István Várdai

cellist

István Várdai, the 32 year old Hungarian cellist was honoured with several important international prizes: in 2008 he won the Geneva International Music Competition.  He was winner of the David Popper International Music Competition three times. In 2012 he received the Prix Montblanc awarded to the world’s most promising young musician. In 2014 he won the prestigious ARD Cello Competition in Munich.

Since his debut concert in 1997 in The Hague, he has performed in New York, Washington, Vancouver, London, Paris, Prague, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich, Geneva, Dublin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Florence, Tokyo, Beijing with great success. In 2010 he made his debut, among others, in Carnegie Hall and the Wiener Konzerthaus. Along his starting career, he played with world-famous musicians and orchestras: András Schiff, Yuri Bashmet, Zoltán Kocsis, Gidon Kremer, Tabea Zimmermann, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Till Fellner, Shai Wosner, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Suisse Romande Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Geneva Chamber Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra.

From 2004 István studied in the Class of Special Talents at the Liszt Academy in Budapest, from 2005 at the Music Academy of Vienna.  From 2017 he is also Professor at the Music Academy in Mannheim and from 2018 at the Music Academy of Vienna.

Mr. Várdai plays the legendary „Ex Du Pre-Harrell” Stradivarius from 1673.