Biografia

Born in 1957 in northern Hungary, guitarist/composer Ferenc Snétberger was the youngest son of a family of musicians. He studied classical music and jazz guitar. His music is inspired by the Roma tradition of his homeland, Brazilian music and flamenco, but also by classical guitar playing and jazz. He has recorded numerous albums as a leader, co-leader and sideman and has toured throughout Europe as well as Japan, Korea, India and the United States.

In 1995 he composed his concerto for guitar and orchestra, “In Memory of My People”, to mark the 50th year since the end of the Holocaust. It was performed by the composer himself with chamber orchestras in Hungary, Italy and Germany and also at the UN headquarters in New York (International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 2007).

Ferenc Snétberger performed Luciano Berio’s Sequenza XI (for solo guitar) as well as concertos with orchestra by Vivaldi, Rodrigo and John McLaughlin. He also wrote music for film and theatre.

In 2002 Snétberger was made an honorary citizen of his native city and in 2010 of Budapest; two years later he received the Hungarian Order of Merit. Further international awards followed, including the German Cross of Merit in 2021.

In 2004, he formed his new trio with legendary Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen and Italian drummer/percussionist Paolo Vinaccia. Their debut album “Nomad”, released in 2005, was enthusiastically received by critics and listeners.

Snétberger himself has released numerous other albums, since 2016 under the German Label ECM Records the solo Live Album „In Concert“ , one year later the new Trio album „Titok” with Anders Jormin on bass and  drummer Joey Baron. The most recent CD “Snétberger & Keller Quartett Hallgató” was released in 2021 on ECM New Series.