Martin Rajna
Martin Rajna | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 21, 1995 |
| Education | Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar |
| Occupation | Conductor |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Website | https://martinrajna.com/ |
Martin Rajna (born 21 September 1995) is a Hungarian conductor. He is First Conductor of the Hungarian State Opera and was Chief Conductor of the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra from 2021 to 2025. In January 2025, he was appointed Music Director Designate of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, effective from the 2026–27 season.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]He was born in Dunaújváros, Hungary. He began his musical training at the Móricz Zsigmond Primary School of Music, and later studied piano at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music in Budapest.[2]
Martin Rajna graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest , where he studied with Ádám Medveczky and András Ligeti and furthered his training at the University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar under conductors Nicolás Pasquet and Ekhart Wycik.[3]
In 2021 he was selected to participate in the mentoring programme of the Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation, where he worked with such masters as Péter Eötvös, György Kurtág, Fabián Panisello, and Magnus Lindberg. [4]
Career
[edit]Rajna served as Assistant Conductor of the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra from 2017 to 2019, and as Chief Conductor from 2021 to 2025.[5] In 2023, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Hungarian State Opera,[6] where he has most recently been on the podium for Der fliegende Holländer, Macbeth, Die Fledermaus and Maria Stuarda. He also continues to conduct concerts with the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra.[7]
At the age of 29 he was appointed as the new Music Director of the Luxembourg Philharmonic, with a four-year contract beginning in September 2026.[8]
He has conducted nearly all major Hungarian orchestras, including the Hungarian National Philharmonic, the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra, the Danubia Orchestra Óbuda, the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra, the Zugló Philharmonic, and the Duna Symphony Orchestra.[9]
Internationally, he has worked with the London Philharmonic Orchestra,[10] the orchestra of Teatro La Fenice,[11] the Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra,[12] and the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared at the Tiroler Festspiele[13] in Erl and the Weilburger Schlosskonzerte.[14]
In 2024, he was included in the Forbes Hungary "30 under 30" list of successful young Hungarians.[15]
Awards and recognition
[edit]- Junior Prima Award (2018)[16]
- Forum Dirigieren scholarship recipient, German Music Council (2022)[17]
- Lucerne Festival Academy Conducting Fellow (2022)[18]
- Cziffra Festival Talent Award (2023)
Selected repertoire
[edit]Operas
[edit]- L'italiana in Algeri (Rossini)
- Macbeth (Verdi)
- Lohengrin (Wagner)
- Turandot (Puccini)
- Maria Stuarda (Donizetti)
- Bluebeard’s Castle (Bartók)
- La voix humaine (Poulenc)
- Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss II)
Concert works
[edit]- Symphony No. 4 (Beethoven) in B-flat major, Op. 60
- Symphony No. 8 (Dvořák) in G major, Op. 88
- Selections by Ludwig van Beethoven and Richard Strauss
- Works by Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók
- Messa di Gloria (Mascagni)
- Orchestral works by Carl Maria von Weber, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Schumann
External links
[edit]- Martin Rajna official website
- Martin Rajna at Operabase
- Martin Rajna – Microcosmos Artists
- Profile at Hungarian State Opera
- Philharmonie Luxembourg announcement
References
[edit]- ^ "Martin Rajna, Music Director Designate". Philharmonie Luxembourg. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Rajna Martin: „Ha jó kérdéseket tudunk megfogalmazni, az már a helyes irányba terel bennünket"". BMC. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
- ^ "Bio – RAJNA MARTIN". Retrieved 2021-04-11.
- ^ "Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation". Retrieved 2021-04-11.
- ^ "Rajna Martin - Chief Conductor". Győr Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Martin Rajna joins the Hungarian State Opera as principal conductor". Hungarian State Opera. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Társulat – Rajna Martin". Hungarian State Opera. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Martin Rajna, Music Director Designate". Luxemburg Philharmonic. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Martin Rajna". Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "London Philharmonic Orchestra Discover Brighton". 2024-10-01. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Martin Rajna conducts Beethoven and Dvořák". Teatro La Fenice. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Instagram". Instagram. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Martin Rajna Appointed New Music Director Of The Philharmonie Luxembourg, Starting 2026 | Opera World". Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Martin Rajna Appointed New Music Director Of The Philharmonie Luxembourg". Opera World. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Rajna Martin". Forbes Hungary. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Junior Prima Prize – Past Recipients". Retrieved 2021-04-11.
- ^ "Martin Rajna wird neuer Chefdirigent des Luxembourg Philharmonic" (in German). Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ^ "Contemporary-Conducting Program". Retrieved 2025-05-21.