Artist database

Dénes Legány was born May 14, 1965 in Budapest. In 1983 he graduated from the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music in Budapest as a student of the composition and piano majors. In the same year he continued his studies at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest on both majors. He obtained four diplomas from the Liszt Academy: Composition, Piano Performing, Music Theory and Piano Pedagogy.

In 1986 he won first prize at the National Composition Contest "Hommage a Liszt" with his Sonata for two pianos and the Ossa arida fantasie. In 1987 he got the award of Artisjus, Budapest for performing contemporary music. Later he won the one-year grant of the Hungarian National Office of Soros Foundation for performing contemporary music three times (1988, 1989, 1997). At the beginning of 1989 he was awarded the Musician-of-the-Year prize of the town of Kecskemét, Hungary for his active participation in the musical life of the town and its surrounding. In September 1990 he won the one-year grant of the Eötvös Foundation of the Hungarian Secretary for Culture for performing contemporary music. In 1992 he was awarded a scholarship grant from the Hungarian Secretary for Culture to write a study on the relations of contemporary music and other contemporary arts and on the combining of them in all level everyday school use. In 1992 he won 2nd prize at the National Composition Contest for Mixed Choruses and Special Prize at the Kodály Composition Contest for Female Choruses. In spring 1993 he won two prizes at the National Composition Contest for Chamber Music: 2nd prize and Special Prize. He was awarded the Kodály Composition Scholarship Prize of the Hungarian Secretary for Culture three times (1993, 1994, 1997). In March 1994 he received the Special Prize of the National Composition Contest for Chamber Music. Also in 1994, he was awarded five prizes at the composition contest of the 4th European Youth Music Festival: a 1st, two 2nd and two 3rd prizes. In March, 1995 he received two prizes at the National Composition Contest for Solo and Chamber Music: 2nd prize and 3rd prize. In July, 1995 he became Semi-Finalist at the 8th International "Marimolin" Composition Contest (New Jersey, USA). In February, 1996 he won the 2nd and 3rd prizes at the composition contest of the Association of Hungarian Choirs and Orchestras. Prize of the MUSICA MUNDI Composing Competition, Pohlheim, Germany, was given to him in February 1997. In 1997 he again won a one-year grant of the Hungarian National Office of the Soros Foundation for performing contemporary music. In January, 1998 he was given an honourable mention at the International Composers' Competition "Jihlava 1998".

He started giving concerts, recitals and lectures in 1983 in many Hungarian towns and also abroad (Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United States). His compositions have been performed in Hungary and abroad and many of them have been recorded and broadcasted by the Hungarian Radio.

From 1987 he taught at the Budapest University School of Music and the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. From 1990 he was professor of music at the Buda Conservatory of Music, where he was elected vice president in 1993. In 1998 he became invited Board Member of the European Association for Music in Schools and director of the László Lajtha School of Music and Arts. As visiting professor he taught and gave lectures and recitals at summer music festivals and courses in the United States, at different universities and colleges (University of Hartford, CT, Hartt School of Music, KMTI [1989]; Holy Names College, Oakland, CA [1990, 1992, 1994]; West Chester University, PA, School of Music [1989, 1993]; Millersville University, PA, Department of Music [1988, 1991]; Capital University, Columbus, Ohio [1992, 1993]). In September 1999 he started working as artistic and educational advisor of the Hungarian Music Council, Liaison Officer of the Music Information Center and Board Member of the Association of Hungarian Music and Art Schools.

The career of Dénes Legány ended tragically on 20 December 2000 when he was a victim of a car accident.