Background

Kocsis, Zoltan was born on May 30, 1952 in Budapest, Hungary. Son of Otto and Maria (Matyas) K. Educated Budapest Music Academy Assistant professor Music Academy Budapest, 1976-1979, professor, 1979.

Education

Budapest Music Academy, (under Pal Kadosa).

Career

Netherlands, Paris, London and Ireland 1972; concerts in Norway, with Svyatoslav Richter in France and Austria, with Claudio Abbado and London Symphony Orchestra and at Promenade Concerts in London, and Festival Estival, Paris 1977, Edinburgh Festival 1978; Assistant Professor Music Academy Budapest 1976-1979, Professor since 1979; Producer of Archive Section of Hungaroton (record co.); FirstBorn in Budapest, he started his musical studies at the age of five and continued them at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in 1963, studying piano and composition. In 1968 he was admitted to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where he was a pupil of Pál Kadosa and Ferenc Rados. In 1970, he gave his first important debuts both at home and abroad.

During the following 25 years he toured all over the world, performing with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Philharmonia of London, and the Wiener Philharmoniker. American critic Harold Schonberg praised Kocsis' extraordinary technique and fine piano tone. Kocsis has recorded the complete solo and with orchestra piano work of Béla Bartók.

Achievements

• In 1990, his recording of Debussy's "Images" won "The Gramophone" Instrumental Award for that year. He won another in 2013 in the chamber category with Bartók works. In recent years, Kocsis has taken the role of conductor, especially with the Budapest Festival Orchestra (of which he was a founder) and the Hungarian National Philharmonic, where he is the current musical director.

Interests

• Photography.

Connections

Father:

Otto Asst

Mother:

Maria (Matyas) K. Educated Budapest Music Academy Asst