21-year-old Noémi Kucsera represented Hungary as the absolute winner of her category on March 14, 2023, at the winners’ gala of the 2022 Golden Classical Music Awards at Carnegie Hall, New York. The Competition’s purpose is to discover artists of outstanding personality and provide awards which can help to launch international careers.
First, let us congratulate you on winning the 2022 Golden Classical Music Awards. How do you feel about this outstanding achievement?
Thank you very much! When I heard the wonderful news in August that I had achieved absolute first place, it was both an incredible and extremely uplifting feeling to have the opportunity to perform on the stage of Carnegie Hall, a childhood dream come true.
Where does your passion for classical guitar come from and where are you currently studying?
Ever since I was a little girl, I was interested in instruments and everything related to music, but I was mainly interested in classical guitar. I started going to the Music School in Subotica at the age of eight, and since then I have had an unbroken passion for my instrument. The older I got, the more beautiful pieces I was able to play, and it was an incredible inspiration for me. I am currently a first-year Master's student at the Bartók Béla University of Szeged, at the Faculty of Arts.
Besides the New York Golden Classical Music Awards, you also won first prize at the London Classical Music Competition. Where else have audiences seen or heard you so far?
So far, I have mostly played in Serbia and Hungary, and before COVID, I performed at live competitions, notably at the National Guitar Competition in Belgrade, where I came third. In 2021, I was invited to the New Year's Gala Concert of the Symphony Orchestra of Subotica, where I performed as a soloist with orchestral accompaniment. Last year I gave a solo recital in Szeged before my graduation concert, and I have played at exhibitions, book launches and literary evenings.
What are your plans for the near future?
On March 20th, my first solo album Milonga will be released across the biggest music-sharing platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Amazon, Pandora, YouTube and many more, featuring beautiful and diverse melodies including passionate tango, fiery flamenco melodies, and emotional serenade music. In the future, I would like to tour as much as possible around the world and promote classical guitar and classical music.