Biography - Mira Farkas

Mira Farkas comes from a family of musicians, and was never in any doubt that she would follow in their footsteps. At the age of six she chose the piano as her instrument, and only switched to the harp when she was fourteen – due to a fateful coincidence – when applying for a place at music school. “It was only at the entrance exam that I found out I could major in harp. That was the first time I heard a harp being played in real life, and I immediately fell in love with it.” In 2014 she graduated with honours in Harp from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, where Andrea Vigh was her mentor. “I owe a great to her, both as a musician and as a person.”

Solo performances, orchestral playing and chamber music all play an important part in Mira Farkas’ life, with the various disciplines complementing and strengthening each other. In recent years she has gained experience in the ranks of the MÁV Symphonic Orchestra, Concerto Budapest and other prestigious ensembles, under such renowned conductors as Zoltán Kocsis, Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi or Ádám Fischer. In 2013 she was a permanent collaborator of the Opera House. The multidisciplinary nature of opera is close to her heart, and she often draws inspiration from related artforms. The Romantic period is closest to her style of performance and personality. “The passion and extremes of Romantic music – the music of Tchaikovsky, or Fauré – represent the golden age of harp for me.”

Although she is no great fan of competitions, Mira Farkas can boast a number of successes herself, and in 2013 she won three special awards at the Szeged International Harp Festival. She has particularly close ties to the Gödöllő International Harp Festival, which has been a permanent fixture in her calendar for years, and where she has given several solo performances lately. When it comes to chamber music, she transcribes the music for most of the pieces herself; and besides the cello, violin and flute, she also plays in the familiar harp and cimbalom duo formation with her younger sister. One of Mira Farkas’ most important accolades so far is the Junior Prima Award that she earned in 2014, in the Hungarian Music category. Already no stranger to performing abroad, the award enabled her to travel as far afield as Israel, among other places, where she gave solo performances to audiences in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv. In 2016 she was awarded the Annie Fischer Performing Arts Scholarship. She played solo harp in the Danube Place in collaboration with the Danube Symphony Orchestra and had a solo recital at the Gödöllő Harp Festival. In 2017, she was admitted to the Doctoral School of the Liszt Academy, and in the same year she entered the stage of the Palace of Arts (Müpa) performing Tan Dun’s Nu Shu Harp Concerto alongside Concerto Budapest conducted by Tan Dun, as the opening concert of the 2017 CAFe Festival. Ms Farkas closed 2017 with a solo recital in the Solti Hall of the Liszt Academy. In 2018, she acted as soloist in Poland alongside the Szczecin Philarmonic Orchestra in the Philharmonic Hall in Szeczin and at the Liszt Academy with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra.

“The most important thing for me when I play is that the audience should enjoy the music at least as much as I do. When choosing what pieces to play, I aim to make sure the concert turns out to be a memorable experience for the listeners.” And it’s not unusual for her concerts to turn into impromptu demonstrations of the instrument: “It’s a great feeling when, after the concert, children and adults alike come over and ask me to show them how the instrument’s played”. Mira Farkas believes it’s important for as many people as possible to get acquainted with the sound of the harp outside the confines of the concert hall. She’s also exceptionally active as a teacher, and recently launched a new harp course at a local music school. At her concerts, both in Hungary and abroad – and whether performing solo or as a chamber musician – she strives to introduce as many people as possible to the many sides of this versatile instrument.