Cooler Classics - with Peter Lewis
March 30, 2025
Over the past week, several British radio stations have broadcasted my interview in several repeats. You can now listen to it online (from the 48th minute). I would like to thank host Peter Lewis for the invitation! I will listen to it.
Talentum – emerging talents | Laura Vitéz
March 30, 2025
One of the brand new columns of Kornél Esti is Talentum – emerging talents. Laura Vitéz is only 15 years old, but she is the proud owner of numerous piano works and awards. In addition to spending several hours a day composing music, the young talent also plays the organ and designs clothes. She told us what a day in Laura’s life looks like and what it feels like to win world competitions at the age of 15. Follow us: Facebook: / m2petofitv Instagram: / petofilive Petőfi Live: http://www.petofilive.hu/ Live stream: http://www.mediaklikk.hu/m2-elo/
January 17, 2025
The interview on M2 television can be viewed via the link below. View
January 9, 2025

Laura Vitéz, an exciting star of the Hungarian music scene, achieved resounding international success in 2024 with her talent and dedication. Laura recently tried her hand at acting. She plays Mozart's student in the BBC docudrama "Mozart: Rise of a Genius", which presents the life and work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to the audience. Filming was a huge experience for Laura, especially because her first film role was in the story of a composer genius. Laura has won world competitions such as the Grand Prise Virtuoso 2024 in Germany, the World Art Games in Spain, and the American Edition in New York. The young composer's outstanding piano and organ works made her famous with her triumphs at the Grand Prise Virtuoso 2024 in Vienna and the Moderato 2024 in Turkey. He also proudly wears the “World’s Best Musicians” 2024 Warsaw award, which he received as an emerging young composer. In 2025, he has set even higher goals for himself. He is building an international career as a composer and film composer, while working on new musical projects. In connection with this, he plans to launch his own fashion brand, which will open up another exciting area for him to express his creativity and style in the fashion world. The future-oriented talent is distinguished from his peers not only by his musical successes, but also by his social sensitivity. He passionately believes that talent can be used to serve not only music, but also people. To this end, he supports the Stroke Association and families in need with his donations, setting an example not only for young people, but also for the entire society. He also pays special attention to animal protection; adopted a critically endangered Siberian tiger named Agnes from the Budapest Zoo, thereby highlighting the importance of preserving nature and wildlife.
November 6, 2024

Laura Vitéz's career as a composer began at the age of 10. Despite her young age, the now 15-year-old talent has been enchanting us with her wonderful piano works for several years and has proven on many occasions that she is an exceptional talent. She recently won a landslide victory at the American Edition international competition in America. The young composer's work is surrounded by a series of international successes. Among them are the Fiestalonia 2022 Super Cup (Spain), the 2023 Salzburg Grand Prize Virtuoso, the 2023 Golden Classical Music Awards New York, the 2024 Grand Prize Virtuoso Bonn, World Art Games 2024 Spain, World Talent 2024 New York. In addition to playing the piano, Laura started playing the organ more than a year ago. This instrument captivated her so much that she transcribed some of her piano works for organ in a short time. She also began to compose more and more works for organ. In the spring of this year, he gave a solo organ concert, which was followed by numerous other domestic performances. Moreover, in the summer, with the support of the Barankovics István Foundation, he began working on his first organ LP, the music producer of which is Lázár Lobó-Szalóky, a Pro-Arte award-winning musician. He is already establishing himself on the international stage with his works written for organ, as he recently won a landslide victory at the American Edition international competition in America.
May 23, 2024
A performance symbolizing the unity of people with disabilities and those without disabilities A tribute to people with disabilities and their families, the organizations that help them, and parasports. Created by: Heart Patients Rehabilitation Foundation Responsible: Judit Kiss Scenic design: Szira Máté-Steff Music: Laura Vitéz (the work was composed by the artist when she was 11 years old) Photo: György Oszvald, Judit Kiss Contributed by: László Somorai
April 28, 2024

At the St. George Church in Kőbánya, interested parties can hear the Mother's Day organ concert of 14-year-old composer Laura Vitéz, composed of her own works, on Saturday, May 4, starting at 6 p.m. One of the motivations for the concert is the first prize for composers awarded to the winner of the "Grand Prize Virtuoso Vienna" in Vienna at the beginning of April. Laura Vitéz is a lovely teenage music lover, I recently introduced her as the "Mozart of Kőbánya". Well, Mozartism lives on in the young soul, she continues to pour out her works composed for piano and organ, and to prove her talent, she regularly wins first prizes, recognitions at international competitions, and reaps successes at public performances of her award-winning works. She received her most recent prize in Vienna. In early April 2024, he performed at the Gläserner Saal of the Musikverein in Vienna, where he received his latest award as the winning composer following his performance. She did all this in a dress she designed herself, because in addition to composing music, the young talent is also interested in fashion design,” the website zeneportal.hu recently wrote. However, Laura – despite her young age – reacts sensitively to various holidays, and it is no coincidence that she announced an organ concert for May 4 in honor of Mother’s Day. More on that later, first let me publish a short interview. I first asked Laura and her mother about the Vienna award ceremony. I was curious about when they found out about the competition, how the work was submitted, and last but not least, how the results were announced. Mother and daughter told the story complementing each other. The competition was this year’s call, it was submitted at the beginning of February, and an audio recording had to be sent. The results were also announced by email, Laura was informed that she had won the 2024 Vienna Virtuoso Competition. There were two options: one, if she could not travel to Vienna to receive the award in person, then it will be mailed, and the other option is to attend the award ceremony in person. They stayed with the latter. They spent five days in Vienna, and there was more to think about than just a trip. Laura had a serious task, the dress rehearsal, and she also had to appear in the outfit she would wear at the gala. In response to my question, she said that she was not very nervous, she had practiced a lot at home, she could memorize her composition very well, and she had no reason to be nervous. There were not many people in the hall anyway, the audience was about 300 people. (The question remained as to what kind of mental state she would have if she had to play the piano in front of an audience of five thousand people…) They did not know whether the award ceremony was filmed for TV, but the professional photographer worked diligently. (The illustrations – with the exception of two photos – were taken by the event photographer. –ed.) There was no professional evaluation at the awards ceremony, only the awards were presented, here a certificate and a medal, and those present, like Laura, presented their application materials. Laura's performance was followed by a loud round of applause, her success was clear. There was also talk of her dress. Diána, her mother, proudly announced that Laura had designed the dress herself, with only minimal changes made to the colors and fabric of the dress compared to the original drawing. Towards the end of February, they started to think about who and where could sew the dress for the performance, and it took a good month for her to find the seamstress and have the set ready. Laura's dress was also a success, several people praised it and asked where it was from and who made it? We showed her her own logo incorporated into Laura's dress, indicating that she was the designer! And here I would like to move on to the organ concert on May 4th. I was curious how many of Laura's 40 works were chosen and according to what criteria, how her concert will proceed. I am lucky enough to have been to the St. George Church several times, the prayer room itself is very beautiful, the organ is in the gallery, and a very beautiful instrument can be seen and listened to. Laura will perform six of her compositions, of course she will play all of them by heart, this will be an approx. half-hour program at the end of the service, as its closing event. “We had been thinking about an organ concert for over a month, based on Laura’s idea, looking for the right opportunity. We didn’t know what it would be yet, but Laura practiced diligently, sitting at the organ two or three times a week. The idea of having a Mother’s Day concert came to us not so long ago, and that’s when we started advertising it. We indicated on the posters that the concert was free, but that we would gladly accept donations,” Diána reported. Unfortunately, Laura’s “dress” designed by herself can only be seen in photos this time, as playing the organ requires different types of movements than playing the piano. Photos: Vienna, Laura Vitéz’s Facebook page, 10kerkult.hu/OGY
April 10, 2024

Despite her young age, the barely 14-year-old composer can already boast many successes. Laura Vitéz performed in the Gläserner Saal of the Musikverein in Vienna in early April 2024, where she also received her latest award as the winning composer after her performance. She did all this in a dress she designed herself, as the young talent is also interested in fashion design in addition to composing music. Laura Vitéz began her musical career at the age of 7-8. She has now written more than 30 piano works and 6 organ works. She has won almost 50 world music competitions as a composer. At the age of 13, she had already completed her first studio work and released her first album titled “Fly Free”. On December 19, 2023, she received the title of Hungarian Recorder as a young composer. On March 26, 2024, Laura was awarded the “Best Musicians of the World” award in Warsaw as an emerging young composer. Now Laura has added another twist to her career so far. Very few people know that Laura is also involved in fashion design in addition to composing music. And now, at Easter, her big dream came true. She took to the stage in none other than Vienna at the Musikverein Gläserner Saal, performing her own works in a dress she designed herself. After the concert, she received the award for the winner of the 2024 “Grand Prize Virtuoso Vienna”. After all, there is only one question: what will be the next big surprise for the young talent?
January 15, 2024

Laura Vitéz has proven on many occasions over the past few years that she is exceptionally talented. The 14-year-old young composer has been surrounded by a series of international successes. Over the past few years, she has written more than 30 piano works and won more than 40 international competitions as a composer. Among them are the Fiestalonia 2022 Super Cup (Spain), the 2023 Salzburg Grand Prize Virtuoso, the 2023 Golden Classical Music Awards New York. She recently achieved another fantastic success. On December 19, 2023, Laura Vitéz received the Diploma of the Honorary Title of Hungarian Recorder within the framework of the Christmas concert organized at the Sándor Kőbánya Cultural Center in Kőrösi, as she set the record for the composer who has written the most piano works. Laura began composing shorter melodies at the age of 6-7 and wrote her first piano piece at the age of just 10, which immediately made her stand out among international talents and won the Milan and Toronto international music competitions as a composer. Before composing, she began her competitive career in singing competitions, which immediately brought her international attention, as she won first place at the Magic Muse in Moscow at the age of just 9 and also won the special prize. Two years ago, at the age of 12, she also won the Future Talent Awards competition in London. Her first album, “Fly Free,” was released in October 2023, which contains 12 of her own works. The motto of the young talent is: “I want to bring as much joy to people as possible with my music and create something lasting.”
November 24, 2023

Laura Vitéz's first album, "Fly Free", was released in October 2023, and contains 12 of the 14-year-old composer's own piano works. The music producer of Laura's debut album was Lázár Lobó-Szalóky, a Pro Arte award-winning musician. Laura has been singing and playing the piano since she was 3 years old. She started composing at the age of 6, and at just 10 years old, she wrote her first piano work, with which she immediately won two international competitions (Milan and Toronto). The young artist devotes most of her time to composing and playing the piano, which is why she has been a private student at the Harmat Elementary School in Kőbánya since the 4th grade. Over the past four years, Laura has written 29 piano works and won more than 40 international competitions as a young composer from New York to Tokyo. The Hungarian media simply refers to her as "the new prodigy", "the Mozart of Kőbánya". On July 30, 2023, Laura Vitéz performed at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, where she also received the winner's prize of the "Salzburg 2023" Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition as a composer. Most recently, Laura was awarded the winner's prize of the "Bonn 2023" Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition, as well as first place at the Golden Classical Music Awards (New York) 2023 International Competition, and was invited to perform in New York at Carnegie Hall in July 2024. The motto of the young talent is: "I want to bring as much joy to people as possible with my music and create something lasting."
November 19, 2023

Vitéz Laura nevét nem sokan ismerik Kőbányán, de Magyarországon sem. Annál többen tudják a nagyvilágban, hogy ki az a kedves fiatal leány, aki sorra nyeri a nemzetközi zenei versenyek zeneszerzői kategóriájának első díjait. Sikerei nyomán már külföldi felkérései vannak, s nemrég jelent meg első, Fly Free című lemeze is. Az előzményekről annyit, hogy másfél éve egy facebook-bejegyzésre lettem figyelmes. Arról szólt a hír, hogy a Harmat Általános Iskola egyik tanulója egy nemzetközi zeneszerzői versenyen első helyezést ért el. Kerestem az elérhetőségét, de kiderült, hogy magántanuló. Néhány nap múlva aztán megkaptam az édesanyja ímél címét. „Ügyes” voltam, sikerült valahová elrakni a cetlit: naná, hogy nem találtam meg. Halogattam, hogy újra megszerzem a címet, mindaddig, míg a hír „kihűlt”. Nemrég azonban egy kedves ismerősöm felhívta a figyelmemet, hogy van egy kislány, akinek megjelent az első saját szerzeményeket tartalmazó CD-je, és ez alkalomból a napokban köszöntötte D. Kovács Róbert Antal polgármester az ifjú zeneszerzőt. Ezt már nem hagyhatom ki, döntöttem el, s némi segítséggel ugyan, de sikerült felvennem a kapcsolatot Vitéz Laura, mert róla van szó, édesanyjával, Lancfer Dianával. A szót tett követte, az anyukától bőséges háttérinfót kaptam, s néhány napon belül már a Csősztoronyban ültünk, és beszélgettünk. Egy rövid bemutatkozás után azt fejtegettem Laurának, hogy zeneszerzői tevékenysége nagyon hasonlít Mozart gyerekkorára. Hatévesen már ő is komponált, sőt néhány év múlva már egész estés operát írt. Nekem nehezen érthető, hogy mi az a belső hang, késztetés vagy akármi, ami a felszínre hozza a zeneszerzés kényszerét. A kérdést nem is kellett feltettem, Laura – igaz, kicsit szűkszavúan, de – máris válaszolt. „Nálunk volt zongora, s már kis koromban gyakran odaültem, pötyögtettem a billentyűket. Később zongoraórákra jártam, de sokszor nem azt játszottam, amit kellett volna, hanem elkezdtem dallamokat zongorázni, és ezek jobban tetszettek, mint a kották, és így születtek a műveim.” Laura anyukája annyival egészítette ki a mondottakat, hogy valójában a dallamok már akkor megszülettek, amikor Laura még nem járt zeneiskolába. Laura jót nevetett, mikor – csak úgy – kibukott belőlem, hogy akkor te vagy „Kőbánya Mozartja”. Még az édesanyja is elmosolyodott ezen a hasonlaton. Nyugtáztam a tehetséget, de nem álltam meg, hogy ne kérdezzek rá egy nekem fontos tényezőre: – Hogyan viszonyul a környezeted, a barátaid, az iskolatársaid a nemzetközi sikereidre? – Ritkán találkozom az iskolatársaimmal, mert magántanuló vagyok, s ezekről nem nagyon beszélgetünk. De amikor Salzburgban adtam elő egy díjazott művemet, megismerkedtem gyerekekkel, akik zongoráztak vagy hegedültek, és nekik nagyon tetszett, amit én játszottam. Ők csodálkoztak, hogy a saját szerzeményemet adom elő. – Azt pedig én teszem hozzá, mondta Laura anyukája, hogy az elmúlt négy évben a nemzetközi versenyeken még senkivel sem találkoztunk, aki saját kompozíciót adott volna elő. Egytől egyig – legyen az kínai, japán, amerikai – kiváló tehetség, mind hangszeres zsenik voltak. – Azért nem vagyok elszigetelve, fűzte hozzá Laura, mert amikor találkozom a barátaimmal, gratulálnak, érdeklődnek, és tudomásul veszik, hogy másképpen tanulok, más az időbeosztásom, mint az övéké. Volt, aki újságban olvasott rólam. Ehhez a gondolatsorhoz csatlakoztam, s elmondtam Laurának, hogy a fészen bejelöltem ismerősnek, végignéztem a posztjait; követője lettem. Ettől függetlenül még visszatértem a komponálásra egy kicsit. Azt firtattam, mikor „támadja le” az ihlet, mikor ül zongorához, hogy rögzítse az éppen kikívánkozó dallamot? Némi gondolkodás után azt mondta Laura, hogy „sokszor előfordul, hogy a műveim gyakorlása közben jön elő egy dallamsor. De olyan is előfordult nem egyszer, hogy könyvet olvastam, és az ott leírt esemény adott egy ötletet.” Salzburg– Kottára írod a dallamot? – Nem. Diktafonra, videóra rögzítem. A telefonom mindig velem van, s arra tudom felvenni. – Hogyan történik a két kéz használata a komponálás során? Egyszerre jön a jobb- és a bal kézről a dallam? Vagy végleges a jobb kéz játszotta sor, és ehhez szerkeszted hozzá a bal kéz dallamát? – Egyszerre jönnek a dallamok, ösztönösen játszom mind a két kézzel. De olyan is előfordult, hogy megcseréltem a két kéz szerepét – mosolyodott el Laura, miközben az asztalon illusztrálta a zongorázást. Azt pedig az anyukája mondta el, hogy mindegyik kompozíció archiválva van, de még nincsennek lejegyezve a művek, de foglalkoznak ezzel, szeretnének kottaíró programot beszerezni. Kérésemre azt is elmondta, hogy Laura 10 évesen megírta az első nagy zongoraművét, amellyel zeneszerzőként azonnal megnyert két világversenyt. Az elmúlt néhány év alatt 29 zongoraművet írt, és több, mint 40 világverseny első helyét tudhatja magáénak New Yorktól Tokióig. Elvitte többek között 2022-ben a Spanyol Szuper Kupa első díját, vagy a 2023. évi Grand Prize Virtuoso Nemzetközi Verseny (Salzburg) I. helyét. De az idei Golden Classical Music Awards Nemzetközi Zenei Versenyt (New York) is Laura nyerte. Ezeknek a nemzetközi sikereknek köszönhetően Laurának egyre több külföldi fellépési meghívása van. 2023. júliusában Salzburgban, az Universität Mozarteumban (Salzburgi Zeneművészeti Egyetem -a szerk.) lépett fel, 2023. december 18-21-e között Bonnban fog zongorázni a Beethoven 250. születésnapja alkalmából megrendezett koncertsorozaton. De már 2024-re is vannak meghívásai: New Yorkban, a Carnegie Hall színpadán és Los Angelesben, a Walt Disney Koncertteremben fogja bemutatni műveit. Ehhez kapcsolódva Diana azt is fontosnak tartotta megemlíteni, hogy néhány hete jelent meg Laura első, Fly Free című lemeze, amely 12 saját művét tartalmazza. Meghallgattam Laura Katolikus rádióban elhangzott interjúját, s ott hallottam, hogy Laura második fontos tevékenysége a divattervezés. Megkérdeztem, hogyan választja ki a fellépő ruháját, netán saját tervezésű toalettet visel? Utaltam itt a lemezborítóra is. Nevetve mondta, hogy saját tervezésű ruhája még nincs, de a lemezhez ő választotta a szettet. Az édesanyja itt is besegített, s a telefonjában mutatott több ruhatervet is. Laura 7-8 évesen kezdett el ruhákat tervezni. Először egy hobbinak tekintettük. De 10-11 évesen egyre komolyabb rajzai voltak és úgy 12 éves lehetett, amikor megmutattam a rajzait egy szakembernek azzal a céllal, hogy szerinte ez csak egy hobbi, vagy komolyabban oda kell figyelni erre is? A szakember nem akarta elhinni, hogy egy 12 éves gyerek rajzait látja. Azt tanácsolta, hogy ezzel mindenképpen komolyan kell foglalkozni, mert nagyon tehetséges, nagyon jó érzéke van a divattervezéshez. Terveink között szerepel, s reméljük, hogy már a közeljövőben sikerül megvalósítani, hogy Laura saját tervezésű ruhában lépjen fel, mint zeneszerző.”
March 29, 2022
A few months ago, we reported on the amazingly young and talented pianist, Laura Vitéz, a 12-year-old student at Harmat Elementary School in Kőbánya, who has already won first prize in numerous online classical music competitions from Prague to Beijing. The little girl is receiving more and more publicity on the leading platforms of the Hungarian media (and deservedly so), her latest composition, inspired by the Ukrainian-Russian conflict. The piano piece War and Peace is the highlight of the day for us, its captivating musicality - and troubled tone immediately reaches our hearts.
February 13, 2022

Laura Vitéz demonstrated her exceptional talent at a very young age, when she impressed the jury at international singing competitions at the age of just nine and won first places. The now twelve-year-old girl was invited to many foreign countries, but the pandemic made it impossible to travel. As much as she is known abroad, she is not so well known in her native country. Now is the time to get to know her. Let's start with the fact that for her seventh birthday she asked to see Mozart's birthplace. Her request was granted. Moreover, her mother did not show her a photo of the building, but took her to Salzburg for a week. Laura admitted that she is a mutant. Of course, girls cannot avoid the vocal cord lengthening during adolescence, which is a more serious thing for a singer if her voice deepens. Until now – as I wrote in the introduction, as a young teenager – he had shown his knowledge in works by masters such as Bach’s Ave Maria or Cesar Franck’s Panis Angelicus, in front of jury members such as Montserrat Caballé’s daughter, Montserrat Martí. More than twenty diplomas, cups and special awards remind him of his victories in his room. He has an absolute pitch, which is eloquently demonstrated by the fact that at the age of four, upon hearing, for example, a work by Beethoven, and even Shostakovich, he ran to the piano and played the composition accurately. At that time, music education took place at home, as there were musicians among his ancestors, and several of them studied music. That he was surrounded by classical music can be inferred from the fact that Shostakovich played in the apartment, which, let’s admit, is rare in the world’s multi-billion family nests, like the blue-dyed fabric of Schön- und Schwarzfärber. Two years later, at just six years old – like the genius Mozart – he wrote his first composition, which consisted of a few-line melody. The title of his first serious work is Covid, as he composed the prelude just as the pandemic broke out. The work was so successful that it won the top prize in an international composition competition in Milan and Canada. His instrument is the piano. He spends 2-3 hours a day composing, as much as he does studying, and he sleeps at least ten hours. He is convinced that he knows what a normal childhood is like – although he certainly doesn’t live it. Accordingly, he and his friends naturally don’t only discuss music, but also girly things. Like everyone else, Covid has left its mark on his life, so he hasn’t been able to go to the cinema, the theatre, concerts, or bowling. The latter, I admit, surprised me, because one would think that a heavy bowling ball would not be very good for pianist fingers. That is why Laura played carefully, choosing the lightest ball. After all, it does not sound strange that Laura, like many, many millions of girls, had Barbie dolls. The first wave of the coronavirus began when she was in fourth grade, and with it online education, she started the next year as a private student for music. She is an excellent student, not to mention. She does not attend the Academy of Music because there is no singing or composition department in the young talents department. Her mother does not want to rush her daughter, saying that she is only 12 years old, let her have a childhood. The path to becoming a musician is a tough, particularly steep one, as it starts as a child, the entire youth is dominated by constant practice and continuous learning, and yet she dreams of what she will become as a professional: a world-famous soloist, or perhaps a “vocalist” in a chamber orchestra. It is no coincidence that her family tries several directions, not only within the realm of music, such as singing and composing, but also outside of it, because she has a hobby – as her mother put it – fashion design. Laura has received invitations to many places due to her results in competitions, from Spain to Russia.
November 18, 2021

The barely 12-year-old girl has already won several prestigious music awards. We can be sure that the whole country will soon know the name of Laura Vitéz. The very young - and amazingly talented girl has been singing and playing the piano since the age of three, and at just four, she was already playing excerpts from pieces by world-famous composers by ear, such as Shostakovich's Second Circle. She was six when she started composing her own works on the piano at home. At the age of nine, she was already competing internationally, in classical singing and then composition categories. Her mother first entered her into singing competitions, and little Laura immediately won first place and a special prize at the Magic Muse competition in Moscow. Her talent has been noticed in several European and overseas competitions, she achieved a distinguished second place at the prestigious American New York Star, and she also won first prize at the Legends of the Northern Fjords in Amsterdam, also winning the special prize for the youngest talent, where her talent was praised by artists such as Olga Adamovich Basile, a teacher at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg. However, Laura spends most of her time at the piano, so it is not surprising that she has already completed a full album of her own compositions. The 12-year-old prodigy has composed 10 independent piano pieces, with which she has entered numerous music competitions. She recently won the Future Talent Award at a London competition. Laura Vitéz has also won several other awards this year, including competitions in Milan, Istanbul and Edinburgh. You can apply for the composer competitions online, by submitting a single entry, and the list of award winners is compiled based on the votes and opinions of internationally renowned, serious music experts from the given city or country. One thing is for sure, the young Hungarian has already been noticed abroad, now it's time for everyone in our country to learn his name...