|
The Hungarian conductor, Benedek Héja, was born into a musical family. His father, László Héja (who is also the permanent guest conductor of their orchestra) was a member of the Opera House Orchestra (Operaház zenekarának) for many decades, and his mother, Helga Fáth, worked as a violin teacher at the Aelia Sabina Music School (Aelia Sabina Zeneiskolában) in District III. His brother, Domonkos Héja, is a conductor and the founder of the Óbuda Danubia Orchestra (Óbudai Danubia Zenekar).
So it is not surprising that Benedek Héja also chose this career. He studied at Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem and at LFZE Budapest. As a student of the music school, he was introduced to the joy of chamber music and orchestral playing at an early age. He also returned there as a music teacher, where he has been conducting the institution's string orchestra for nearly a decade and a half. He works at Aelia Sabina AMI as music history teacher, string orchestra leader, and tutor, and has received the Art Educator Special Award from the Art Theory Section of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. His students - led by his friend Mihály Nánay - asked him to help start a new ensemble, Budavári Kamarazenekar, which consisted of graduates of the school. They have been together ever since, and the group quickly expanded to include other members who also love music. He curently lives in Budapest, Hungary. |
