Violinist virtuoso Zoltán Mága lives and creates in a small but world-famous country in Central Europe, Hungary, which can boast of natural beauty and great achievements in arts and sciences.

His unique, instantly recognisable virtuoso play, his characteristic crossover style mingling classical music, folk music, pop music and other genres of music have earned worldwide recognition and acclaim. His artistic repertoire ranges from folk music through classical pieces to jazz and even pop music. The distinguishing features of his art are virtuosity, an immense force, a desire coming from deep in his soul to give, and a hope that music and the love that appears in it can be a means to make the world better.

He is one of those artists who, being committed to accomplishing a mission in the first place, represents Hungarian cultural traditions and strengthens the positive image formed of Hungarians. His musical mission is to get the world to know and like the Hungarian nation and Hungarian culture. Through his concerts he sets out to make his audience become more open to other nations and cultures. This way he has gained countless fans not only for himself but also for traditional gypsy and classical music. It is his inimitable, special personality that makes his music unique and magic.

With his charity concerts he is able to mobilise and join together thousands of people in spite of ideological and political divides. Inviting music-lover Hungarians to assume social responsibility is an initiative without precedent. This explains why he is called the Violinist of Love by both musicians and his audience.

Violinist virtuoso Zoltán Mága has given concerts in nearly one hundred countries on five continents, playing for kings, heads of state, church dignitaries and world-famous stars. He has enchanted with his play Pope Benedict XVI, Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, Mohammed VI, the king of Morocco, Konstantin II, the former king of Greece, the Oscar-winning American actor Robert de Niro, and also actress Salma Hayek. He has worked together with numerous world-renowned musicians, among others Didier Lockwood, Stephan Grappelli and Richard Clayderman.

Among his countless television appearances the Christmas concert that he gave in the Hungarian National Opera House in 2002 stands out as a beautiful experience that was enjoyed by viewers in 22 countries.

Zoltán Mága’s aim is to enchant millions of people in his concerts and enable all age groups to experience the beauty of classical, pop and folk music, the universality of Hungarian musical culture.

The artist’s tours on five continents

Zoltán Mága started his formal education in the Talentum (Talent) International Art School of Dance and Music. In 1997 he earned a performing artist diploma in the folk music section, and he took over his diploma from violinist Miklós Szenthelyi, a Kossuth Award laureate (the highest ranking cultural award in Hungary). As the lead violinist of the internationally renowned Rajkó Orchestra, which was the first important stage in his career, he earned fame for his beloved home country in almost all capitals of Europe as well as in the US and the Far East. Then he toured around the other part of the world with the Budapest Gypsy Orchestra, which was founded by him, and gave hugely successful concerts everywhere.

It was the most glamorous revue theatre with a prestigious past on the Budapest Broadway, the Moulin Rouge, that played a significant role in the creation of his special, instantly recognizable style. Here he was able to realise his old dream: he established the crossover style in Hungary. After his first successful concert he became the leader of the orchestra, and not very much later, the artistic director, the director and the producer of show programmes.

Zoltán Mága is equally popular with the members of his profession and his audience. In spite of his young age he has a huge number of fans, ranging from children to the older generation. He is a role model for children and brings pleasure to elderly people’s lives.

Charity activity by the ‘Violinist of Love’

The violinist virtuoso considers it very important to give, to donate. His art came unforgettably entwined with his charity activity. He does not feel his life complete without it. This is why he has launched numerous individual charity actions. In December 2006 he organised and gave a concert entitled “Advent musical prayer in the honour of Ferenc Puskás and the Hungarian Alzheimer’s disease patients” in Mátyás Church in Budapest with internationally renowned guest stars. In January 2007 he gave a hugely successful concert in the banquet hall of Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, the revenue of which was used for purchasing life-saving appliances for the Hungarian National Ambulance Service. In December 2007 he gave a Christmas charity concert in the Dome Hall of the Parliament to support the treatment of sick children. He regularly invites pensioners to his concerts and gives help to disadvantaged children. Several of his master violins have been sold at charity concerts and auctions. The revenues are always offered for noble purposes.

The Violinist of Love carries music even into the most remote corners of his homeland. Besides his musical activity he has organised charity campaigns for the eradication of poverty many times.  His violin has already been played for the creation of workplaces, social peace, flood victims as well as hospitals, people in need, relatives of the policemen and soldiers who died a hero’s death, the poor, the orphans, large families, sick people and children, communities and families in difficulty. There have been countless occasions when a helping hand was lent to churches, institutions, schools, young people wishing to study, hopes of the future.

Zoltán Mága’s life path and career can serve as guidance to many young people starting out from a disadvantaged background. The musician’s credo is that the key to integration is learning in the first place, and the knowledge thus gained is the future. Knowledge brings prestige, value, recognition and honesty to life. He thinks that this is the only road that leads to real integration and social peace. His life path is the proof that regardless of your skin colour, origin, religion or denominational affiliation, if you really want to break out of poverty you can achieve it with learning, diligence and honest work to become a successful, honoured and appreciated member of your country.

He set a personal example when he obtained a degree at the Art Faculty of the University of Pécs.

With his public role in society and his social messages he draws attention to the importance of education and the nurturing of talents. 

100 Charity Concerts in Churches

In August 2009 Zoltán Mága launched a series of charity concerts in St. Stephen Basilica in Budapest, which were entitled ’100 Church Concerts’ and earned acclaim even from Pope Benedict XVI. It was a unique initiative by the violinist in the spirit of creating unity in Hungary. With these concert series and the programmes built around them his aim was to provide help to his disadvantaged fellow beings and those in difficulty both within Hungary and beyond its borders. The majestic opening ceremony was honoured by the presence of the highest ranking religious dignity of Hungary, Cardinal Dr Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, Primate of Hungary, President of the Hungarian Catholic Bishops Conference, President of the CCEE (Council of Bishops Conferences of Europe).

At the hundredth concert more than ten thousand people gave a standing ovation in the Basilica, but these elevating minutes were shared also by several thousands of people in the churches of larger and smaller towns and villages of Hungary. The Violinist of Love also encouraged people to join forces at events held in cathedrals, catholic, reformed and evangelic churches as well as synagogues. The violinist has accomplished his mission successfully. He has invited and gathered people from the widest possible spheres of society, walks of life, so he built a bridge between different parts of the country, different social groups, between human beings and human beings.

The two years of the 100 Church Concerts have proved that in Hungary hundred thousands of people are able to join forces, give help for noble purposes in the spirit of fraternal love. He gave the donations of more than 100 million forints to his disadvantaged Hungarian compatriots and those in need.

 In recognition of his artistic and charity mission Zoltán Mága was invited to the Vatican in September 2011. He was received by Pope Benedict XVI. The violinist played a Hungarian folk song in honour of the Holy Father. Zoltán Mága handed over a violin to His Holiness as a gift on behalf of the entire Hungarian nation.

Zoltán Mága Show

In 2011 the Mága Show was broadcast at peak viewing time on the channel of the nation, Duna Television. The large-scale entertainment show offered productions from the most prominent Hungarian performing artists of both classical and pop music. They were accompanied live by the Primarius Symphonic Orchestra in each of the performances. Apart from the musical productions the show also featured exclusive interviews with Hungarian and international starts and public figures. The six-part programme, which has attracted the largest number of audience in the history of Duna Television, has been repeated several times at the viewers’ request.  

Violin Magic

Inspired by the success of the 100 Church Concerts, the violin virtuoso announced a new 100-station series of concerts in 2012 under the title of ‘Violin Magic’. This time he cooperated with the Budapest Operetta Theatre and world-famous Hungarian artists with the aim to spread, make popular and cherish Hungarian music culture.

This time the venues of the concert series are not churches but theatres, sport halls, cultural centres and open-air events. He draws attention to the beauty of Hungarian classical, pop and folk music, thus the universality of Hungarian music culture, the diversity and beauty of Hungary, by interpreting not only the well-known or lesser known works of the most famous Hungarian composers, including Ferenc Liszt, Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály,  Ferenc Erkel but also those composed by Jenő Hubay, Ede Reményi, Imre Kálmán, Ferenc Lehár or Béla Szakcsi Lakatos.

Budapest New Year’s Day Concert

Zoltán Mága was again led by the aim of creating a tradition when he launched the Budapest New Year’s Day Concert on 1^st January 2009. 12 thousand spectators stood up to applaud and cheer the artist in the Papp László Budapest Sport Arena. In recent years, besides the audience of the fully packed Arena, several million viewers have become part of the grandiose event both within and beyond the borders of Hungary due to the broadcasts of public and commercial television channels. He succeeded in bringing about a tradition-making event that has become a highly prestigious concert in Europe, earning international, artistic and touristic acclaim for Hungary.

Over the past five years in addition to Kossuth Award winning and world-famous artists also the ‘Actors of the Hungarian nation’ and celebrities of Hungarian pop music have appeared on the stage of the Budapest New Year Day’s Concerts. These concerts of the Hungarian capital have gained international fame during the past years. Not only Hungarian spectators contributed to the full-house performances in the Arena but music lovers came also from the United States, Australia, Israel and many countries of Europe. The concerts of the past five years were also recorded on CDs and DVDs, all of which became ‘gold records’ as soon as they came out.