Izabella Simon

Izabella Simon began her musical education at the age of seven. At 16 she became a student at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest where she studied with Ferenc Rados and György Kurtág.

Izabella has performed in many music centres of Europe and is a regular guest at various international music festivals including András Schiff and Heinz Holliger’s Ittingen Festival, Prussia Cove Festival in England, Hitzacker Festival and Heidelberger Frühling in Germany, Maribor Festival in Slovenia, Davos Festival in Switzerland, Cheltenam Festival in England, and Salzburg Festival in Austria.

Izabella often appears in chamber music concerts with artists like Miklós Perényi, Steven Isserlis, Christoph Richter, Radovan Vlatkovic, and Andrea Rost, to name just a few. As a soloist she has played with Kremerata Baltica (Gidon Kremer) and Camerata Bern (Heinz Holliger), as well as the principal Hungarian orchestras.

She has recorded two CDs for the label Cant Art with soprano Sylvia Sass, and for Warner Classics with soprano Andrea Rost, featuring works of Bartók, Kodály and Ligeti. She also frequently broadcasts for Hungarian Radio and Television and for Swiss Radio.

After her debut in New York’s prestigious 92NY concert hall, she was offered a guest-professorship at Bard College in the US and was invited to Marlboro Music Festival.

Izabella plays often works for piano four-hands and two pianos with her husband, Dénes VárjonThey are artistic leaders of kamara.hu, Hungary’s leading chamber music festival held annually at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest.

Performing in:

Grand Finale - Saturday 10 February 7:30 pm
The Romantic Bartók - Saturday 10 February 2:00 pm
Metamorphosen - Friday 9 February 7:30 pm
Romance - Monday 5 February 7:30 pm
See Full programme