In addition to having performed with all the major orchestras in Hungary, Barnabás has also performed with the Belgian National Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic, Holland’s Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Limburg, Arnheim, Lahti, and Saarbrucken Radio symphonies, Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Flemish Radio Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra among others. Festival appearances have included Colmar, Cambridge, Delft, Capetown, IMS Prussia Cove, Budapest, Prague, Salzburg and Grand Teton.

He has collaborated with conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Denis Russel-Davies, Eiji Oue, Robert Spano, Zoltán Kocsis, Michael Stern, Péter Eötvös, Tamás Vásáry and Rumon Gamba. Barnabás has performed at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, London’s Wigmore Hall, and New York’s Carnegie Hall where his debut was reviewed as "a dazzling performance" (American Record Guide).

Highlights for next season include solo engagements with the Extremadura Orchestra Spain, the Slovak Philharmony Orchestra, the Hungarian National Symhony Orchestra, the North Netherlands Orchestra, and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He also performs recitals at Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany with Gergely Bogányi and chamber music in Lahti, Finnland.

In addition to winning the Gold Medal at the 2002 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and six of the eight special prize and also the loan of the 1683 Ex-Gingold Stradivari violin and Tourte bow for four years, Barnabas has won prizes at many international competitions including Second Prize at the 1997 Szigeti Competition, First Prizes at the 1999 Mozart Competition in Salzburg and the International Piano Trio Competition in Kuhmo, and Third Prize at the 2001 Queen Elisabeth Competition.

In recognition of his talent and achievements, Barnabás Kelemen received the "Rózsavölgyi", the "Jelenlét", and the "Franz Liszt" prizes by the Hungarian Government. In 2003 he was awarded Classical Musician of the Year by Gramophone magazine (Hungary) and his recording of the Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano (Hungaroton) with pianist Tamás Vásáry won France's Diapaison d'Or. His double CD, The Complete Works for Violin and Piano by Franz Liszt, with pianist Gergely Bogányi, won the International Liszt Society's 2001 Grand Prix du Disque. Recently he receieved the Award of the Hungarian State acknowledging his excellent professional work from the President of Hungary. Barnabás Kelemen was requested to play each of the violin solos and the violin solo of Divertimento for the Complete CD-recording of Béla Bartók complete works releasing by Hungaroton.

Barnabás' repertoire spans from early baroque to contemporary music. He performed the Hungarian premieres of the Ligeti and Schnittke Violin Concertos and gave the Hungarian premiere of Gubajdulina’s and world premiere of Kurtág’s violin pieces. As a chamber musician, he has appeared with, amongst others, Steven Isserlis, Zoltán Kocsis and Dezs? Ránki and performs regularly with Katalin Kokas (violin/viola), Miklós Perényi (cello), Dénes Várjon, Péter Nagy and Gergely Bogányi (piano).

Born in Hungary, Barnabás started his violin studies with noted Hungarian pedagogue Valeria Baranyai at the age of 6. He entered Eszter Perényi's class at the Franz Liszt Music Academy at the age of 11. In 2001 he received his diploma and was also awarded the Sándor Végh Prize by the Sándor Végh Foundation in Budapest. In addition to his primary teachers, Barnabás has participated in master classes with Isaac Stern, Ferenc Rados, György Kurtág, Igor Ozim, Lorand Fenyves, Dénes Zsigmondy, György Pauk, Sergiu Luca and Thomas Zehetmair. Beginning in September 2005, he has began his appointment as Professor of Violin at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest and teaches regularly as a guest professor at the Bloomington Indiana University.

He performs on the 1742 Ex-Kovács Dénes Guarneri del Gesú violin, which he received from the State of Hungary.

www.barnabaskelemen.com