György Kertész

György Kertész was born in Budapest in 1963. His father, Ottó Kertész Sr. was a cellist in the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra. He began learning the cello at the age of 6. He studied at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music between 1981 and 1986, and between 1986 and 1987 continued his studies in the artist training class of the Academy. In 1983 he attended a master-class by János Starker, and in 1986 he won first prize at the János Popper Cello Competition. He was a member of the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra between 1987 and 1992, when he joined the Budapest Festival Orchestra. In 2003 and 2004 he was among the winners of the Festival Orchestra’s Sándor Végh Competition.