Roby Lakatos

Born in Budapest in 1965, Roby Lakatos descends from a celebrated Romani musical dynasty traced back to János Bihari, the violinist whose melodies influenced both Brahms and Liszt. He made his public debut aged nine as first violinist in a Romani band, and in 1984 took first prize in classical violin at the Béla Bartók Conservatory.

After a decade leading the house band at Les Ateliers de la Grande Île in Brussels, Lakatos was “discovered” by Yehudi Menuhin, who famously praised his performance of a Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody. In 2004 he performed with the London Symphony Orchestra in the Genius of the Violin festival alongside Maxim Vengerov, confirming his global standing.

His playing has been described by The Times as “jaw-dropping” — a bridge between Brahms and Django Reinhardt, between the concert hall and the smoky café. Touring with the Roby Lakatos Ensemble, he sweeps from Monti’s Csárdás and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons through klezmer, gypsy jazz and his own compositions.