Ferenc Szklenar - Artistic Director of DSO

 

 

Ferenc Szklenar was born in Dorog. He studied flute and piccolo at his hometown’s music school. In 1973 he continued his studies at Bela Bartok Conservatory of Music in Budapest in the class of Janos Szebenyi. In 1977 he studied at Franz Liszt Academy Music in Budapest with professor Imre Kovacs and then received his master’s degree in flute, vocal and music theory. After his studies for four years he taught at Laszlo Lajtha music school, and then from 1984 he has been a flutist with the Danube Symphony Orchestra.

 

Since 1994 Ferenc Szklenar has been the Artistic Director of Danube Symphony Orchestra. Under his managing the orchestra has performed more than a hundred concerts in a season in the capital’s famous concert halls, in the country, and abroad as well.

 

In 1996 he received his diploma in cultural manager from ELTE University in Budapest.

 

Besides his artistic director position at the orchestra he is active member of the orchestra as an flutist. He is a soloist and member of various chamber music ensembles as well regularly performingconcerts in Hungary and abroad.  He has a duo with Emese Bajtala, a harpist, and they perform harp and flute music compositions.  Ferenc Szklenar is a member of Austro-Hungarian Pannonische Philharmonie Symphony Orchestra; they have performed regularly in Leoben Summer Music Festival. In his artistic careera special occasion came when he performed in Madras, the capital of the Indian film industries. 

 

In 1995 under his managing came to life the ’Danube Concerts’ series. These concerts are primarily intended to provide a selection of the best Hungarian music for visitors who are interested in Hungarian culture. He is a significant person in the development of the Danube Symphony Orchestra’s artistic image. Through preserving Hungarian traditions in a beautiful seasonal concert series he has found the real values of life as a vocation. Both of the adult and the youth organization of concerts and national celebrations, social events, quality music broadcasting, the success of the orchestra is his priority. He has been awarded as a flutist and manager several times by the Ministry of Interior (1997, 2002) and the Minister of Education (2002). In addition, in 1997 he was awarded the Gold Cross of Merit Cross of the Hungarian Republic, and in 2005 was awarded the Knight's Cross Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic.