Beatrix Finta, conductor and wife of composer Gabor Finta (Susan Hallett)
His beautiful “Dona nobis pacem” (Give us peace), a piece especially composed for this concert and conducted by his wife, Beatrix Finta, was enthusiastically received. After the concert, Pal Vastagh, the Ambassador of Hungary to Canada, warmly congratulated Finta.
This year’s community concert, called A Choral Bouquet, featured the choir of the First Unitarian Congregation, The Ottawa Hungarian Choir, and The Kanata Choral Society.
Finta has a master’s degree in piano, choral conducting, and music education from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Additional studies in Weimar, Germany (1968-1969), included piano studies with Guido Agosti of Italy and orchestral conducting with Arvid Jansons of the St. Petersburg Symphony (Leningrad at that time).
After immigrating to Canada in 1992, Finta taught piano, conducted several community orchestras, and appeared as a soloist in Ottawa, Brandon, Calgary, London, and Brockville. He also adjudicated choir festivals in Hungary and in Canada (at Queen’s University), and served as an adjudicator at music festivals in Ottawa, Brockville, and Kingston.
His compositions, which show his dual Hungarian-Canadian identity, have been performed not only in Canada but also in Hungary, Romania, and Japan. His pieces have also been performed at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. Themes drawn from Iroquois melodies, Hungarian folk music, and Canadian provinces, including Newfoundland folk music, ensure Gabor Finta’s compositions are unique and exciting.
Susan Hallett is an award-winning writer and editor who has written for The Beaver, The Globe & Mail, and Doctor’s Review among many other publications. She is Managing Editor of Society Magazine. Email: hallett_susan@hotmail.com
