Mihaly Kaszas

Hungarian-German percussionist, conductor, and timpanist Mihály Kaszás (1982) has been Main Subject Teacher Percussion at the PCC since 2016. He has performed with orchestras and ensembles across Europe, combining an active performing career with a broad interest in classical and contemporary percussion. 

Mihály studied percussion and timpani at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, earning both his bachelor’s (2006) and master’s degrees (2009). He owes much to his teachers, the highly regarded percussionists and timpanists Raymond Curfs and Peter Sadlo. He later pursued additional studies in conducting. Throughout his career, he has performed with leading European orchestras and ensembles, including productions with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Bavarian State Opera, Budapest Festival Orchestra and Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Mihály serves as principal timpanist of the Noord Nederlands Orkest, where he has played under world-renowned conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Mariss Jansons, Sir Simon Rattle, Riccardo Chailly, Ivan Fischer, Adam Fischer, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In addition, he is a qualified conductor and has worked with several orchestras in that capacity. 

Mihály is a great admirer of timpanists Wieland Welzel and Rainer Seegers from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. His father – now retired – was also a well-known professional timpanist for over half a century. All this experience and influences Mihály takes into his teaching: “First of all, I try to make my classes enjoyable and inspiring. I aim to pass on all my knowledge to my students. Most important is the right technique, which forms the foundation for playing all future repertoire. My goal is to achieve the most beautiful and natural timpani sound; clear, expressive, and rhythmically precise.”