Biography

Peter Kalmar began his musical education at age six and presented his first public performance at age 8. He was born in Slovakia where he has both performed and competed. Peter has also enjoyed performing in Europe and the UK, including solo recitals and chamber music.

He was accepted at age 13 to study at the renowned Zilina Conservatoire in Slovakia and finished his studies with a first. Whilst studying at the Conservatoire, Peter was selected to represent the Slovak Republic in the Schubert International Duo Competition, where he won second place. Peter also competed and was always placed in the top three in many national competitions in Eastern Europe.

During his final year at Zilina, Peter worked with classes of younger students in the afternoons. He developed a good rapport and friendly teaching style. This positive teaching experience has proved very useful for Peter. He has worked on the CMAP – Classical Music Access Project – which brings classical music into mainstream schools and gives students the opportunity to learn about performance, careers in music and information about higher education, including available funding.

He is currently studying a Master of Music at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, with Head of Keyboard - Richard McMahon. He teaches both children and adults of any age. Peter performs recitals to fund his studies. He has been working on his piano repertoire and has attended and played in master classes with top professional musicians, such as Julian Jacobson, Bernard Roberts, Martin Jones, Natalia Michailidou and Penny Roskell.

Peter will be starting his final year in September. This year, he is taking up the post of Assistant to the Head of Keyboard at the Royal Welsh College. Peter hopes to utilise his skills this year, by planning recitals, encouraging participation and bringing the CMAP programme to Wales for post graduate students.