Solocellist of the Hungarian State Opera

Born in 1974. He started to study cello at the music school and secondary school with Sándor Bartha. After he continued his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music as a pupil of László Mező. /member of the well known Bartók String Quartet/He studied chamber music with Ferenc Rados. Third year of his studies, in 1996, he won the Popper Violoncello Competition and with this first prize he won his diploma at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. He spent one semester for postgradual education with Gustav Rivinius in 2001, in Saarbrücken.

While his academical studies, in 1998, he won the position of principal cellist and started to work at the Hungarian State Opera. Since 2009 he is solocellist of the Hungarian State Opera. Recently he works there.

Awards:

1998 - Violoncello Competition of the Hungarian Radio II. prize
1997 -  International Brahms Competition, Pörtschach - II. prize, special prize
1996 -  Popper Violoncello Competition I. prize

He participated in numerous master classes with Miklós Perényi, Csaba Onczay, Reiner Zipperling /baroque cello/and György Kurtág. He has performed with several chamber and symphony orchestra. Ensemble Philippe (baroque historical orchestra) as first cellist and recording the C Major Concerto from J. Haydn as soloist (Thaler), Concerto Armonico (baroque historical orchestra).

As a soloist he played with the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra Miskolc, Hungarian Symphony Orchestra  Szolnok and the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra.

He is a member of several contemporary music groups and orchestras such as  EAR Ensemble, Rondínó Music Group, By-HeArt Music Society and Qaartsiluni Ensemble.

He was a concert master of the Hungarian Cello Orchestra and principal cellist of the Artemisia Orchestra and the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra.

In addition to classical and modern music, several other styles have also influenced his musical idiom, like hungarian folk music and jazz. Since 2007 he has played together with Mihály Borbély Quartet, Kristóf Bacsó saxophonist, Bacsó Quartet and Dániel Szabó Quintet. In 2011 he went  with the Dániel Szabó Quintet to a tour to USA. They had an important concert in the New York Jazz Gallery.  He has had the opportunity to collaborate with Chris Potter.

He made 14 recordings as a solist and chamber musician.

He won three times /2006, 2008, 20010/the Artisjus Prizes for performing and introducing contemporary Hungarian music.

Since 2005 he takes part of the composition recitals of Tímea Dragony. He performed the premier of her composition The sorrowful melody she made by a poem of  Gergely Kuklis.

Balázs Kántor cellist is versatile musician who has always given his highest level interpretation for the quality of the concerts.