Attila Falvay

Academic degree, university position:
DLA, Associate Professor, Violinist 

Place, date of birth: Budapest, 07.09. 1958

Education:
1969–1974: Béla Bartók Conservatory, Budapest / Györgyi Répásy
1974–1980: Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music / Prof. Semyon Snitkowsky, Prof. Miklós Szenthelyi, Prof. Vilmos Tátrai, Prof. Dénes Kovács, Prof. György Kurtág, Prof. András Mihály, Prof. Sir András Schiff 

Postgraduate studies:
1981: Miss Dorothy Delay / Aspen (Colorado)
1980–1985: Prof. Josef Sívó / Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna 

Music competitions:
1979: József Szigeti International Violin Competition, Budapest – 2nd prize
1980: Hubay Competition, Budapest – 1st prize 

 Artistic career, teaching activity, guest professorships, masterclasses:

1980-  Leader of the Kodály Quartet

1989-2005 Leader of the Budapest Symphony (Budapest Radio Symphony Orchestra) dir. György Lehel, dir. András Ligeti, dir.Tamás Vásáry

2005-2025 Leader of the Hungarian National Symphony Orchestra, dir. Zoltán Kocsis

2006–2010  IMMA Guest Professor - International Menuhin Music Academy / Blonay, Gstaad, Bern

2015– Lecturer at the Chamber Music Department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music

2018–  Associate Lecturer at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music

2021  Obtaining the DLA degree

2022– Associate Professor at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music 

Masterclasses: Bartók Conservatory; Senzoku University, Japan; Tallin, Estonia; Oaxaca (Cervantino Festival), Guanajuato, Oaxaca, Mexico; Harbin, Beijing Academy of Music, China; Albano, Italy; Hong Kong; Tel Aviv, Israel; Musica Mundi, Genval, Belgium

Memberships:
2025–: Hungarian Kodály Society, Board Member
2025–: Bartók-Pásztory Prize, Board of Trustees Member 

Kodály Quartet 

The Kodály String Quartet celebrates the 60th anniversary of its foundation in the 2026/2027 season. The quartet is a dedicated follower of the rightly world-famous Hungarian string quartet tradition, and a committed performer of works by Kodály, Bartók, Dohnányi, and numerous other Hungarian composers. The quartet has performed Zoltán Kodály's String Quartet No. 2 nearly 800 times in various countries around the world. The ensemble's international career is distinguished by nearly 2,400 concerts. 

Prominent concert venues where the Kodály Quartet has performed include: Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, 92nd Street Y (New York); Kennedy Center (Washington); Symphony House (Montreal); Wigmore Hall, Kings Place (London); Salle Gaveau, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Párizs); Musikverein (Brahms-Saal), Brucknerhaus (Linz); Concert Hall Vancouver; Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires); Palau de la Música (Barcelona); Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid); NCPA (Beijing); Shanghai Symphony Chamber Hall; Bunka Kaikan (Tokyo); Symphony Hall (Fukuoka); Phoenix Hall (Hiroshima); Concert Hall (Seoul); Odeon of Herodes Atticus (Athens); Megaron (Athens); Villa San Michele (Axel Munthe, Capri); Hotel Cocumella (Sorrento); Palacio de Bellas Artes, Festival Internacional Cervantino (Guanajuato, Mexico); Conservatorio di Milano; Teatro La Fenice (Venice); Romanian Athenaeum (Bucharest); Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Moscow); Town Hall (Auckland). 

Festivals, recordings:
Carinthian Summer (Austria); Estoril and Cascais (Portugal); Vaasa (Finland); Guanajuato and Oaxaca (Mexico); Fayence and Besançon Festivals (France); Bath Festival and Aldeburgh Festival (England); Grieg International Festival (Bergen); Baghdad International Festival (Iraq); Stavanger (Sweden); George Enescu International Festival (Bucharest); Genval Festival and Musica Mundi (Belgium); Auckland Arts Festival (New Zealand); Macao International Music Festival; Engadin Festival (Switzerland); Budapest Spring Festival; Fertőd Haydn Festival; Kodály Festival (Kőszeg); Miskolc Opera Festival. 

The ensemble premiered numerous Hungarian contemporary works and made radio or studio recordings of them in the 1980s and 1990s. The quartet has released over 70 highly acclaimed, award-winning CD recordings, covering the vast majority of the classical repertoire. These include the complete string quartets and string trios of Haydn, Schubert, and Beethoven; the string quartets of Ravel and Debussy; the piano quintets of Schumann, Brahms, and Bartók (with pianist Jenő Jandó); Schubert's "Trout" Quintet (with Jenő Jandó and István Tóth); as well as the clarinet quintets of Brahms and Weber (Béla Kovács) available via  www.naxos.com   www.hungarotonmusic.com

• In 1994, the British magazine Classic CD named their recording of Haydn's Op. 64 the "Best Chamber Music Release of the Year." 
• In 2007, their recording of the Mendelssohn and Bruch octets was nominated for the BBC Music Magazine Awards. 
• In 2013, the Kodály String Quartet Foundation was established to support Hungarian musical culture, chamber music, and the world-renowned Hungarian string quartet heritage. Sarolta Péczely (Mrs. Zoltán Kodály) is an honored member of the Board of Trustees. 
• In 2013–14, organized by the Kodály String Quartet Foundation, Beethoven's complete string quartets were performed over six concerts in Budapest, which were also recorded by Hungarian Radio. 
• In 2014, under the auspices of the Kodály String Quartet Foundation, the complete string quartets of Zoltán Kodály were recorded. 
• In 2026, the quartet embarked on a "Jubilee Tour" across several cities in Germany and China (including the Shanghai Concert Hall and the NCPA in Beijing), performing works by Kodály and Bartók, among others. 

Instruments: 

• 2015 – Antonio Stradivari 1731 "Hamma" /  property of the Hungarian State
• 2020 – Tamás Guminár 2020 "Flagellum Dei" 

Awards and honors: 

• 1990    Meritorious Artist of the Republic of Hungary 
• 1994    Classic CD Magazine Award – "Best Chamber Music Recording of the Year"          (Haydn Op. 64) 
• 1996    Bartók - Pásztory Award 
• 2007    BBC Music Magazine Award nomination (Bruch & Mendelssohn Octets) 
• 2022    Kossuth Prize 

Website: www.kodalyquartet.com

Facebook: Kodály String Quartet

Instagram: kodalystringquartet
Contact: falvay.attila[at]academy.liszt.hu