Vilmos Oláh is a Hungarian classical violinist.
As a soloist, he has performed on five continents. In addition to appearances at numerous festivals and major music capitals, he has represented Hungarian culture in countries such as Cuba, Vietnam, Qatar, Thailand, Lebanon, China, and Taiwan. As a guest professor, he has led masterclasses at music institutions in Beijing, Taipei, Havana, Saigon, Hanoi, Bangkok, Delhi, Kolkata, and Montana.
He has been active as a concertmaster since 1990. He has led ensembles including the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra, the Ernő Dohnányi Symphony Orchestra, and the MÁV Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he has worked with the Budapest Strings, the Failoni Chamber Orchestra of the Hungarian State Opera, and Camerata Transsylvanica. In 2005, he joined the Liszt Prize-winning Auer String Quartet. In addition to numerous concerts in Hungary and abroad, the ensemble also recorded László Lajtha’s ten string quartets as well as his piano chamber music. From 2010 to 2023, he served as first concertmaster of both the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra.
His professors and mentors include Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern, Ruggiero Ricci, Dénes Zsigmondy, Loránd Fenyves, Tibor Varga, László Dénes, Tamás Vásáry, Péter Eötvös, José Cura, Yuri Simonov, Riccardo Frizza, János Kovács, Ádám Fischer, and Dénes Kovács.
Prizes:
- János Koncz Violin Competition 1986 – 1st Prize
- János Koncz Violin Competition 1989 – 1st Prize
- Mozarteum Summer Academy Salzburg 1991 – 1st Prize
- János Koncz Violin Competition 1992 – 1st Prize
- Pacem in Terris International Music Competition, Bayreuth 1992 – 1st Prize
- Grand Luc Adolph Violin Competition, Luxembourg 1995 – 1st Prize
- Leó Weiner Chamber Music Competition, Budapest 2000 – 1st Prize (String Trio)
- Leó Weiner Chamber Music Competition, Budapest 2000 – 1st Prize (Sonata)
Teaching activity:
- 1999-2001 Professor of Violin at Mahidol University (Thailand)
- 2002–2004 Artistic Director of the Dénes International Music Academy (Bangkok)
- Since 2007, he has been a guest professor at masterclasses at the Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest), the University of Szeged, the Music Faculty of the University of Pécs, the Bartók Conservatory of Budapest, the conservatories of Békéscsaba and Debrecen, the universities of Saigon, Hanoi and Seoul, the Central Conservatory of Beijing, as well as institutions in Shanghai, Tokyo, Bangkok, Taipei, Kolkata, Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Havana, and Buenos Aires.
- In 2019, he was elected honorary member of JASTA (Japan String Teachers Association), ADMA (Association de Musique Asie), and TMEA (Thai Music Educators Association).
- In 2021, as curator together with Ádám Fischer, Tamás Vásáry, and José Cura, he founded the “Master Violin for the Ring” Foundation to support young talented musicians.
- In 2021 became Honorary Advisor of JASTA Okinawa Branch
Awards and honors:
- Lajtha Prize, 2010
- Dohnányi Prize, 2013
- Ferenc Liszt Prize, 2018
- Emmy Award, 2018
- Knight of Malta, 2020
- Thomastik-Infeld Artist, 2022
Media:
- “The Violin Alone” (2017) - an American biographical film developed by the PBS television network
Mr Olah is playing on a fine Italian violin (Ex-Ligeti) provided by the Government of Hungary.