Mihály Zeke

Mihály Zeke was born in London into a family of musicians and grew up in Budapest and Athens. Whilst studying piano, organ and conducting at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart under the guidance of Helmuth Rilling, he gained valuable experience as an accompanist for the Bachakademie and Frieder Bernius’s Kammerchor. He is a laureate of the Forum Dirigieren, a programme of excellence for young conductors supported by the German Federal Ministry of Culture, and rounded off his training with several masterclasses with Graham Johnson, Howard Williams, Michael Gläser, Stefan Parkman, Peter Dijkstra, Hans-Christoph Rademann and others.

He was appointed chorus master at the Dijon Opera in 2012 and also worked at the English National Opera and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. He succeeded Pierre Cao as head of the vocal ensemble Arsys in 2015, producing a wide range of concerts and founding an academy for young singers on the path to a professional career. His debut album, *Naissance de Vénus*, received several accolades from the press (Choc de Classica, 5 Diapasons). In 2019, he founded the European chamber choir Cythera, bringing together singers from ten different countries. Their debut album, *Homelands Vol. 1*, was nominated for the German Record Critics’ Prize. Between 2020 and 2024, he conducted the ensembles at the University of Stuttgart, performing a wide range of symphonic repertoire and touring across Europe and North America.

He is a regular guest conductor with the Hungarian Radio Choir and Orchestra, the Hellenic Radio Choir and Orchestra, and the Greek National Orchestra. He collaborates with the SWR Vokalensemble, the Bachakademie Stuttgart, Accentus, the Polifonija Choir and the ensembles of the Klaipėda Opera in Lithuania, the Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne, the La Fenice ensemble, the Pulcinella Orchestra and others. Since 2025, he has been Artistic Director of the Frankfurter Kantorei symphonic choir.

A passionate teacher, he was a lecturer in choral and orchestral conducting at the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts between 2017 and 2025 and at the University of Music and Performing Arts Tübingen between 2018 and 2021. Since 2023, he has been teaching at the University of Mainz, where he also conducts the student ensembles. He is regularly invited to sit on the jury at international competitions.