Chamber Music Masterclass with the visiting University of Pécs faculty
On Thursday April 20th at 5pm the UVA Department of Music will present a free chamber music masterclass in Old Cabell Hall Auditorium. This residency and concert is sponsored by the UVA Arts Council | Enriching the Arts on Grounds. This public masterclass will be led by faculty from the University of Pécs and will feature student string players and ensembles from the chamber music seminar.
There will be a free chamber music concert on Sunday, April 22nd at 1pm in the Rotunda Dome Room. The concert will feature faculty from the University of Pecs and the University of Virginia. This residency and concert is sponsored by the UVA Arts Council | Enriching the Arts on Grounds.
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| Máté Szücs, viola | Lászlo Pólus, cello | Zoltán Bánfalvi, violin |
Violist Máté Szücs has had a career as an award-winning soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player.
Máté was principal viola in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 2011 to 2018 where he also appeared as a soloist playing the Bartók Viola Concerto in September 2017. As a chamber musician, Máté has been a member of various chamber ensembles including the Mendelssohn ensemble; Con Spirito piano quartet, Trio Dor, Enigma Ensemble and “Fragments” ensemble. He has worked with prominent musicians such as Janine Jansen, Frank-Peter Zimmermann, Christian Tetzlaff, Vadim Repin, Ilja Gringolts, Vladimir Mendelssohn, László Fenyő, Kristof Baráti and István Várdai, Camille Thomas, Kirill Troussov and Julien Quentin.
In addition to performing solo with the Berlin Philharmonic, he has soloed with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders, the “Bamberger Symphoniker”, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden”, the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra and at the “Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen,” where also served as principal viola.
Máté is also a renowned pedagogue. Since the summer of 2006 he has been a regular professor at the “Thy Masterclass” chamber music summer festival in Denmark and between 2012 and 2014 was also teaching at the Britten-Pears Festival in Aldeburgh, England. He has served on the faculties of the University of Music in Saarbrücken, Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the “Hanns Eisler” University of Music in Berlin, Liszt Academy in Budapest, the University of Pécs’ Institute of Music, and Geneva University of Music in Switzerland.
Lászlo Pólus (cello) is the principal cellist of the Hungarian State Opera and a member of the performance faculty of the University of Pécs’ Institute of Music and Fine Arts. A graduate of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and the Basel Academy of Music, Mr. Pólus was the 1st Prize Winner of the Popper Competition, the Hungarian Radio Competition, and the National Cello Competition. He was formerly a member of the Hungarian Radio Symphony, the National Symphony of Hungary and the Budapest Wiener-Szász Chamber Orchestra.
Mr. Pólus is also the cellist of the Somogyi String Quartet, a group which maintains an active performance schedule through Hungary and abroad. His recordings have been released on the Hungaraton and BMC record labels. Mr. Pólus has been an active participant the artistic exchange with UVA since 2018.
Zoltán Bánfalvi (violin) received his initial training from his father, Béla Bánfalvi, before matriculating to the 
Liszt Academy as a student of Dénes Kovács. Dr. Bánfalvi is a member of the Budapest Sextet, Hungarian Chamber Orchestra and is the current concertmaster of the Pannon Philharmonic based in Pécs, Hungary. He has appeared as a soloist throughout central Europe, has released several recordings under the Hungaraton label, and is on the faculty of the University of Pécs’ Institute of Music.
Old Cabell Hall is located on the south end of UVA's historic lawn, directly opposite the Rotunda (map). Parking is available in the Central Grounds parking garage on Emmet Street, in the C1 parking lot off McCormick Road, and in the parking lots at the UVA Corner.
All programs are subject to change.
For more information please contact the Department of Music at 434.924.3052 or music@virginia.edu with any questions.
Sponsored by the UVA Arts Council | Enriching the Arts on Grounds