maté pálhegyi flautist

I was born in Budapest in 1975. I started learning music at the age of 5. In addition to the flute, I also played the violin and the piano. After studying at the Conservatory of Music, I continued my studies at the Academy of Music in Budapest, where I later returned as a teacher. After graduating as a music teacher, chamber musician, and concert flutist, many of my former teachers have not only become my colleagues, but we also have regular joint performances.

During and after my studies, I tried many different things, from the symphony orchestra to hippie bands, and eventually I started getting increasingly more serious inquiries.
I took part in Hungary's first ensemble playing Renaissance music, as well as in its first internationally renowned baroque orchestras, both as a member and a soloist, making several recordings with them.
Accompanied by symphony orchestras, I was a soloist performing virtuoso pieces by J.S. and C.P.E Bach, as well as by Mendelssohn. The Hungarian Radio Bartók has been recording and broadcasting my concerts live since 1997.

I have also had my own projects. Together with János Nagy, I founded a 25-member symphonic jazz ensemble called Free Style Chamber Orchestra, and we released four albums. I also founded my own quartet, the By Heart Quartet, and released my first solo album, “La Musique,” which featured chamber music from Paris at the turn of the century.

In addition to music, the co-arts - literature and theater - have also played a central role in my artistic activities. I play a lot and improvise too. I have worked together with János Pálúr and László Fassang (organists of Notre Dame), Balázs Kántor (solo cellist of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra), József Vajda (former solo bassoonist of the Hungarian Radio), Gergely Kuklis (concertmaster of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra), and Balázs Máté (continuo cellist of Jordi Savall). I am currently a member and soloist of the chamber orchestra Aura Musicale.

I have contributed to many albums. Though I don't know the exact number, it is somewhere between fifty and seventy. One of the many positive press mentions I have received was in the largest American trade magazine, Jazziz, where my flute solo appearing in Mizar’s album was highlighted.

In addition to my performances, I have been teaching for twenty-six years. I started at a Hungarian rural music school, continued at the Academy of Music in Budapest, and finally set up my own business in Vienna: the Vienna Flute Studio.
I currently live in Vienna, Austria.




© Máté Pálhegyi Vienna Flute Studio 2020 Photos by Nancy Horowitz
AUF DEUTSCH     MAGYARUL