Pannon Philharmonic

On 6 November 2016, Zoltán Kocsis pianist, conductor, general music director of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, permanent guest conductor of the Pannon Philharmonic, artist awarded with the Pécs Cultural Grand Prize passed away.

The talent, discovered in his early childhood gained international reputation at a very young age of 18; his pianist's work was awarded with the Liszt Prize at the age of 21, and with the Kossuth Prize at the age of 25. In 1970, he was one of the founders of a contemporary music group, the New Music Studio. In 1983, with Iván Fischer, he founded the Budapest Festival Orchestra; with that began his several-decade-long orchestra building activity for renewal of the Hungarian symphony orchestra culture.

His commitment made him the to the artistic mentor of Hungarian orchestras and musicians, including the Pannon Philharmonic, whose success thanks to his dedicated work, as well. From the first day of the renewal of the ensemble until his death, he has meant a professional “staring point” as a conductor and artistic consultant for more than a decade. He was a committed supporter of the European-style cultural decentralization and made tireless professional work with symphony orchestras of the country’s diverse towns. He took an active role with conviction in the realization of the project Pécs 2010 European Capital of Culture, when he stood for Pécs’s artistic and cultural values and its urban development plans among the candidate cities. For all these merits, he was awarded the Cultural Grand Prix of the city of Pécs in March 2016 to.

The audience of Pécs could have seen his performances as a conductor, composer, or pianist regularly for more than a decade. Zoltán Kocsis has conducted the Pannon Philharmonic in every season since 2003, including at the Kodály Centre’s opening gala concert on 16 December 2010. Leading the National Philharmonic, he ran a mission for fulfilling the musical lives of rural towns, under which he conducted the ensemble of Pécs, organised by the Philharmonia Hungary. In 2014, he delighted the families of Pécs with his own composition Little Christmas, Bigger Christmas; in 2015, he performed a concert at the Kodály Centre together with the Kodály Center’s resident orchestra featuring his 18-year-old son Krisztián Kocsis.

His work was laudated with many awards by both the audience and the professional scene. In 1984, for the album of  in Bartók's works for piano and orchestra recorded with Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, he received the Gramophon Award and the Edison Award. In 1984, he was awarded with the Artist of Merit title and in 1990 with the Outstanding Artist title. Since 1987, in addition to his conducting career he composed, too. In 1997, he was elected to general music director of the National Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2004, in Cannes, France, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award. At the same time, he got the Knight of Art Order of Merit from the French cultural minister for his work for the promotion of French music. In 2005, he took over the Kossuth Prize for the second time. On March 25, 2006, on the 125th anniversary of Béla Bartók's birth, he got the Bartók-Pásztory Prize, after being nominated by the eminent representatives of Hungarian music scene. In 2007, the Minister of Education and Culture awarded him the title of "Ambassador of Hungarian Culture". In 2012, for his Debussy recording, he won the Instrumental Music Album   of the Year Prize. Recognising his oeuvre, the Hungarian state awarded him with the highest state honours, the Corvin-Chain in 2012.