Frank LAKATOS

Hungarian-American violinist and violist Frank Lakatos explores the self-reflective dimensions of the unaccompanied string repertoire. Drawn to the artistic freedom and vulnerability of performing alone, he has devoted much of his performing career to recitals that reveal the expressive, technical, and structural richness of the violin and viola in solitude.

As a recitalist, Dr. Lakatos regularly presents full-length solo programs on both instruments. His recent performances include the complete Twelve Fantasias for Solo Violin by Georg Philipp Telemann in a single recital and an all-Bach program on solo viola featuring the Cello Suites Nos. 2 and 3 together with the Chaconne. His performances frequently incorporate his own arrangements, transcriptions, and original compositions, reflecting a continuing interest in expanding the solo repertoire. Among these is his composition Vers l'avant for solo violin, premiered by the artist in Memphis, Tennessee. His interest in broadening the viola's virtuoso repertoire also led him to create a transcription of Paganini's God Save the King Variations, bringing one of the violin's most celebrated showpieces to the viola.

Equally committed to pedagogy, Dr. Lakatos seeks to bridge performance and scholarship. His research explores the physical relationship between the performer and the instrument, emphasizing efficient technique, tactile awareness, and artistic freedom. As a guest lecturer at Susquehanna University, he presented The Art of Stretching for the Left Hand and performed his own viola transcription.

A dedicated chamber musician, Dr. Lakatos has performed at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall as a member of the Rowan String Quartet and later served as first violinist of the Southern Illinois String Quartet, performing the quartets of Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvořák for the Southern Illinois Chamber Music Society. During the Southern Illinois Music Festival, he performed as violist of the Southeast String Quartet.

His orchestral career has included appearances with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, New Chicago Chamber Orchestra, Binghamton Philharmonic, North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, and Paducah Symphony Orchestra, experiences that continue to inform both his performing and teaching.

Teaching has long been at the center of Dr. Lakatos's musical life. He has maintained successful violin and viola studios throughout Pennsylvania, Virginia, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee and founded Study-Quartet, a seminar introducing adult musicians to the collaborative art of chamber music. He previously served on the faculty of Murray State University, where he taught violin, viola, chamber music, and conducted the University Orchestra.

Dr. Lakatos currently serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Bucknell University, where he teaches violin, viola, string pedagogy, music courses, and conducts the University Orchestra. As conductor, he is passionate about giving students the opportunity to experience the great orchestral masterworks, believing that performing this repertoire is among the most transformative experiences in a young musician's artistic development. His teaching philosophy encourages students to cultivate technical confidence, intellectual curiosity, and expressive individuality while developing a lifelong appreciation for music.

Dr. Lakatos earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance with a cognate in Music Theory from the University of Memphis, the Master of Music degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and the Bachelor of Music degree from Rowan University. His principal teachers include Timothy Shiu, Lenny Schranze, Michael Barta, Lenuta Ciulei, and Barbara Krakauer.

He began his musical journey studying with his father, Frank Lakatos, to whom he owes his earliest training and lifelong love for music.