Written by Marcy Day

Renowned cellist and educator Prof. Lászlo Pólus will be hosted by our department this term! As a visiting Fulbright Scholar from Budapest, Hungary, Prof. Pólus will be working with string students in chamber music, solo cello performance, and the Charlottesville Symphony. 

László Pólus (cello) is the principal cellist of the Hungarian State Opera and a member of the performance faculty of the University of Pécs’ Institute of Music and Fine Arts. A graduate of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and the Basel Academy of Music, Mr. Pólus was the 1st Prize Winner of the Popper Competition, the Hungarian Radio Competition, and the National Cello Competition. He was formerly a member of the Hungarian Radio Symphony, the National Symphony of Hungary, and the Budapest Wiener-Szász Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Pólus is also the cellist of the Somogyi String Quartet, a group that maintains an active performance schedule throughout Hungary and abroad. His recordings have been released on the Hungaraton and BMC record labels.

Prof. Pólus has been intimately involved in the artistic partnership between UVA and the University of Pécs since the Hungarian Partnership Program launched in 2018. He has performed numerous times with UVA performers Ayn Balija, Daniel Sender, and John Mayhood in Charlottesville, Pécs, and Budapest. (Our 2023 collaboration in the Dome Room at UVA can be seen here). He looks forward to future collaborations and for the opportunity to work with UVA students again this semester.