Biography

Honored by the Artisjus Award in 2013,Robert Ratonyi was born on 13 December, 1953, Budapest. At the age of 6, he started to learn solfeggio at Mrs Jenõ Szervánszky, Valika, and then he started to play the piano. Later he became the student of Klára Géczy Fazekas. Following his art studies and the grammar school graduation, he attended the Bartók Béla Music Conservatory, specializing in jazz, where he was the student of János Gonda.

Since 1975, he has played together with all leading Hungarian jazz musicians at concerts, at festivals at home and abroad, and at studio recordings. His style of playing the piano has had a great influence on Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal, Bob James, Kenny Barron, Andy Laverne and Herbie Hancock.

Besides jazz, he is one of the most frequently engaged studio musicians. He has written and instrumented the music of a great number of films, theatre, shows and advertisements.