Mario Rafael

Born in 1990 in Budapest, he began playing the piano at the age of six. After finishing elementary school, at just fourteen, he began studying under renowned pianist Károly Binder. This early mentorship led him to become a private student at the Jazz Department of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music—an exceptional opportunity for someone so young. Following his high school graduation, he was admitted to the Academy, where he continued his formal studies.

Since his university years, he has been an active performer—both as a solo artist and in jazz trio settings—appearing at numerous jazz festivals across Hungary and accompanying some of the country’s most prominent pop artists on large-scale concert tours. In 2011, he performed two sold-out concerts at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall of Müpa Budapest with the Budapest Jazz Orchestra and Smile Rock Circus. Later that year, he accompanied top Hungarian vocalists—Zséda, Kati Wolf, Ildikó Keresztes, Vera Tóth, and Gabi Tóth—before an audience of 7,000 at the Syma Arena.

He spent a year and a half in Toronto, working as a session musician at one of the city’s leading studios—renowned for hosting recordings by artists such as Rihanna, the Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson, Sting, and Herbie Hancock. While in Canada, he collaborated and performed extensively with popular African-American singer Caroline Thomson and befriended saxophonist Tim Ries, known for his years touring with The Rolling Stones.

Upon returning to Hungary, he formed the Rafael Mário Trio with fellow university musicians. The trio performs original compositions, and their debut album, My Hope, was released in 2017 under Hunnia Records.

Since 2013, he has been the keyboardist for Szilvia Péter Szabó’s band. As of 2022, he is also the musical director and keyboardist for the NOX band.