda, Gárdonyi – hold an increasingly prominent place in her repertoire. She regularly plays contemporary music at events such as the Hallgatás Napja (Day of Listening) festival, or the Arcus Temporum Festival in Pannonhalma. Besides concert halls, inspired by her organist father, it goes without saying that she also plays in churches; but she also enjoys performing at less formal, open-air concerts and programmes organised for children.
Onczay’s class at the Liszt Academy. She has performed several times, with considerable success, at the János Starker National Cello Competition; and in 2010 she had the opportunity to play before the master himself in Bloomington.
Alongside her solo career, Eszter Karasszon has also had a number of chamber music successes, and in 2013 her ensemble took the Ernő Dohányi Chamber Music Competition by storm. They played Brahms’ Clarinet Trio, and the performance also caught the attention of András Keller, who invited the cellist to join his Concerto Budapest orchestra. As a member of the orchestra, Eszter Karasszon has gained valuable experience both in terms of her repertoire and her understanding of the instrument, and she has the opportunity to work with exceptional musicians and conductors on a daily basis. Once she accompanied Steven Isserlis in the orchestra, in a performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto, and after the concert Isserlis gave an impromptu masterclass at her request.
When it comes to chamber music, Eszter Karasszon regularly plays with Vilmos Szabadi, with whom she travelled to China for a tour, and recently they gave a concert together in New York. The works of 20th-century and contemporary Hungarian composers – Kodály, Bartók, Dohnányi, Vajda, Gárdonyi – hold an increasingly prominent place in her repertoire. She regularly plays contemporary music at events such as the Hallgatás Napja (Day of Listening) festival, or the Arcus Temporum Festival in Pannonhalma. Besides concert halls, inspired by her organist father, it goes without saying that she also plays in churches; but she also enjoys performing at less formal, open-air concerts and programmes organised for children.