Hailed by the New York Times as “a marvelous pianist,” PETER TAKÁCS has performed widely, receiving critical and audience acclaim for his penetrating and communicative musical interpretations. His recordings of Beethoven solo and chamber works have received international recognition.

Mr. Takács was born in Bucuresti, Romania and started his musical studies before his fourth birthday.  After his debut recital at age seven, he was a frequent recitalist in his native city until his parents' request for emigration to the West, at which point all his studies and performances were banned.  He continued studying clandestinely with his piano teacher until his family was finally allowed to emigrate to France, where, at age fourteen, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National de Paris.

Upon his arrival in the United States, his outstanding musical talents continued to be recognized with full scholarships to Northwestern University and the University of Illinois, and a three-year fellowship for doctoral studies at the Peabody Conservatory, where he completed his artistic training with renowned pianist Leon Fleisher.

Mr. Takács has received numerous prizes and awards for his performances, including First Prize in the William Kapell International Competition, the C.D. Jackson Award for Excellence in Chamber Music at the Tanglewood Music Center, and a Solo Recitalist Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has performed as guest soloist with major orchestras in the U.S. and abroad, as well as at important summer festivals such as Tanglewood, Music Mountain, Chautauqua Institution, Beijing International Music Festival, Schlern Music Festival in the Italian Alps, Tel Hai International Master Classes in Israel, Sweden’s Helsingborg Festival, and Musicfest Perugia.  Since 2008, he has been a member of the faculty at the Montecito Summer Music Festival in Riverside, CA.  He has performed and recorded the complete cycle of Beethoven Piano Sonatas, which was released on the CAMBRIA label in July 2011, and received Album of the Year 2022 on the high-resolution platform nativeDSD. In 2015, he was invited to inaugurate a new series at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall entitled “Key Pianists”, presenting three recitals of Beethoven solo and chamber music to critical acclaim. In 2020, an endowed fund was established for The Peter Takács Beethoven Prize in Piano for outstanding Oberlin students. He is Professor Emeritus of Piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he taught for 48 years.