Lotti Szalai
Lotti Szalai was born in 1999 in Veszprém, Hungary. She started her classical guitar studies at the age of 9 at the local music school in Balatonalmádi, where her musical talent was shown at an early age.
Before the age of 14, she had already won several prizes in competitions including the 1st prize at the 1st National Guitar Competition, Balatonfüred. In 2014, she successfully entered the Exceptional Young Talent’s Class of the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy in Budapest, in the class of D r. József Eötvös.
After finishing her studies in that class, she continued her Bachelor studies at the Academy of Music, where she graduated in 2021 with an excellent result. In the same year, she was admitted to the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz in Austria, where she is currently a second year
Master student. Her teachers are Prof. Paolo Pegoraro and Prof. Lukasz Kuropaczewski. She has won numerous prizes at national and international competitions, including 1st prize and grand prize at the National Guitar Competition in Nyíregyháza, (Hungary) 1st prize at the International Guitar Competition in Topolya (Serbia), 2nd prize at the Anna Amalia Guitar Competition in Weimar and 3rd prize at the „Forum Gitarre Wien” Competition in Vienna, (Austria). At the age of only 18, she was the youngest competitor to reach the finals of the prestigious Budapest International Guitar Competition, w here she performed Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra. In 2017, she was awarded a Bank of China scholarship and the Junior Prima Award, one of the most distinguished awards for young Hungarian musicians. She ha s performed several times in prestigious concert halls in Hungary and abroad. She frequently participates in masterclasses of outstanding guitarists such as Manuel Barrueco, Judicael Perroy, Margarita Escarpa, Pavel Steidl, Giampaolo Bandini and Marcin Dylla.