Vásáty, Tamás
Vásáty, Tamás
Vásáty, Tamás, noted Hungarian-born Swiss pianist and conductor; b. Debrecen, Aug. 11, 1933. He studied piano at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. In 1947 he won 1stprize in the Liszt Competition, and later garnered several more prizes. He made his London debut in 1961, and played in N.Y. in 1962. In 1971 he became a naturalized Swiss citizen. He made his conducting debut at the Merton Festival in 1971, and subsequently appeared as a guest conductor throughout Europe and the U.S. With Iván Fischer, he served as co-conductor of the Northern Sinfonia in Newcastle upon Tyne (1979-82). From 1989 to 1991 he was principal conductor of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta. In 1993 he became music director of the Budapest Sym. Orch.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire