Sándor Jávorkai

Hungarian violinist Sándor Jávorkai (1976) received his first violin lessons at the age of three from his father and was already performing in public at the age of five. He studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest with Prof. Ferenc Halasz and then moved to the class of Prof. Michael Frischenschlager at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he graduated with distinction in 2004 and also received his doctorate in musicology from the same university. He has participated in masterclasses with internationally renowned artists, including Isaac Stern, Tibor Varga, and Vladimir Spivakov, as well as György Pauk, Lorand Fenyves, Stefan Ruha, Ferenc Rados, and Vera Vaidman.

Sándor Jávorkai received a scholarship from the Herbert von Karajan Center in Vienna. The deep musicality and effortless virtuoso violin playing of this exceptional talent have been recognized with exclusively first prizes in numerous international competitions: 1990-1994: consecutive first prizes at the Emil Vajda String Competition in Hungary; 1992: 1st prize at the János Koncz Violin Competition in Hungary; 1993: 1st prize and special prize at the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition in Hungary; 1999: special prize at the Pablo de Sarasate International Violin Competition in Pamplona, Spain; 2000: 1st prize and special prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Thessaloniki; 2003: together with his brother Ádám Jávorkai, 1st place at the Kodály Competition in Semmering; 2010: together with Ádám Jávorkai, named Artist of the Year by Jeunesse and Bank Austria.

As a concertmaster, Sándor Jávorkai played under the baton of Mariss Jansons and Marcello Viotti at the International Orchestral Institute Attergau, under the patronage of the Vienna Philharmonic. In addition, in 2008 he performed as concertmaster and soloist with the Europe Philharmonic.

As a soloist, he has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Sinfonietta Baden, Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria, Bruno Walter Symphony Orchestra, Savaria Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Philharmonic, Győr Philharmonic, North Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, Szeged Symphony Orchestra, and Debrecen Symphony Orchestra.

Concert tours have taken Jávorkai throughout Hungary, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Greece, England, Turkey, Japan, Colombia, Malta, Tunisia, Sweden, Norway, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Romania, and Israel. Regular recordings for Hungarian Radio Bartók, Austrian Radio Ö1, Vienna Classical Radio Stephansdom, and Polish Radio attest to the diverse artistic activities of the young violinist. Sándor Jávorkai has performed in major concert halls such as the Vienna Konzerthaus, Berlin Konzerthaus, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Sava-Centar in Belgrade, in the "Forbidden City" in Beijing, the Warsaw Philharmonic, and Opera City in Tokyo. He has performed at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Budapest Spring Festival, and the Spring in Russia Festival in Moscow. Sándor Jávorkai performed with great success at a gala concert in the Vienna Konzerthaus with Roby Lakatos, Rolando Villazón, Julius Drake, Michel Camilo, and other well-known musicians.

His interpretation of Niccolò Paganini's 1st Violin Concerto in E-flat major, Op. 6 was very positively received in the Magdeburg Volksstimme: "Sándor Jávorkai played with great technical security and many subtle nuances. His playing was varied and rich in ideas. The soloist's intense tone production in the middle section was convincing. The audience was so carried away by Jávorkai's playing that they could not control themselves and applauded after the first movement."

Together with his brother, cellist Adam Jávorkai, he recorded Brahms' Double Concerto and Camille Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo capriccioso with the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Adam Medveczky. Together with pianist Katalin Falvai and his brother, he formed a piano trio that tours throughout Europe. He often performs in a trio (Vienna Mozart Trio) or in duos with his brother and the great Slovak guitarist Miriam Rodriguez Brüllová.