Csaba Erdélyi, Principal Viola of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, was born in Budapest, Hungary. He made musical history in 1972, when he won the prestigious Carl Flesch Violin Competition with the viola – the first, and so far, only time. The Flesch Prize launched Erdélyi’s international career. In the same year, he was invited by Joseph Szigeti and Rudolph Serkin to the Marlboro Festival (USA) where he also worked with Pablo Casals.

A viola student of Pál Lukács, Yehudi Menuhin and Bruno Giuranna, Erdélyi became Menuhin’s partner performing concertos and chamber music together in several countries. Menuhin wrote to Benjamin Britten: “Erdélyi is an invaluable link between the two great musical cultures of Eastern and Western Europe.”

As a soloist, Csaba Erdélyi has recorded for Concordance, Decca, Hungaroton, Lyrita, Nimbus and Philips records. He was the viola soloist in the film score of AMADEUS, with Sir Neville Marriner conducting the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Erdélyi frequently played viola concertos with the leading British orchestras in the Royal Festival Hall and on the BBC Promenade Concerts, as well as in major international music festivals.

Csaba Erdélyi has performed in concerts and recordings with such world-renowned soloists as Rachel Barton, Joshua Bell, Maurice Gendron, Franco Gulli, Ian Hobson, Yo-Yo Ma, George Malcolm, Yehudi Menuhin, Jessye Norman, András Schiff, Sándor Végh. Csaba Erdélyi was Principal Viola of the Philharmonia Orchestra of London from 1974 to 1978 under principal conductor, Riccardo Muti and chief guest conductor, Lorin Maazel. He was guest principal violist of the BBC Symphony, invited by Gennady Rozhdestvensky. In 1980 Erdélyi had the honor to be invited by Sir Georg Solti to the principal viola post ni the Chicago Symphony, but he respectfully declined ni order to embark on a new career as the violist of the Chilingirian Quartet, one of the world’s most celebrated and widely travelled ensembles (1980-1987). Their recordings can be found on EMI, Decca and CRD labels.

Professor Erdélyi has a reputation as an extremely dedicated and caring pedagogue who attracts fine students from all over the world. In the USA he taught at Indiana University, Rice University, Butler University, Bowling Green State University as professor of viola and chamber music. He is senior coach at the Castleman Quartet Program that celebrated its 50th season in 2022. A large number of Professor Erdélyi’s former students can be found in prestigious positions in music performance and education all over the world.

For over 20 years, Csaba Erdélyi researched the original manuscript of the Bartók Viola Concerto, the composer’s last masterpiece left in its first draft. He corrected the mistakes of the first edition and with the help of world-renowned Bartók scholar, Elliott Antokoletz as well as composer, György Kurtág, he restored and orchestrated the work in the purest and most authentic manner. Former violist of the Kolisch-quartet, Eugene Lehner, friend of Bartók, praised Erdélyi’s score and recording as “an invaluable service to Bartók and all violists.” The full score and viola-piano reduction are published by Promethean Editions www.prometheaneditions.com, and a CD was recorded in 2001 with Erdélyi and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with conductor Marc Taddei on Concordance label, which continues to receive worldwide professional acclaim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtHzK1B25Ws

In September 2017, Bartók Viola Concerto – Restoration and Orchestration by Csaba Erdélyi, Revised Version 2016 received its European Premiere by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in Berlin Philharmonic Hall. The orchestra’s Music Director, Sir Simon Rattle wrote: “I am in total agreement with the opinions of György Kurtág and Pierre Boulez that Erdélyi’s score is the most faithful realization of Bartók’s last masterpiece that was left in draft.”