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The Hungarian conductor and musical director, Zoltán Rozsnyai, was eduated at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where his teachers included Zoltán Kodály, Béla Bartók, Ernest von Dohnányi and János Ferencsik (conducting). He also took courses at the Techical University and at the Pazmany Peter University of Sciences; completed his training , and conducting under János Ferencsik, among others. Already a concert pianist at the age of 10, he was one of the youngest students ever accepted by the Academy.
At 24, Zoltán Rozsnyai was conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Miskolc (1948-1950); and was appointed Music Director of the Debrecen Opera (1950-1953) and subsequently the orchestras of Pécs and Györ in Hungary. In 1954, he became permanent conductor of the Hungarian National Philharmonia Concert Organization. In May 1956, he was awarded the second prize at the International Conductor's Competition in Rome, which resulted an immediate invitation to return to Rome as a guest conductor. After the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, he left Budapest for Vienna, where he founded the famous Philharmonia Hungarica, composed of outstanding exiled musicians. With tireless effort, he built the Philharmonia Hungarica into one of the most outstanding concert orchestras in Europe.
Zoltán Rozsnyai made his USA debut as a guest conductor with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in December 1956. Under the auspices of the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, he brought the Philharmonia Hungarica to America in 1959 for its first USA tour. They earned high critical acclaim everywhere. Individual guest invitations followed. In 1961, he became a USA resident. In 1962, he became Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein (1962-1963). In 1963, he was named Music Director of the Cleveland Philharmonic (1965-1968) and the next year, Music Director of the Utica Symphony Orchestra.
Ro Zoltán Rozsnyai wrote and conducted scores for several films, including Search (1964) and Invitation to Ohio (1964). These two films were directed by another exiled Hungarian, Julius Potocsny, and produced by Cinécraft Productions, Inc. with the music played by members of the Cleveland Orchestra.
In 1967, Zoltán Rozsnyai was selected from over 130 candidates for the position of Music Director of the San Diego Symphony (1967-1971). Under his direction, the Orchestra made its first professional recording on the Vox label. This recording was added to Zoltán Rozsnyai's many record credits, which include Columbia Masterworks as well as distinguished European labels. In 1976 he became Music Director of the Golden St\ate Opera Company in Los Angeles. In 1978 he became Music Director of Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, which post he remained until 1985. In 1982, he built up the Knoxville Symphony on the occasion of the World's Fair, and in 1987, he founded the International Orchestra of San Diego. This orchestra consisted of a select group of young musicians who had performed with symphonic orchestras and musical ensembles all over the world.
The orchestra, being close to Mexico, performed on both sides of the border to unusual acclaim. He joined his International Orchestra of San Diego with the Pro-Musica Ensenada Choir and the Convivium Musicum Choir of Mexico and produced W.A. Mozart's Requiem, Antonio Vivaldi's Gloria and made a recording of Haydn's Seasons. He worked with the International University Orchestra of San Diego until September 10, 1990, when he died from a heart attack. |
