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Laszlo Heltay was born in Budapest and studied at the Franz Liszt Academy under Kodaly and Bardos.He moved to England in 1957 and continued his studies at Merton College, Oxford Where he later became Director of Music.While in Oxford, he founded the Kodaly Choir, and the Collegium Musicum Oxoniense (now called Schola Cantorum) and obtained his M.Litt in Music.
In 1964 he went to New Zealand to take up the posts of associate conductor of the new Zealand Broadcasting Corporation Symphony Orchestra and director of the New Zealand Opera Company., where he gave many first performances of contemporary works including the firs New Zealand performance of Britten’s “Albert Herring”.On his return to London he was appointed conductor of the Phoenix Opera Company, and gave the firs performance in France of Britten’s “The Turn of the Screw” and the firs performance in New York of Respighi’s “Lucrezia”.He also worked as assistant to Klemperer.
He has conducted most major orchestras in the United Kingdom as well as many others in Europe and the United States and has worked with radio orchestras and choirs including those of Budapest, Brussels, Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Stockholm.He conducts regularly at major International Festivals.His engagements for this year include concerts in Argentina, Italy, England and Spain.
Laszlo Heltay founded the Brighton Festival Chorus in 1968 and continued as its Director until 1995.In 1975 he formed the Chorus of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields remained as their Director until 1999.He was Music Director of the Royal Choral Society from 1985 until 1994.He has made recordings for CBS, Argo, Decca, and Nimbus and was Chorus Director for the film “Amadeus” with the academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
In 1982 he was awarded the International Kodaly Medal.In 1995 the degree of Honorary Doctor of Music was conferred upon him by Sussex University.In 1997 he became an Honorary Fellow of Merton College, Oxford.
Laszlo Heltay has conducted in Spain regularly for over 20 years and has worked with most of its majors choirs and orchestras.From 1998 until 2000 he was Director of the Spanish Radio and Television Choir in Madrid, where he conducted many recordings and performances including Bach’s Matthew Passion and Britten’s War Requiem.
He now lives in Spain, near Barcelona. |
