Mihaly Virizlay

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Principal Cellist Mihaly Virizlay began his musical studies in his native Budapest at age four and later won a scholarship to the Franz Liszt Academy, where he studied with Zoltan Kodaly and Janos Starker. Soon after he became an American citizen, Mr. Virizlay joined the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he is a Professor of Music. He has been a visiting professor at Indiana University and the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts, and has conducted numerous master classes throughout the Americas.

Mr. Virizlay regularly plays solo recitals in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, as well as in London, Vienna, Budapest, and Canada. Also a composer, he premiered his own Cello Concerto with David Zinman and the BSO in 1987. He has performed his Unaccompanied Sonata for Cello, and his Rhapsody for Cello and Piano with his wife on a concert tour to Korea, where he also gave master classes.

Mr. Virizlay is well known as a proponent of twentieth century music. He premiered Joseph Castaldo's Cello Concerto, which was written for, and dedicated to him, and he performed Krzysztof Penderecki's Concerto No. 1 and No. 2 for Violoncello and Orchestra with the composer conducting. Recently he has recorded his Cello Sonata for broadcast by the BBC.

Mr. Virizlay has been invited to perform as soloist in the World Cello Congress II, Mstislav Rostropovich, President, on July 1-8, 1997, in St. Petersburg, as part of the Rostropovich 70th Birthday Jubilee. Kodaly's widow will go from Hungary to hear Mr. Virizlay perform her husband's Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello Opus 8.

---

Go Back