Artist database

Iván Madarász is born on the 10th of February, 1949 in Budapest. He learned composing first with István Szelényi in the Béla Bartók Secondary School for Music, then he accomplished the composing department of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music Academy in the class of Endre Szervánszky. In 1972 he graduated summa cum laude. His thesis work was a one-act opera, requested by the Hungarian Television.

From 1973 to 1980 he taught at the faculty of the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Pécs. Since 1980 he's been teaching at the Ferenc Liszt University of Music. In 2000 he became habilitated master and received the university professor degree in 2002.

He is founding and board member of the Association of Hungarian Composers. Since 1990 he's been member of the Hungarian Bureau for the Protection of Author's Rights (Artisjus). Between 1998 and 2002 he was curator of the Music College of the National Cultural Fund and at the moment he has the same position there.

His compositions are regularly played in Hungarian and foreign concert halls. He released four independent author's records and a number of his works were recorded at the Hungarian Radio. With his choral works he won many contests. He was invited to the Yokohama World Music Festival of ISCM.

Composer awards: Special Award of the Montreux Film Festival, the Prize of the OIRT Song contest (two times), and the Prize of the Choir Contest of Budapest Capital. His activity was recognized by the Erkel Prize (1992), the Bartók-Pásztory Award (1998), the Kossuth Prize (2016) and in 2005 he was awarded with the Knight's Cross of Merit of Order of the Hungarian Republic.

A wide range of music genres appears in his compositions. The reviews point out to the dramatic depth, the singing technique and the new style of using the human voice in his music. His instrumental music, especially his flute works can be characterized by seeking of new ways of instrumental technique. In his chamber works he developed a unique method for realization of more complex, so-called “non-equivalent” proportional rhythms.