Gábor Ormai

Gábor Ormai (1 September 1954 – 7 July 1995)^[1] was a Hungarian violist and educator who was most famous as a co-founder of the Takács Quartet in 1975; a group with which he toured widely in performance, made several recordings, and won multiple international awards up until just a few months before his death from cancer in 1995.^[1]

In 1982, the quartet became an ensemble in residence at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Ormai taught on the string faculty at that institution until his illness prevented him from continuing.^[1] Prior to forming the quartet, Ormai won second prize at the ARD International Music Competition as a solo violist.^[1]

Early life and education

Born in the Hungarian People's Republic, Ormai studied piano, viola, and violin; and was trained at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music.^[1] There he gave a recital on all three instruments when he was 17 years old.^[1] His string teachers at the academy were cellist András Mihály and violinist Zoltán Székely.^[2] While a student, he won second prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich as a solo violist.^[1]

Career

In 1975, Ormai cofounded the Takács Quartet with three of his fellow students: violinists Gábor Takács-Nagy and Károly Schranz, and cellist András Fejér.^[2][1] The quartet won first prize at both the International String Quartet Competition in Évian-les-Bains, France in 1977 and the Portsmouth International String Quartet in 1979.^[2][1]

In 1982 Ormai moved with his wife, Gyonge, from Hungary to

He taught there until his diagnosis of terminal cancer just months before his death on July 7, 1995.^[1][3]

Personal life

Ormai and his wife had one son together, and divorced in 1992.^[1] He was romantically involved with violinist Anna Schmidt in the latter part of his life.^[1]

References