Dr. habil. Mónika Kornélia Deákné Kecskés is an internationally recognized organist, harpsichordist, church musician, and academic. She studied at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, the Royal Academy of Music in London, and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, earning her doctorate summa cum laude at the Liszt Academy and her habilitation in 2016. Since 2002 she has served as Director of Music at the Franciscan Church in Budapest and is currently Associate Professor at Széchenyi István University in Győr.

As a performer, she has appeared at international festivals and concert halls throughout Europe, with a repertoire spanning Renaissance and Baroque to contemporary works. She has premiered compositions by Naji Hakim, Keiko Fujie, and Hungarian composers, and her recordings include Hungarian Organ Music, Lassus: Lagrime di San Pietro, and Il Poverello di Christo – Liszt 200. A prizewinner of the Győr and Lorraine International Organ Competitions and finalist at the Liszt and Sweelinck Competitions, she also contributes actively to higher education and international conferences, training generations of musicians and music educators.

Dr. habil. Mónika Kornélia Deákné Kecskés is a Hungarian organist, harpsichordist, church musician, and music theorist. She is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Arts of Széchenyi István University in Győr, where she teaches organ, harpsichord, solfège, music theory, chamber music, and historical performance practice. Since 2002 she has also served as Director of Music (regens chori) at the Franciscan Church in downtown Budapest.

She studied at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music (Budapest), where she graduated with diplomas in Organ, Harpsichord, Church Music, and Music Theory, and later earned her Doctor of Liberal Arts degree summa cum laude (2002). She pursued further studies at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp (Master’s program and Concert Soloist Diploma in Harpsichord), the Institut Royal Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie in Namur, the Royal Academy of Music in London, and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Her teachers and mentors included Miklós Spányi, David Titterington, Nicholas Danby, Patrick Russill, Gordon Murray, Michaele Radulescu, Korneel Bernolet, and Ewald Demeyere. She completed her habilitation in 2016 at the Liszt Academy.

As a concert artist, she has given performances throughout Europe, appearing in major concert halls and international festivals. Her repertoire spans the full spectrum from Renaissance and Baroque music to 20th-century and contemporary works. She has premiered compositions by Naji Hakim (Les Apôtres, Rhapsody), Keiko Fujie (Mitsudomoe), and Hungarian composers such as Horváth Márton Levente. Her discography includes Hungarian Organ Music (1999), Lassus: Lagrime di San Pietro (2007), and Il Poverello di Christo – Liszt 200 (2012). She has also collaborated in projects highlighting sacred and contemporary Hungarian music, bridging historical repertoire with present-day creativity.

Her competition successes include First Prize at both the First Győr International Organ Competition (1998) and the Fifth Lorraine International Organ Competition (1999). She was a finalist at the Liszt Ferenc International Organ Competition in Budapest (1999) and at the Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck Competition in Amsterdam (2014). She is the recipient of prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Hungarian State Scholarship (1995), the Fischer Annie Prize (2000), the Dean’s Honour for Publications (2006), the Bach Festival Prize (2018, 2020), the Scholarship of the Tagliavini Collection (2021–2022), and the Certificate of Honour from the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture (2021). She also received grants from the National Cultural Fund (2022, 2024).

As a pedagogue, she has more than two decades of teaching experience at secondary and higher education institutions, including the Béla Bartók Conservatory, the Kodály School, Nyíregyháza University, Eötvös Loránd University, and the Apor Vilmos Catholic College. Many of her students have achieved top prizes at the National Student Research Conference (OTDK/OMDK) and at conservatory competitions. At Széchenyi István University she trains future organists, harpsichordists, and music teachers, integrating historical performance with modern pedagogy.

She is a regular lecturer at international conferences and has represented Hungarian music and pedagogy in Erasmus programs and guest lectures across Europe (Cluj, Žilina, Belfast, Leuven, Rostock, Riga/Jelgava). She has presented on Hungarian organ music, Liszt’s organ works, Kodály’s concept of music education, and contemporary Hungarian choral and organ repertoire. She has also led masterclasses and summer courses in Hungary (Pomáz, Szombathely) and abroad.

Her research activity connects historical musicology with performance. Her primary focus is on the keyboard arrangements of the four Marian antiphons (Alma Redemptoris Mater, Regina coeli, Ave Regina coelorum, Salve Regina) between the 15th and 17th centuries, studied in the context of liturgical practice. Additional research areas include:

• the performance practice of 17th–18th century obbligato harpsichord works,

• the background of basso continuo pedagogy (e.g. Bruckner’s Kurze Generalbass Regeln),

• and the role of the harpsichord in contemporary performance art, including interdisciplinary concert practice.
  She also publishes actively on music education, inclusion, sustainability, and digital pedagogy, reflecting her engagement with contemporary educational challenges.

She is a member of the Liszt Society, the European Association for Music in Schools, and the Hungarian Academy of Arts. In recognition of her contributions as performer, pedagogue, and researcher, she is widely respected both in the Hungarian and international music community.

Major Concert Halls & International Collaborations

• Wiener Musikverein, Vienna (AT) – organist in concert appearances at Austria’s most prestigious concert hall.

• Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra (HU) – continuo and organ accompaniment in symphonic and sacred repertoire.

• Cathedral of Erfurt (DE) – organ continuo for choral-orchestral performances with international choirs.

• LUCA School of Arts, Leuven (BE) – continuo player in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (The Witches project).

• Royal Conservatory of Antwerp (BE) – continuo and chamber music performances in institutional and festival contexts.

• Béla Bartók National Concert Hall (Müpa), Budapest (HU) – appearances in major festival projects, including the Bach24 marathon.

Cathedrals & Churches

• St Paul’s Cathedral, London (UK) – organ performance in one of the world’s most renowned Anglican cathedrals.

• Oxford University Chapels (UK) – organ recitals and continuo performances in historic college chapels.

• Black Church (Biserica Neagră), Brașov (RO) – solo organ recital at the largest instrument in Southeastern Europe.

• St. Margaret’s Church, Mediaș (RO) – organ recital on the historic Renaissance organ.

• Vienna Churches (AT) – recital appearances in Karlskirche, Stephansdom, and Minoritenkirche.

• Kremnica (SK) – multiple organ recitals at the historic town church, within the Kremnica Organ Festival.

• Žilina (SK) – organ recital and Erasmus lectures on Hungarian organ repertoire and organ building traditions.

• St. Martin Basilica, Pannonhalma Archabbey (HU) – festive organ recital in Hungary’s most prominent Benedictine abbey.

• Georgenkirche, Eisenach (DE) – recital in the historic church associated with J. S. Bach.

• St Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, Veszprém (HU) – recital within the OrganPoint Festival.

• Christ the King RC Church, Sfântu Gheorghe / Sepsiszentgyörgy (RO) – recital within the Night of the Organs festival.

• Grand Hall, Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest (HU) – joint recital with organ and ensemble repertoire.

• Inner City Franciscan Church, Budapest (HU) – regular concert series and festival appearances.

• Reformed Church, Mezőkovácsháza (HU) – recital within the OrganPoint Festival.

Harpsichord & Chamber Music

• Museum Vleeshuis, Antwerp (BE) – harpsichord recital.

• Performances as harpsichordist and continuo player in Hungary, Belgium, Austria, Germany, the UK, Slovakia, and Romania, including premières of works by Naji Hakim, Keiko Fujie, and Hungarian composers such as Horváth Márton Levente.