The 2024/2025 season holds extraordinary significance in the history of the Virtuosos international classical music talent competition: this year, the show celebrates its anniversary, marking ten years of discovering and supporting young talents in classical music. The season’s uniqueness is not only defined by the anniversary and exciting new elements but also by its heightened focus on discovering talented Hungarian musicians beyond the borders, further strengthening national and international unity.
On January 20th, during a ceremonial press conference, we officially announced the launch of the 10th anniversary season of Virtuosos. The event was attended by Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation and international patron of Virtuosos; Lőrinc Nacsa, State Secretary for National Policy; Mariann Peller, founder and producer of Virtuosos; András Batta, music historian, CEO of the House of Music Hungary, and founding jury member of Virtuosos; András Keller, violinist, conductor, Chief Music Director of Concerto Budapest, and jury member of both the Hungarian and international editions of Virtuosos; Norbert Káel, pianist and jury member of Virtuosos; and Tamás Bátor, Artistic Advisor of the Palace of Arts, opera singer, and jury member of Virtuosos.
The Hungarian contestans from beyond the borders for the 2024/25 anniversary season of Virtuosos were also present at the press conference. At the event, we announced which of them advanced to the Hungarian semifinals. Selected contestants from both the Hungarian and cross-border preliminary rounds will move on to the all-Hungarian national semifinals, and from there, the top four will compete in the international Virtuosos competition. According to the format, the participating countries do not compete against each other, so a winner is announced for each country at the end of the show.
In addition to the grand prizes, numerous special awards will be given, including prizes specifically for exceptionally talented cross-border contestants, ensuring further professional development for the participants.
International and National Unity
Virtuosos has grown into a unique cultural program that is gaining increasing international recognition beyond Hungary. Over the years, the talents of Virtuosos have proven worldwide that classical music can build bridges across generations and cultures. The anniversary season aims to continue and strengthen this value. The program is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation.
Balázs Hankó, the international patron of Virtuosos, emphasized that in addition to Slovenia and Serbia, Austria and Montenegro will also join the television show in the new season. Virtuosos seasons have now reached nine countries and attracted an audience of 160 million viewers. He also highlighted that outstanding talents came from Transylvania, Szeklerland, Csángó Land, Subcarpathia, Vojvodina, and Upper Hungary for the cross-border preliminary rounds.
“With the success of Virtuosos, classical music becomes part of our everyday joy, and through music, we speak a common language,” said the minister, noting that Hungarian music education and the Kodály Method are renowned worldwide.
Thanks to the support of the State Secretariat for National Policy, an especially large number of Hungarian youth from beyond the borders were able to join the program this year, further enhancing Virtuosos’ international recognition. During the anniversary season, Virtuosos organized masterclasses and special preliminary rounds for cross-border young musicians, providing them with greater opportunities to showcase their talents.
Lőrinc Nacsa, State Secretary for National Policy, emphasized that talent must be discovered both within and beyond Hungary’s borders, as we think in terms of a unified nation. For this reason, the national policy secretariat supported the organization of cross-border preliminary rounds by the Virtuosos team.
“More than twenty talented students were invited to the Budapest preliminary round, including eight from Subcarpathia, six from Transylvania, four from Upper Hungary, and three from Vojvodina. This also demonstrated that the Hungarian-language music education system in these regions has value and a future. The talents presented today are ambassadors of Hungarian culture,” he stated.
Mariann Peller, founder and producer of Virtuosos, highlighted that they do not let go of the hands of talented musicians. Jury member András Keller, Chief Music Director of Concerto Budapest, stated that Virtuosos presents talent through classical music and emotions, which is particularly important in today’s world. He added: “The talented musicians discovered through Virtuosos are now proving themselves on the world’s great stages, including Ivett Gyöngyösi, Misi Boros, Ali Lugosi, Teo Gertler, and Amira and Mariam Abouzahra.”
András Batta, music historian and CEO of the House of Music Hungary, who also serves as a jury member, emphasized that Virtuosos preserves Hungarian and European culture, which is an essential message of the program.
This season, in addition to instrumentalists, vocalists will also have the opportunity to showcase their talent.
Opera singer Tamás Bátor, Artistic Advisor at Müpa and a jury member, highlighted that music brings joy to all generations.
Jury member and pianist Norbert Káel noted that becoming an instrumental artist requires immense dedication, and preserving Hungarian folk music traditions is also a great responsibility.
The competition is evaluated by renowned international and national experts who are leading figures in the classical music world. When selecting the jury for the cross-border preliminary rounds, the primary goal was to ensure that every young participant returned home enriched with experiences and knowledge. Thus, the same music educators and artists who conducted the masterclasses the day before were also part of the jury.
Award Ceremony and Announcement of the Cross-Border Contestants Advancing to the Next Round
At the press conference, Balázs Hankó presented certificates to the cross-border contestants who advanced to the Hungarian semifinals.
The jury selected the following contestants to advance to the Hungarian semifinals, which was recorded on January 21:
- Máté Paládi (piano)
- Dániel Miklós Szülek (trumpet)
- Bence Csákvári (recorder)
Among the special prize winners were:
- Fanni Pallagi (piano)
- Zsófia Kláriková (saxophone)
- Dávid Vorák (voice)
- Áron Bakota (violin)
Lőrinc Nacsa presented an antique violin, restored by master violin maker Pál Rácz, to Anna Rankov for her outstanding violin performance.
Additional award recipients included Ágnes Bíró (piano), Tamás Fazakas (flute), and Alíz Nikolett Szabó (flute).
The mentors preparing the students were violinist Éva Ácsné Szily, pianist Gábor Eckhardt, flutist Ákos Dratsay, opera singer Tamás Bátor, and clarinetist István Kohán Sr. The masterclasses were held at the Tóth Aladár Music School under the professional supervision of director Margit Magyar.
The award ceremony featured performances by Junior Prima Award-winning clarinetist Ali Lugosi, the absolute winner of the first season of Virtuosos, and Máté Paládi, a talented contestant from Subcarpathia who advanced to the anniversary season.
The main sponsor of the anniversary season is MVM Zrt.
The show will be broadcast every Friday starting April 25.