KATALIN KOKAS

Katalin Kokas is one of the most outstanding violinists of her generation in Hungary. Born in a family of musicians and teachers, besides performing recitals as a soloist, the chamber music played a significant role in Katalin’s life as well as performing with her string quartet and teaching.

Katalin Kokas is a Professor of Violin at the Liszt Academy of Music since 2004 and gives masterclasses regularly throughout the world.

She is founder and artistic director of the Kaposvár International Chamber Music Festival.

Katalin Kokas collaborated with musicians such as Zoltán Kocsis, Miklós Perényi, Michael Stern, Alexander Lonquich, Pekka Kuusisto, Guy Braunstein, the Chilingirian Quartet, and performed with the Bratislava Chamber Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra or with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, philharmonic orchestras of Taiwan and Poznan, the Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra.

In addition to winning several competitions in Hungary (such as the first prize at the János Koncz Violin Competition), Katalin Kokas won also the Ušti nad Orlice International Violin Competition in the Czech Republic, the Concerto Competition of the Toronto Conservatory, and many prizes at international violin competitions including 1st prizes at the Bartók Violin Competition of Semmering and the Martinu Violin Competition.

Katalin Kokas received Annie Fischer Scholarship in the years of 2004, 2005 and 2008. In recognition of her achievements she was awarded Ferenc Halász Prize and Medal “For the City of Kaposvár”. Katalin Kokas was awarded by Liszt Ferenc Prize from the Hungarian State and she received Junior Prima Prize in 2009.

Katalin released six CD-recordings by Hungaroton and the BMC records. Katalin Kokas performs on the 1697 Ex ‘Cecilia’ Stradivari violin generously offered by the Hungarian Golden Museum and on a 1863 Luigi Fabris viola.