Hungarian harpsichordist and conductor György Vashegyi is known for his devotion to early choral music and the classical music of his home country. Born in Budapest in 1970, Vashegyi showed early aptitude for conducting and founded his first orchestra, the Purcell Choir, in 1990. The ensemble was formed specifically to perform Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, but public reception and chemistry were strong enough to keep the group going well into the 21st century.
A year after forming the Purcell Choir, and while still in school, Vashegyi formed another group, the Orfeo Orchestra, for a performance of Claudio Monteverdi's Orfeo. Both orchestras continued past their initial intent, and became fixtures of the Hungarian classical music scene and make regular appearances at festivals across the country. After graduating from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in 1993, Vashegyi continued to teach orchestral conducting and baroque performance at his alma mater. He began his recording career in 1998 with the Purcell Choir, conducting interpretations of the works of Benedek Istvánffy and Joseph Martin Kraus, and was honored with the Liszt Award in 2008. In 2017, Vashegyi was elected to a three-year term president of the Hungarian Academy of Arts
