Biography
András Gábor Virágh is one of the most sought after composer and organist of his generation.
Mr. Virágh has been the titular organist of the St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest, and also assistant lecturer for forms and analysis, and solfeggio at the Liszt Academy of Budapest (Hu) a board member of the Hungarian Composers’ Union and co-founder of the Studio5 Contemporary Composers’ Group.
His biggest recent achivements are the two national organ –, three domestic and three international composition awards, including first prize of the Los Angeles international composition competition in 2006 (where there were no other prizes), the Oradea international composition competition in 2008, and the ISA (International Summer Academy, Austria) international composition competition in 2012 (where there were no other prizes). In 2007/08 he won the „National Scholarship”, and for 2010/11 the „Annie Fischer Performers Scholarship”. In 2009 he recieved the Superior Student of the Faculties of Sciences award of the University of Debrecen – which is an award won by 8 students out of 30.000.
In 2011 he awarded the Junior Prima Prize, which is the highest honour of the young generation. Mr Virágh graduated in 2013 at the Liszt Academy with a degree in Music Composition as the student of prof. Gyula Fekete, and he won the Composition Prize of the „Aurora Musis Amica” foundation and the Composition Prize of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. In 2015 and in 2017 Mr. Virágh awarded the Benedek Istvánffy composition prize and in 2017 he was honoured with the annual Ferenc Erkel Composer Award. In 2020 Mr. Virágh has awarded the Classical Composition of the Year award for his composition Gregorian notes for viola and organ.
Mr. Virágh’s compositions are published by the Ostinato Musikverlag (Germany), by the Norsk Musikforlag (Norway), by the Editions BIM (Switzerland) by the Kontrapunkt Music Publisher (Budapest) and by the EMB (Editio Musica Budapest). As an organist and as a composer he has performed in several countries in Europe in the UK, in Israel and in the USA as well.
Mastercourses attended:
Ewald Kooiman (Amsterdam), Zsigmond Szathmáry (Freiburg), Antal Váradi (Stuttgart) – organ
József Ács (Eschweiler), Zsolt Gárdonyi (Würzburg), Miklós Maros (Stockholm), Nigel Osborne (Edinburgh) – composition
Prizes, awards:
2022 BARTÓK-PÁSZTORY AWARD
2020 CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR award
2019 ZOLTÁN KODÁLY scholarship for composers
2017 BENEDEK ISTVÁNFFY composition award
2017 FERENC ERKEL compositon award
2017 ZOLTÁN KODÁLY scholarship for composers
2015 BENEDEK ISTVÁNFFY composition award
2013 COMPOSITION PRIZE of the Hungarian Academy of Arts
2013 COMPOSITION PRIZE of the Aurora Musis Amica Foundation
2012 International Composition Competition, Mürzzuschlag, 1st PRIZE
(the jury gave no 2nd and 3rd prize)
2011 JUNIOR PRIMA PRIZE
2010 Composition Competition of the Franz Liszt University of Music, Budapest, 2nd PRIZE,
SPECIAL PRICE of the Society of the Hungarian Contemporary Music
2010 „ANNIE FISCHER” SHOLARSHIP OF PERFORMING ART
2010 Composition Competition of the Franz Liszt University of Music, Budapest, 1st PRIZE,
SPECIAL PRICES of the Society of the Hungarian Contemporary Music, and the Béla Bartók Memory House
2009 SCHOLARSHIP OF ARTS, Debrecen
2009 EXCELLENT STUDENT OF THE FACULTIES OF SCIENCES award, Debrecen
2008 Composition Competition of the Franz Liszt University of Music, Budapest, 1st PRIZE
2008 SPECIAL PRICE of the Society of the Hungarian Contemporary Music
2008 SCHOLARSHIP OF ARTS, Debrecen
2008 International Composition Competition, Oradea (Romania), 1st PRIZE
(the jury gave no 2nd prize)
2007 SCHOLARSHIP OF THE HUNGARIAN REPUBLIC
2006 International Composition Competition, Los Angeles (USA), 1st PRIZE
2006 Singing Competition of the University of Theatre and Film, Budapest,
THE BEST CONTEMPORARY PIECE PRIZE, (the jury gave no 2nd and 3rd prize)
2004 National Organ Competition, Szeged, 1st PRIZE
2003 First Zoltán Kodály National Organ Competition, Budapest, 2nd PRIZE,
and also a „PERFORMING PRIZE” for the performance of his Organ suite (which he wrote at the age of 17)
2002 First Béla Bartók National Composition Competition, Budapest, SPECIAL PRIZE