Jenő Lisztes

Jenő Lisztes was born in Budapest in 1986. He began playing one of Hungary’s most iconic instruments, the cimbalom, at the age of four. Both his father and grandfather are cimbalom players, making the instrument a long-standing tradition in his family. His first teacher was Ágnes Szakály, and he later continued his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music under Ilona Szeverényi Gerencsérné. He graduated in 2010 with qualifications as both a cimbalom teacher and performing artist.

Since 2006, Lisztes has been a member of the Roby Lakatos Ensemble. He also leads his own jazz trio, the Jenő Lisztes Cimbalom Project.

As a soloist, Lisztes has performed with internationally renowned symphony orchestras and appeared at some of the world’s most prestigious concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, BOZAR in Brussels, and Müpa Budapest.

In 2012, he was invited to record the cimbalom part for the Hollywood film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, with music composed by Hans Zimmer.

Lisztes has also collaborated extensively with Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, performing with the ensemble on numerous occasions. In 2018, he appeared as a soloist with the orchestra at the BBC Proms.

In 2023, he was invited to perform at the European Parliament in Brussels as part of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations. That same year, he was invited by internationally acclaimed Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki and the New York Philharmonic to perform three concerts at David Geffen Hall, as well as a recital at Lincoln Center in New York.

Jenő Lisztes performs on a cimbalom made by Ákos Nagy in Budapest, Hungary.