Peter Csaba - conductor / violinist - was born in 1952 in Roumania (Cluj) in a family of Hungarian musicians.
He started studies of violin, composing and conducting in his home town and later in Bucharest at C. Porumbescu Conservatory of Music. Among his professors were Peter Zsurka and George Manoliu for violin, Ede Terényi for composing and conducting.
Prize-winner of several national and international competitions, namely the Competition Niccolo Paganini in Geneva, he started a successful international career with intensive tours in Europe, in Asia with several recordings for radios, televisions and international record companies.
He lives in France since 1983, and became professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (CNSMD) in Lyon, super-soloist at the Lyon Opera House, the Orchestre National de Lyon, orchestras he often conducted.
From 1995 until 2010, he was the Artistic Director of the Besançon Symphony Orchestra (France).
From 1993 to 2002, Peter Csaba was Artistic Director and Chief Conductor in Sweden of the Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra and Artistic Leader of the Euro Musica Vitae Festival which he created for European young talents. In 1986, he founded the Virtuosi di Kuhmo chamber orchestra in Finland. Several recordings and concert tours testify this dynamic artistic period. He also acted as Artistic Director of the Lapland Festpiel (Sweden) and in 2000 as Artistic Director of Kuhmo Festival in Finland.
His chamber music partners were among many others Oleg Kagan, Natalia Gutman, Krystian Zimerman, Maria Tipo, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Peter Frankl, Franz Helmerson, Tabea Zimmermann, Gary Hoffman, Paul Neubauer, Ralf Gothoni, Zoltán Kocsis, Miklós Perényi, J-F Heisser, Dezsö Ránki, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Steven Isserliss, Bella Davidovich.
His will to help young musicians to develop their talent and skills became reality at CNSMD in Lyon when he accepted the charge of the orchestra class in 1996.
He was director of the Maurice Ravel Academy in Saint-Jean de Luz (France) and since 2001 he is Artistic Director of Encuentro de Musica y Academia in Santander (Spain). Wonderful opportunity for young musicians to meet and perform together with word famous artists in more than 60 concerts.
Peter CSABA gave concerts in more than 60 countries and conducted orchestras, like Helskinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finlandia Sinfonietta, Lyon Opera Orchestra, Lyon National Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (England), Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bordeaux National Symphony Orchestra, Lille National Orchestra, Montpellier National Orchestra, Orchestre d’Auvergne, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Turku Symphony Orchestra, Budapest MÁV Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Odense Symphonic Orchestra, Lisbonne Metropolitana Orchestra, Orchestra Symphonica Siciliana in Palermo, RIAS Orchestra Berlin, Kyushu Symphony Orchestra Fukuoka (Japan), Geidai Phylharmonic Orchestra, Toho Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo), Stockholm New Chamber Orchestra, Norfolk Festival Orchestra (USA), Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (USA), National Orchestra of Lithuania, Orchestra Freixenet de la Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía de Madrid, National Orchestra of South Africa (Pretoria), Haifa Symphony Orchestra, Navarra Symphony Orchestra (Spain), Granada Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra...
Under his baton performed several famous soloists: Pierre Fournier, Dimitri Bashkirov, Natalie Gutman, Peter Frankl, Neil Mackie, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, James Galway, J-J. Kantorow, Zachar Bron, Hansjörg Schellenberger, Radovan Vlatkovic, Anne Queffélec, Brigitte Engerer, Régis Pasquier, Håkan Hardenberger, Cristian Lindberg, Roland Pöntinen, Akiko Suwanai, Thomas Zehetmair, György Pauk, Isabel van Keulen, Zoltán Kocsis, Miklós Perényi, Boris Berezovsky, Nicolai Lugansky, David Guerrier, Jean-François Heisser.
Peter Csaba closely collaborated with great composers as Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, Gilbert Amy, Eric Bergman, Bruno Mantovani, Pascal Dusapin, Xavier Montsalvatge, Kaja Saariaho, Ede Terényi, György Kurtág, Edith Canat de Chizy, Betsy Jolas, Henri Dutilleux, Krzysztof Penderecki.
For his remarquable contribution to development of Swedish musical life and the quality of his artistic work with the Musica Vitae Orchestra he was unanimously elected in 2002 member of the Royal Academy of Sweden and received the prestigious Spelmanen Prize.
Peter Csaba recorded for Ondine, Hungaroton, Bis, Praga, Harmonia Mundi, Caprice and other companies.
His CD with works by Sibelius, recorded with the Virtuosi di Kuhmo, was chosen by the American public radios the best classical record of the year 1995 in the USA. His recording of Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony is considered by musical critics as one of the best ever made of this piece.
Peter Csaba will take up the position of Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the MÁV Symphony Orchestra Budapest (Hungary) from September 2012.
He receved in May 2017 the high distinction of "Légion d'Honneur" of France becoming "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" by Eric Fournier, Ambassador of France in Hungary.
He receved in 2017 in Paris the high distinction of Finland the "Knight of the White Rose" in honnor of the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence.
The Queen Sophia of Spain distinguished him by The Medal of Honour. He receved this distinction in June 2023 in Madrid at the High Scool of Music.
