Biography
2019/20 Balázs Bánfi gave his debut in the USA, California with the San Diego Symphony at such prominent venues as like the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles or the Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. He conducted Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore at the Opera Festival Völkermarkt, Austria in 2019, and Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro at the austrian Sommerfestival Kittsee in 2018.
In 2017 he led the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Canada in the framework of Salute to Vienna. Moreover he performed at such important North American venues as like the Vancouver Orpheum Theatre, the Ottawa National Center of Arts, the Copley Symphony Hall of San Diego.
Mr. Bánfi had already conducted the Vienna Chamber Orchestra in the concert studio of the ORF Radiokulturhaus, when he was a music academy student. He was immediately reengaged by the orchestra; next time he led them in the Vienna Konzerthaus, where he performed – besides Mozart, Debussy and Vasks – the premiere of Diego Collatti’s Tres piezas para orquesta de cuerdas.
In Hungary he conducted several times in the Palace of Arts, Budapest and the Liszt Academy.
Besides his university studies, he had the chance to take master classes of world-renowned conductors Zubin Mehta, Simon Rattle, Daniel Harding, Péter Eötvös, Bertrand de Billy and David Zinman and has been member of the Gammy Awarded Arnold Schoenberg Chor.
2011-2014 he has been conductor of the Szolnok City Symphony Orchestra. Furthermore he has worked in Hungary with the MÁV Symphony Orchestra, the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra, Savaria Symphony Orchestra, and the Zugló Philharmonia – Szent István Király Symphony Orchestra, Óbuda Danubia Orchestra and the Tatabánya Symphony Orchestra.
At the 60 years anniversary performance of the Hungarian State Folklore Ensemble he conducted the symphonic world premiere of their world famous choreography "Wedding in Ecser" by Rudolf Maros.
Balázs Bánfi accentuates also to the musical education of young people. Since 2019 he is artistic director of the Weiner Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and Weiner Symphonic Band in Budapest.
He graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in 2009, having majored in music education and choral conducting, at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna in 2012 in orchestral conducting and at the Széchenyi University Győr Tibor - Varga Institute for Arts in trumpet 2019.
Last Update: February 7, 2020