The prize is Hungary's most prestigious award in the field of culture

Composer, conductor, and pedagogue Péter Eötvös has been named as the recipient of the 2024 Kossuth Grand Prize. Established in 1936, the award recognizes outstanding personal achievements in science, culture, and the arts, and is widely regarded as the most prestigious cultural award in Hungary.

One of the most significant musical figures in Hungary today, Eötvös has been commissioned by ensembles including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, New York Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker, London and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestras, and the Wiener Philharmoniker.

He began his studies in the School of Exceptional Young Talents at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, and then continued his studies in Cologne, Germany — where he studied composition under the tutelage of Bernd Alois Zimmermann and occasionally Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Eötvös's catalog includes twelve operas, instrumental solo concertos, larger and smaller scale symphonic compositions, and chamber music pieces.

As conductor, he spent more than a decade at the helm of Ensemble Intercontemporain, during which time he collaborated with many of the most significant composers of our age.

The award was presented to Eötvös by Tamás Sulyok, the Hungarian President.

Previous recipients of the Kossuth Grand Prize include György Ligeti, Iván Fischer, and Zoltán Kodály.