János VAJDA (1949) was born in Miskolc, Hungary. He received his degree in choral conducting and composition at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, after which he studied in the Netherlands under Professor Ton de Leeuw for a year. He has been teaching Composition at the Music Academy of Budapest since 1981. He has written operas, several oratorios, orchestral pieces, chamber music, choral works and songs – all appearing regularly in concert halls.