Gregory Vajda

Gregory Vajda (born Gergely Vajda; August 13, 1973) is a Hungarian clarinetist, composer and conductor. Early life and education He was born in Budapest in 1973 to bassoonist József Vajda (1947-2016) and operatic soprano Veronika Kincses. Vajda studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music under Professor Ervin Lukács. He was also a conducting and composition pupil of well-known composer and conductor, Péter Eötvös. Career Conducting Following performances with the Montreal Symphony in Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Schoenberg’s Erwartung, Gregory Vajda gained international recognition. In 2011, he was appointed the sixth music director of the Huntsville Symphony. After completing his three-year tenure as Principal Conductor, he was named Principal Guest Conductor of the Hungarian Radio Symphony (MR Symphony) in 2014. Vajda also serves as the Artistic Director of the International Armel Opera Festival. In addition to his duties with these organizations, upcoming guest-conducting engagements during 2015-16 season include the Danubia Symphony, the Hungarian State Opera, the Pannon Philharmonic, the Szeged Symphony, the Launaudiere Festival and the Portland Festival Symphony