Artist database

Béla Faragó was born in Kaposvár in 1961. He studied composing at the Béla Bartók Conservatory and the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. In 1991/1992 he studied composing and computer music at Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Since 1990 he has been the lecturer of classical composing techniques at the Jazz Department of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music.

Since 1977 he has been working as a performer and composer in different ensembles (between 1982 and 1990 as member of Group 180), over this period of time he has played in concerts with such outstanding personalities of contemporary music as Louis Andriessen, Steve Reich, or Terry Riley.

He has been the composer of numerous pieces of film music, radio plays, ballet- and theatrical accompaniments. His chamber opera entitled ’The secret’ was premiered in 1994. His works have been acknowledged both in Hungary and abroad. In 1996 he received an Erkel Award for his accomplishments.

His musical world has been formed by different outside influences, notably by Christian Wolff, Morton Feldman from the American repetitive school, the Fluxus movement, the composers of the Új Zenei Stúdió Budapest (New Musical Studio), and in the last couple of years György Kurtág and György Ligeti.