Ádám Balogh

28
Birthplace: Pécs, Hungary
Studied in: Budapest, Hungary and Hannover, Germany
Resides in: Budapest, Hungary

Ádám Balogh (adam BAH-log) is thrilled to return to Calgary after participating in the last Honens Competition in 2022 and taking the prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Work.

He grew up in the small town of Pécs in southern Hungary where his parents played in the orchestra and Ádám often ran around backstage. At six, he started piano. At 13, he moved (on his own) to Budapest to study at the Liszt Academy of Music.

Ádám progressed easily but realized if he was going to be a musician, he needed to commit fully to a life of study and performance. He was equally passionate about tennis and soccer but quit sports to focus on piano. Music fed all parts of his being—physical, mental, and emotional. He realized he couldn’t live without it.

From Budapest, Ádám moved to Hannover seeking a more open cultural world.When the pandemic nixed his performance opportunities there, he returned to Hungary for concerts and now combines playing with teaching at the Liszt Academy.

He’s won prizes at a number of competitions and thrives on meeting other young pianists and hearing them perform. He uses the competitive process as a way to hold himself to even higher standards.

And how does he deal with nerves?

“My strategy is to have no strategy,” he says. “I try to be well prepared and well rested before a concert. If I feel stressed, I try to do something to take my mind off it, like go-karting. I get deeply immersed in the current moment and can’t drift into negative thoughts. Works well for me.”