Virtuoso pianist Gergely Bogányi will perform in two upcoming concerts sponsored by the Hungarian American Coalition. On November 1st, he will appear at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington D.C., and on November 3rd, his concert will take place at Mixon Hall of the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio. In both venues, he will play works by Ferenc Liszt, in this 200th anniversary year of his birth, and by Frederic Chopin, whose interpretation is Mr. Bogányi’s specialty.
Gergely Bogányi is an exceptional Hungarian pianist whose technique and artistic interpretation have won him high international acclaim. Born into a family of musicians, he started playing piano at age four and won his first competition at age 6. He studied in the Liszt Academy of Budapest, the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the University of Indiana in Bloomington.
While this will be his first appearance in Washington and Cleveland, Mr. Bogányi has performed in the leading concert halls of Europe and Asia. His repertoire includes solo works by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Liszt and Bartók. His particular specialty, however, is Chopin: in 2010, he gave an unforgettable marathon concert of the complete Chopin solo works during a two-day-long performance in the Palace of Arts in Budapest.
Mr. Bogányi has made many radio, TV and CD recordings and has given numerous master classes. His many honors include the Kossuth Prize, the highest artistic recognition of Hungary, and the Cross of Merit of the White Rose of the Finnish Republic. In 2010 the Polish government recognized him with the “Art Citizenship/Chopin Year” passport.
The Coalition is grateful to the Hungarian Embassy in Washington for hosting Mr. Bogányi’s concert. The Cleveland concert of Mr. Bogányi is supported through generous donations by Drs. Jeanette and Glenn Brown, and Edith and John Lauer, and with organizational assistance by Andrea Meszaros and the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Society. Mr. Bogányi’s international travel is underwritten by the Balassi Institute of Budapest.