violinist
Vilmos Szabadi studied under Prof. Ferenc Halász at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest where on receiving his diploma, he became the youngest ever to join the teaching staff. Then he studied, after graduation, with Sándor Végh, Ruggiero Ricci and Loránt Fenyves.
In 1982he won first prizes (with special mention) in the Hungarian Radio and the 'Jenõ Hubay' competition (1983) in Budapest.
In 1985 he was awarded 3rd prize at the 'Jean Sibelius' Competition in Finland where he has since been invited more than 100 times to perform regularly and to give Master Classes.
He is the double prize winner (1999, 2002) of the prestigious MIDEM Festival in Cannes, France - given by the international jury and chosen these disks from more than 1000 CD whole over the world - with his Dohnányi Violin Concertos CD and with Bartók Sonata recording.
In 1993 the prestigious "Franz Liszt" prize given by the Hungarian Government awarded him.
In 1999 the Hungaroton Prize was given by the record company, awarded him.
In 2012 he was awarded the highly accounted “PRIMA” prize, as the musician of year in Hungary.
In 2016 he was appointed as the Head of the Violin Department in the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Budapest.
His career as an international Concert violinist took off when Sir Georg Solti invited him to play Bartók 2nd Violin Concerto during the Bartók Festival at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 1988. The success of the Concert, as well as a CD Video of this performance released by the Philips, led to invitations from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and the RTE Concert Orchestra (Ireland).
Vilmos Szabadi was among the privileged musicians invited by HRH Prince Charles to perform at the celebration in honor of Sir Georg Solti's 80th birthday held at the Buckingham Palace in 1992. In 1995 he also appeared on the prestigious Stradivarius series, played the Strad violin owned by Spanish Royalty in Madrid.
He is Hungary's foremost violinist a regular soloist in his home as well as a frequent guest in the rest of the word. He has played in New York United Nations building, Washington National Gallery of Art, London- Wigmore, -Barbican, -Royal Festival Hall, Cardiff- St. David, Belfast- Ulster, Dublin- National Concert Hall, Moscow- Bolshoy Hall, Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Hall , Bruxelles-Saint-Michel Theater, Amsterdam-Concerbegouw, Torino- RAI Auditorium, Madrid- Auditorio Nacional / Zaragoza / Valladolid, Paris-Châtalet, -Conservatoire, Vienna- Konzerthaus, -Musikverein, Stuttgart- Liederhalle-Mozart/Beethoven Saal, Helsinki- Finlandia, Turku, Kuhmo, Toronto, Montreal, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Japan - Tokyo /Nagoya / Sapporo, South-Korea Seoul/Pousan, Taiwan-Taipei National Concert Hall, Singapore.
So far he recorded 59 CDs / LPs / CDVs at several companies.
He plays a cremonese Laurentius Storioni instrument dated 1778.
