Artist database

The Saint Stephen Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1954 by conductor, music teacher, and composer József Záborszky under the name King Saint Stephen Symphony Orchestra. József Záborszky recruited the orchestra from high school students. The ensemble, which initially had sixteen members, made its debut at the Academy of Music two years later with 80 members and soon became a major player in the Hungarian concert scene. From 1958 onwards, they performed there every year with their own season ticket series. Outstanding artists contributed to the orchestra's development, including János Ferencsik, who participated in the ensemble's work as a regular guest conductor from 1965 until his death. From the very beginning, the artistic quality of the orchestra was supported by renowned conductors such as Dénes Kovács, András Kórodi, and later Zoltán Kocsis and Yuri Simonov. From 2006 (when it became a professional orchestra), classical music lovers knew the ensemble as the Zuglo Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1988, after the death of József Záborszky, his son, Kálmán Záborszky, took over the artistic direction of the ensemble and continued the value-centered, youth-educating traditions. The orchestra's two other permanent conductors are Gábor Horváth and Gergely Ménesi, who grew up under the wings of József and Kálmán Záborszky. In recognition of their work, they received the Hungarian Heritage Award in 2000 and were continuously awarded the title of "National Youth Orchestra" between 2011 and 2017. Since December 2020, the ensemble has been performing in the Hungarian music scene under the name Saint Stephen Philharmonic Orchestra, maintained by Filharmonia Hungary Non-profit organisation.