Katica Illényi () is a Hungarian

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist, singer, dancer and

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

player. She has classical training, and plays in several musical genres including

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

and Manouche jazz. Illényi comes from a musical family. She was raised in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and began learning the violin with her father, Ferenc Illényi, who played in the orchestra of the

Hungarian State Opera The Hungarian State Opera is the national opera company of Hungary. Located in Budapest, it is a busy institution, with over 200 operas each calendar year, on top of extensive educational programs, ballet, and musical theatre. The company employs 1 ...

. Her older brother (also Ferenc) is a violinist with the

Houston Symphony The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. The orchestra is resident at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. History The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony took place on June 21, 1 ...

, her younger brother Csaba is a violin graduate of the

Vienna Academy of Music en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, and her sister Aniko is a cellist with the Stadtorchester Winterthur in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Illenyi attended the

Franz Liszt Academy of Music The Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music ( hu, Liszt Ferenc Zeneművészeti Egyetem, often abbreviated as ''Zeneakadémia'', "Liszt Academy") is a music university and a concert hall in Budapest, Hungary, founded on November 14, 1875. It is home to the ...

in Budapest, after which she broadened her repertoire to include classical, jazz, and world music. In 2002 Illenyi embarked on a solo stage career performing concerts containing eclectic programs of classical, jazz, and movie soundtrack themes. In 2014 she began public performances with the

Theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

, which she has continued to include in many of her concerts. Illenyi has received international accolades, performing at concerts organized in cooperation with the Embassies of Hungary in several countries. In 2010 she organized a family reunion concert with her brothers and sister at the Bela Bartok National Concert Hall, Palace of Arts Budapest. Awards: Hungary's Outstanding Artist - 15th March 2020 Artist of Merit of Hungary - 15th March 2015 Franz Liszt Award - 15th march 2014 Artisjus Award 2010 eMeRTon Award 2002 Discography - album - CD - DVD 2019. Jubilee Concert - Budapest Congress Center 2018. Tango Classic, Celebration Hall of Vigadó 2017. Katica Illényi & Friends Budapest Congress Center 2016. New Year Concert at Royal Ballroom with Budapest Strings 2016. Theremin Christmas 2015. Around the world in 80 days 2014. Live in Budapest 2014. The Stephane Grappelli Tribute 2014. Live at the Thalia Theatre 2013. Reloaded Jazzy Violin 2013. World Famous Movie Songs and Evergreens 2012. Around the world with a violin 2012. Classic violin 2012. Katica Illényi and her Siblings at the Palace of Art sin Budapest 2010. Songs of Love 2008. The Jazzy Violin 2007. Concert at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music 2006. Live at the Palace of Arts Budapest 2005. Honeysuckle rose 2002. Premier

References

External links

Her official channel on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Illenyi, Katica Living people Hungarian classical violinists Theremin players Musicians from Budapest Merited artists of the Republic of Hungary 21st-century classical violinists 1968 births