Márta Ábrahám

Márta Ábrahám is a Hungarian violinist performing and teaching extensively around the world. She is the founder and leader of Ábrahám Consort baroque music ensemble, professor (DLA)  at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest.

Studies
She obtained her diploma Cum Laude in 1996 as a student of Natasa Sós, Dénes Kovács and Ferenc Rados at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music Budapest.
From the age 17 she studied with Ruggiero Ricci at the Mozarteum of Salzburg,
and with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
She attended masterclasses of Loránd Fenyves, György Kurtág, Nathan Milstein, György Pauk and Vladimir Spivakov.

Competitions

Márta Ábrahám is a first prize – winner in several competitions:János Koncz National Violin Competition, Szombathely, Károly Flesch National Violin Competition, Mosonmagyaróvár, and fourth prize at Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition, England.
In addition to winning the Gold Medal at the 1994 National Memorial Violin Competition of Ede Zathureczky, she won two special prizes and also the loan of the  Ex-Ede Zathureczky violin and Sartori bow for four years.

Concertmaster activity
Between 2005 an 2009 she was concertmaster of the Hungarian Radio Orchestra and the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra.
She has worked as a guest leader with orchestras, such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of Netherlands, the City of Birmingham Shymphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. For years, she led the Concerto Armonico chamber orchestra playing on period instruments, her work was recognized in 2014 with Gramofon  Award. At present she is the artistic leader and concertmaster of the Ábrahám Consort early music and baroque  music ensemble.

Soloist aciivity
As a soloist Márta Ábrahám has appeared with leading orchestras including the
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Dutch Radio Orchestra, Belgian Radio Orchestra, Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Budapest Strings, European Sinfonietta and played under the baton of famous conductors like Yehudi Menuhin, Tamás Vásáry, Kobayashi Ken-Ichiro, Helmuth Rilling, Zoltán Kocsis, Fischer Ádám just to mention a few. She is invited regularly to join for chamber-music around the world and has established herself as a usual partner with Alex Szilasi, Tamás Vásáry, Gergely Bogányi, Péter Nagy, Enrico Dindo.

Discography

  • Many of her CD’s, television and radio-recordings received enthusiastic praise, several of them also contain new discoveries and world premieres on labels such as Hungaroton, Belgian Radio 3, Philips Classics.
  • Sibelius, Ysaye, Sarasate: Violin pieces, Rode Pomp
  • Bartók Béla: Sonata Nr. 1. VRT/ Radio3, Rode Pomp
  • Dirk Brosse: Black, White and in Between, London Philharmonics, Philips
  • Balassa Sándor: Violin Concerto Op. 3. Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Hungaroton
  • Luigi Boccherini: Chamber music with flute, Hungaroton
  • Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita in D Minor (BWV 1004) BioBach-Music

Teaching activity

Since 2005, she is a violin professor at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest, in 2013 she gained her DLA degree. She gives masterclasses in Hungary, Israel, The Netherlands and other countries. In 2009 she founded the summer camp “Zebegény Workshop for violin soloist and chamber music” which is held every summer in the picturesque village Zebegény, along the Danube.

Bach research

Since 2011 Marta Ábraham – together with composer Barnabás Dukay is intensively researching the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Their attention focuses mainly on the violin works, most specifically of the Six Solosonatas and Partitas. Their aim is to investigate and analyze these work fills a gap not only in national, but also in international context. Numerous lectures, presentations and concerts were held, at the Liszt Academy of Music, FUGA, Doctoral School of the Architectural Association, Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.