Balázs János
piano
János Balázs was born in the 19th of September, 1989 in Budapest. He earned his degree from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest in 2014.
He has performed with soloists and conductors such as Mischa Maisky, Tamás Vásáry, Jose Cura, Stéphane Denéve, Vadim Repin, Pinchas Steinberg, Jukka Iisakkila, Charles-Olivier Munroe, Roger Bausier, David Mathues, Gwendolyn Masin, and István Várdai and has played concerts with the Brussels Philharmonic, the Dortmund Philharmonic, the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nagoya Symphonic Orchestra, the Zagreb Radio Orchestra, the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
In the last few years he gave concerts in the Bozar (Brussels), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Konzerthaus (Vienna), the Palau de Musica (Barcelona), the Barbican (London), the Cologne Philharmonie, and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow).
He is a regular soloist in ’The Piano’ concert series in Budapest, which also features Grigory Sokolov, Evgeni Koroliov, Nikolai Lugansky, and Arcadi Volodos, among others.
He has won six international piano competitions among others the Aspen Concerto Competition in 2011. During the 2013/2014 concert season, he received an award as Rising Star Artist of the Season.
In 2015 he received the Liszt Ferenc Award. At the end of the same year he received the Gramofon Award for Hungarian Classical Music. Also in 2016, János Balázs founded the György Cziffra Festival, which he dedicated to the conservation and care of the intellectual and musical legacy of his role model, György Cziffra. The festival has risen to one of the most high-ranking classical music festivals in Hungary. Since 2017 he has been a member of the jury of Virtuosi, a classical music talent show broadcast by Hungarian television. His performances can also be enjoyed on several CD, DVD, and television recordings.
He is member of the Hungarian Art Academy. Since 2019 he has been an associate professor at the Liszt Academy Budapest.
Prizes:
2011 - Junior Príma Prize
2011 - national honour of the Polish government
2012 - Klassz Talents Prize
2014 - a lifelong member of the Liszt Society Pécs
2015 - Ferenc Liszt Award
2015 - Gramofon Classical Award
2016 - Budapest Prize
2016 - Prima Award
2017 - MMA Award
2018 - Merrited Artist
2019 - Kossuth Prize
2019 - Young Steinway Artist
2020 - Pro Voluntarius Prize
2024 - Musician of the Year (Music Award of Bartók Radio)
He has performed with soloists and conductors such as Mischa Maisky, Tamás Vásáry, Jose Cura, Stéphane Denéve, Vadim Repin, Pinchas Steinberg, Jukka Iisakkila, Charles-Olivier Munroe, Roger Bausier, David Mathues, Gwendolyn Masin, and István Várdai and has played concerts with the Brussels Philharmonic, the Dortmund Philharmonic, the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nagoya Symphonic Orchestra, the Zagreb Radio Orchestra, the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
In the last few years he gave concerts in the Bozar (Brussels), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Konzerthaus (Vienna), the Palau de Musica (Barcelona), the Barbican (London), the Cologne Philharmonie, and the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow).
He is a regular soloist in ’The Piano’ concert series in Budapest, which also features Grigory Sokolov, Evgeni Koroliov, Nikolai Lugansky, and Arcadi Volodos, among others.
He has won six international piano competitions among others the Aspen Concerto Competition in 2011. During the 2013/2014 concert season, he received an award as Rising Star Artist of the Season.
In 2015 he received the Liszt Ferenc Award. At the end of the same year he received the Gramofon Award for Hungarian Classical Music. Also in 2016, János Balázs founded the György Cziffra Festival, which he dedicated to the conservation and care of the intellectual and musical legacy of his role model, György Cziffra. The festival has risen to one of the most high-ranking classical music festivals in Hungary. Since 2017 he has been a member of the jury of Virtuosi, a classical music talent show broadcast by Hungarian television. His performances can also be enjoyed on several CD, DVD, and television recordings.
He is member of the Hungarian Art Academy. Since 2019 he has been an associate professor at the Liszt Academy Budapest.
Prizes:
2011 - Junior Príma Prize
2011 - national honour of the Polish government
2012 - Klassz Talents Prize
2014 - a lifelong member of the Liszt Society Pécs
2015 - Ferenc Liszt Award
2015 - Gramofon Classical Award
2016 - Budapest Prize
2016 - Prima Award
2017 - MMA Award
2018 - Merrited Artist
2019 - Kossuth Prize
2019 - Young Steinway Artist
2020 - Pro Voluntarius Prize
2024 - Musician of the Year (Music Award of Bartók Radio)
| Year | Title | Publisher | Code | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| János Balázs: Faces of the Piano |
Own 2 CDs |
|||
| Balázs János: Romantic Piano Music | Magánkiadás |
Own |
||
| 2014 |
Lajkó Félix & Balázs János: Jelszó
(Félix Lajkó & János Balázs: Password) |
Fonó Budai Zeneház | FA 358-2 |
Own |
| 2015 |
Dubrovay László összes zongoraműve II.
(All Works for Piano by László Dubrovay II.) |
Fonó Records | FA 368-2 |
Own |
| 2016 |
Balázs János: A zongora lelke
(János Balázs: The Piano's Soul ) |
Fonó Records | FA 395-2 |
Own |
| 2017 | László Dubrovay: The Complete Piano Concertos | Hunnia Records | HRCD1737 | |
| 2024 | Eötvös Péter: Fermata, Respond, Cziffra Psodia | BMC Records | BMC CD 332 |