Zsolt Bognár, Piano

Biography

Hailed by the European press for his "overwhelmingly visceral" playing and a "phenomenal sound world realized through a maximum palette," pianist Zsolt Bognár has also been recognized by the Akron-Beacon Journal as "at once extraordinary and authentic." Recipient of the 2007 Arthur Loesser Prize for having prepared and performed thirteen full-length recital programs in a single semester, Zsolt studied with Sergei Babayan. Zsolt completed his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and is frequently invited to perform chamber music with members of the Cleveland Orchestra and the esteemed Cleveland Quartet.   His 2009 debut in Tokyo's Suntory Hall included a performance of the Schubert c minor Sonata which Takuo Ikeda of Nikkei dubbed "one of the greatest performances of my life."
 
Zsolt won first prizes in the 2000 Harvard Musical Association Competition, the Boston Musician's Prize, the 2004 Allegro Vivo Competition in Austria, the 2005 CIM Concerto Competition, and the 2006 Illinois Concerto Competition. His appearances abroad have included performances in Hungary, Austria, Germany,  Belgium, Japan, Russia, and an ongoing series of extensive tours in the Netherlands that started with concerts from the 2005 and 2006 Holland Music Sessions in Bergen.

In the United States, his performances have included appearances at Lincoln Center in New York, Kennedy Center in Washington, and the 92nd Street Y. Many of his full-length recitals and interview features have been broadcast live over NPR and telecast over the Internet. During the summer of 2008, Zsolt was invited to perform at PianoFest in the Hamptons, an eight-week festival for young musicians.  In 2009 he was the Annette and Kenneth Hallock Chair of Piano at the National Repertory Orchestra in Colorado, where he was also soloist.  Mr. Bognár won the 2009 Artist Presentation Society Auditions in St. Louis, a prize which seeks to find and promote emerging stars.