The Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir gave a grand concert at Müpa Budapest, where the audience could hear Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Rachmaninoff’s cantata The Bells.
The festive brilliance of the concert, held in honor of International Music Day, was heightened by the presentation of the Artist of the Season Awards. Established to recognize high-quality artistic work, the award is traditionally earned each year by an outstanding member of the MRME orchestra and choir. The laureates accepted the recognition for their exceptional performance during the 2025/26 season, voted for by the most authentic professional jury: their fellow peers who create art alongside them day in and day out in the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir.
This year’s accolades, the András Ligeti Award, was presented to principal oboist András Csizmadia by conductor Domonkos Héja, General Music Director of the Hungarian Radio Art Groups, while choral artist Csaba Horváth received the Zoltán Vásárhelyi Award from chief conductor Máté Szabó Sipos.
András Csizmadia began his musical studies in Kaposvár, then continued from 2009 at the Secondary School of Arts in Pécs as a student of Melinda Kothencz. He obtained his degree from the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Graz, in the class of Prof. Adi Traar. He has proven his talent at several international competitions: in 2011, he achieved a bronze rating at the Svirel competition in Slovenia, and in 2012, he won a shared first prize at the Davorin Jenko international competition in Serbia. He has been strengthening the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra since 2021 as principal oboe.
Csaba Horváth has been a member of the Hungarian Radio Choir since 2016. He completed his vocal studies at the King Saint Stephen Secondary School of Music under the guidance of József Hormai. He became acquainted with the foundations of choral singing in the Budapest Monteverdi Choir (led by Éva Kollár) and the King Saint Stephen Oratorio Choir (led by Kálmán Záborszky), but has also performed regularly as a soloist since his conservatory years. Two major world premiere baritone solos stand out from his repertoire: Csaba Vedres’s Miserere (2016) and Balázs D. Kecskés’s oratorio Der Gekreuzigte (2026). Reflecting his versatility, alongside his musical career, he graduated in Italian studies from the Faculty of Humanities at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and is credited as the translator of several books. The artist won 1st prize at the National József Gregor Singing Competition in 2011, and stood at the top of the podium at the National Secondary School Singing Competition in 2012.
Congratulations to our artists!