Staff members of the Liszt Academy honoured with state awards

János Áder, President of the Republic of Hungary, bestowed the civilian award of the Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit on Borbála Dobozy at the proposal of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Borbála Dobozy, a Liszt Ferenc Prize-winning harpsichordist, regular member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts and lecturer at the Keyboard and Harp Department at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, received the award in recognition of her internationally acclaimed artistic career in exploring Johann Sebastian Bach’s oeuvre and promoting his compositions.

Sándor Falvai, a Liszt Ferenc Prize-winning pianist, merited artist, professor emeritus at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, and former president of the university, received the civilian award of the Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit in recognition of his lauded artistic career in the Hungarian classical music scene as a solo and chamber musician as well as decades of outstanding music pedagogy work.

Sándor Falvai (photo: Liszt Academy/László Mudra)

The Golden Cross of Merit of Hungary was awarded to Dr. Zsuzsanna Domokos, a Szabolcsi Bence Prize-winning music historian, museologist, and director of the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum and Research Centre of the Liszt Academy, for her outstanding work in researching and maintaining Ferenc Liszt's heritage.

Based on the decision of the government, the following artists received state honours: Zoltán Farkas “Batyu”, a Harangozó Gyula Prize-winning dancer, choreographer, merited artist, and lecturer at the Folk Music Department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music received the title of Excellent Artist;  Armand Kautzky, a Jászai Mari Prize-winning actor, lecturer at the Department of Vocal and Opera Studies, and Katalin Kokas, a Liszt Ferenc Prize-winning violinist and associate professor at the Strings Department were presented the title of Meritorious Artist.

Miklós Kásler, Minister of Human Resources, presented ministerial art awards on the occasion of the national holiday. In recognition of his outstanding activities as a performing artists, Miklós Harazdy, piano accompanist, repetiteur, member of the public body of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, and senior lecturer at the Keyboard and Harp Department was awarded received the Liszt Ferenc Prize. In recognition of his outstanding creative activity, composer Gergely Barta, associate professor at the Composition Department, received the Erkel Ferenc Award.

Pianist Péter Frankl, honorary professor at the Liszt Academy, was presented the Pro Cultura Hungarica Award in recognition of his activities in introducing and disseminating the values of Hungarian culture abroad and in enriching cultural relations between the Hungarian people and other nations.

Other artists honoured include András Keller, a Liszt Ferenc Prize-winning violinist, meritorious artist, founder of the Keller String Quartet, music director and chief conductor of Concerto Budapest, former lecturer of the Liszt Academy, and member of the jury of this year's Bartók World Competition. András Keller was awarded the Kossuth Prize. According to the appraisement, he was presented the award in recognition of his exceptionally valuable artistic career for Hungary, his world-renowned skills as a performing artist, equally dedicated to chamber music and contemporary music, as well as his successful activities as music director, lecturer and organiser of cultural events. Gábor Takács-Nagy, a Liszt Ferenc Prize-winning violinist and conductor, who regularly conducts the Liszt Academy Symphony Orchestra, which was awarded the National Youth Orchestra prize, was presented the title of Meritorious Artist.