Ever since he was a little boy, András had dreamed of one day conducting a symphony orchestra. It was only as a mature lawyer, a professional working in administration, that he was finally given this opportunity: for one, exceptional performance.

The BFO, with Müpa Budapest, organized a competition for amateur conductors in 2020. András Molnár’s mentor was Gergely Dubóczky. He ultimately came in second, which meant he could conduct the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s symphony no. 7 at the Beethoven marathon. The calmer tone of the movement appealed to him. He studied the score in depth, and spent weeks by the piano with Dubóczky. What he found particularly exciting about conducting was that he always had to be just one step ahead of the piece, including paying attention to signaling a percussionist differently than a wind player: he had to take into consideration breathing, gestures and dynamic conditions which require preparation on the part of a musician to prepare to play. András had a surprisingly easy time overcoming any hurdles. One of our musicians compared his technique to that of György Solti; they had a difficult time believing it was his first time at the podium. The experience created, somehow, a personal relationship between him and the orchestra. “Since then, whenever I see them performing somewhere in the world, I always feel that they belong a little bit to me, too.”

Watch the short film of the winners’ journey, which also features András (in Hungarian).