Jenő Puporka

Jenő Puporka was born in Budapest on July 30, 2001. He decided on the double bass from an early age and began his elementary studies at the Molnár Antal Music School on the double bass at the age of seven under the guidance of Lajos Duduj. By the age of 12, he had won numerous first prizes in music school competitions, both in solo and chamber categories. At the age of 13, his father took over Lajos Duduj's double bass class, becoming his teacher.

In 2014, he applied to the nationwide talent competition "Virtuosos." His successful performance led to a series of concert invitations. During this time, he began playing as a soloist with orchestral accompaniment. He gave his first full-length solo concert with orchestral accompaniment in 2016 at the Óbuda Társaskör. In the same year, he began his studies at the Bartók Béla Conservatory under the guidance of István Lukácsházi. In his first year, he received the Montág Lajos Memorial Award based on audience votes, and also won first place at the VI. National Double Bass Competition. In 2017, he won first place at the Carl Dittersdorf International Double Bass Competition in Banská Bystrica. In 2018, he achieved absolute first place at the Danubia Talents International Competition. In 2019, he participated again in the VII. National Double Bass Competition, this time in a dierent age group, where he once again won first place and also received the "Best Orchestral Position" special award.

During his high school studies, he had many opportunities to play in orchestras. He played as a section leader in Tamás Vásáry's Youth Orchestra and also served as a section leader in the Virtuosos Chamber Orchestra conducted by Placido Domingo. In 2020, he was admitted to the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music under the guidance of Zsolt Fejérvári.

Since 2021, he has been regularly performing with the artists of the FAB Ensemble nationwide and abroad, including renowned musicians such as Barnabás Kelemen, Katalin Kokas, László Fenyő, Máté Szűcs, and Maxim Risanov. In the 2022 I. International Tibay Zoltán Double Bass Competition, he won first place and also received the Tibay special award. Since 2022, he has been a regular assistant in the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra. In 2023, he obtained his bachelor's degree in classical double bass performance from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. In 2023, he was invited to the international Carl Flesch Academy as the only Hungarian participant in Janne Saksala's course, during which he gave a solo concert accompanied by the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra and received a Pirastro scholarship. In 2023, he was admitted to the master's program in double bass at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. In 2023, he performed as a soloist with orchestral accompaniment at the Pesti Vigadó under the direction of Gergely Ménesi. In 2024, he received an invitation to join the Budapest Festival Orchestra, where he has played in several domestic and foreign concerts. In 2024, he won first place in the II. International Tibay Zoltán Double Bass Competition and received a special award for the best performance of a Beethoven orchestral work.

He actively participated in masterclasses by Dorin Marc, Rinat Ibragimov, Norbert Duka, Ferenc Bokány, Zsolt Tibay, Botond Kostyák, Radoslav Sasina, Michael Klinghoer, Matthew McDonald, Janne Saksala, and Thierry Barbé. He has played under the direction of renowned conductors such as Iván Fischer, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Péter Eötvös, and Ádám Medveczky.

Despite his young age, he has already performed in significant concert halls, including the Liszt Academy, Müpa Budapest, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, Vigadó in Budapest, BMC in Budapest, Regentenbau in Bad Kissingen, Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, and Oscar Peterson Hall in Canada. He has also performed on Bartók Radio and Classical FM in Toronto.