Máté Bella (, ; born 28 November 1985) is a Hungarian composer and university professor at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Hungary. He has worked across multiple genres of music, including classical contemporary, opera, choir, musicals, theater music and pop music.
Early life and education Máté Bella was born 28 November 1985 in Budapest, Hungary.
Bella began his musical studies at Ferenc Erkel Primary School for Music. He later attended the Weiner Leó Secondary Music School in Budapest, where he specialized in composition and piano. He continued his music education between 2002 and 2006 at the Béla Bartók Music Institute, where he focused on composition under the mentorship of Miklós Kocsár. After graduating in 2006, he was admitted to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where he completed his studies in 2011. In 2013, he spent a semester at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków on an Erasmus scholarship. Máté was awarded a scholarship for the New National Excellence Program in 2017, and in 2018, he received his summa cum laude doctoral degree.
Career In 2009, he won the New Hungarian Music Forum composer competition, organized by Müpa Budapest and the Budapest Music Center. This was followed by the recognition of his ensemble piece Chuang Tzu's Dream by the International Music Council in Lisbon in 2010. This piece was performed by the London Sinfonietta. That same year he became the first composer to receive the Junior Prima Award, which recognizes individuals under 30 for outstanding achievements in various fields. In 2011, one of his compositions, written for a play at the Hungarian National Theatre, won the Theatre Critics Award. He received the Erkel Ferenc Award in 2016 and the Bartók-Pásztory Award in 2019. His song Mostantól (From Now On), co-written with Gergő Rácz, won the A Dal 2020 competition, receiving the Petőfi Music Award for Song of the Year and the Hungarian Music Awards Fonogram prize for Best Hungarian Modern Pop/Rock Album or Recording of the Year. In 2025, he won the Artisjus Award in the 'Classical Music Work of the Year' category for his composition The Cheerleaders.
Bella is a member of the Artisjus Committee of Classical Music Critics, the Association of Hungarian Composers, and the 'Musician/Composer' section of the Hungarian Film Academy Association. He is also a co-founder of Studio 5, a contemporary composers' group established in 2016.
From 2019 to 2024, he served as a senior lecturer at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and has been an associate professor since 2024, and he habilitated in 2025.
Main works Chamber music WorkYear The Butterfly's Dream 2005 Psycho Symbioses 2006 El Tango de Viudas Engañadas 2007 Message, Message 02 2007 Preludes 2007 Insomnia 2008 Insomnia – commentaries 2008 Silk 2008 The Secret 2009 Something happened... 2009 Manifestations 2010 ...in paradise 2010 Ritual 2010 Study 2011 Visions 2012 Phantasm 2013 Varródermia 2018 Titan 2020Fons2020Aeolus2021Beneath the Starry Night2021De Agnete2021Monochronic2022Judas2022Airambulum2024The White Chaconne2024After the Rain2025Stardust2025
Ensemble WorkYear Equivalence 2007 Chuang Tzu's Dream 2008 Trance 2013 Reflections 2013 Hypnos 2014 Laniakea 2015 Hesperus 2017The Cheerleaders2024
Orchestral works Compositions for orchestra WorkYear The Night's Monologue 2011 Suite 2012 Sounds of Generation Y 2015 Tabula Smaragdina 2018 Sounds of Generation Y Part II 2018Love of Hephaestus2023Celestial Pathways2025
Compositions for string orchestra WorkYear Lethe 2014About Time2023After the Rain (for string orchestra and piano)2025Ave Maria (for soprano and string orchestra)2025
Vocal music Choral works WorkYear Peace 2013 The Home at Night 2014 Lacrimosa 2015 Eternal Music 2020O Oriens2021Summer Song2023Dies Irae2024
Operas WorkYear Spring Awakening 2012The Coronation of Poppea(L'incoronazione di Poppea)2019
Musicals TitleTheatrePremiere Who the F**k is Lady Domina? Academy of Drama and Film, Budapest 2009 Better than Sex Courtyard Theatre, London 2010Creators, betterthansexmusical.co.uk ( Retrieved 30 April 2019.) The Demon Cat Madách Theatre, Budapest 2010 Budapest Operetta and Musical Theatre 2018freewill >>>>Erkel Theatre, Budapest2023
Songs TitleTheatrePremiere Aria of the Miller's Daughter(A molnárlány áriája) Sándor Weöres 2008 Botond's Emergency Song(Botond vészdala) Attila Havasi 2010 [anya milyen] Orsolya Karafiáth 2012 To the Unknown Sweatheart(Az ismeretlen kedveshez) Sándor Weöres 2013Ave MariaLiturgical Text2024
Pop music TitleArtist(s)Publication I Gotta Fly(Valami más) Lilla Polyák a LillaPolyakVEVO YouTube channel – 25 July 2013 2013 It Can't Be Over Fool Moon A DAL Eurovíziós Dalfesztivál / Eurovision Hungary YouTube channel – 25 February 2014 2014 Bolondod voltam Gergő Rácz, Ív 2016 Emlékkép Tibor Kocsis 2016 Crack my code Reni Tolvai 2017 a Tolvai Reni Official YouTube channel – 16 December 2017 Everest Reni Tolvai 2017 a Tolvai Reni Official YouTube channel – 18 December 2017 Mostantól(From Now On) Gergő Rácz,Reni Orsovai 2019 Rácz Gergő YouTube channel – 18 November 2019 Maradj Lilla Polyák 2021TubisodaGergő Rácz2025
Theatre music TitleTheatrePremiere Widows(Özvegyek) Academy of Drama and Film, Budapest 2007 Berzsian and Dideki(Berzsián és Dideki) National Theatre, Budapest 2009 Intrigue and Love(Ármány és Szerelem) Müpa Budapest, Budapest 2009 Hungarian Celebration(Magyar Ünnep) National Theatre, Budapest 2010 Mephisto National Theatre, Budapest 2013 Danton's Death(Danton halála) Comedy Theatre, Budapest 2013 The Evil Spirit Lumpazivagabundus(Lumpáciusz Vagabundusz) Comedy Theatre, Budapest 2014 The Imaginary Invalid(A képzelt beteg) Budapest Puppet Theatre, Budapest 2016 Frau Holle(Holle anyó) Budapest Puppet Theatre, Budapest 2017
Film scores TitleNationality, GenreDirector; Producer(s)Date Indián István P. Szabó YouTube channel – 22 April 2014 Hungarian tragicomedy filmIstván P. Szabó; Placebo Stars, Sparks 2013 Just Drop Dead(Halj már meg! Big Bang Media YouTube channel – 4 November 2016) Hungarian feature filmZoltán Kamondi; FocusFox Studio, Honeymood Films 2016
Discography +Compilation albums Work(s) Album Publisher Year Other Máté Bella: Moods / StimmungenMáté Bella: Moods / Stimmungen, open.spotify.com TON 4 Records 2005 MessageMessage 02 Young Hungarian Composers for Cimbalom Hungaroton 2009 Beáta Móri Chuang Tzu's Dream New Hungarian Music Forum 2009 composers' competition BMC HMIC 2010 CD 1 Contemporary Classics I: MoodsContemporary Classics I: Moods, open.spotify.com Erwin Pitsch Publishing / TON 4 Records 2012 Valami más (single)Zene, polyaklilla.hu Sony Music 2013 Lilla Polyák It Can't Be Over Zeneszöveg.hu YouTube channel – 22 February 2014 (kislemez) Schubert Music Publishing 2014 Fool Moon Emlékkép GoldRecord Hungary YouTube channel – 14 November 2016 3 GoldRecord Hungary 2016 Tibor Kocsis Bolondod Voltam (Sante Cruze Remix) (Feat. Ív) (single) Rácz Gergő YouTube channel – 7 March 2017 Schubert Music Publishing 2016Bolondod Voltam (Sante Cruze Remix) (Feat. Ív) , dalok.hu Gergő Rácz, Ív Crack my code (single) Magneoton 2018Crack My Code, deezer.com Reni Tolvai Everest (single) Magneoton 2018Everest, deezer.com Reni Tolvai Resonance Máté Bella 2026 Cantemus Mixed Choir
Awards and competition prizes
Awards
Junior Prima Award (2010) Istvánffy Benedek Prize (Chuang Tzu's Dream, 2010) Best theatre music – Theater Critics Award (Magyar ünnep, 2011) Istvánffy Benedek Prize (A tavasz ébredése, 2013) Junior Classical Composer of the Year Artisjus Prize (2015) Ferenc Erkel Prize (2016) Béla Bartók–Ditta Pásztory Prize (2019) Petőfi Music Award for Song of the Year (Mostantól, 2020) Hungarian Music Awards Fonogram prize for Best Hungarian Modern Pop-rock Album or Recording of the Year category (Mostantól, 2020) Artisjus Award – Classical Music Work of the Year (The Cheerleaders, 2025)https://www.artisjus.hu/artisjus-dijak/bella-mate-2/
Competition prizes 1st prize – Weiner Leó Composition Competition, Budapest (2002) 1st prize – 6th International Composition Competition (Farbotony), Kaniv, Ukraine (2003) 3rd prize – National Improvisation Competition, Budapest (2003) Special Prize – National Composition Competition, Budapest (2004) Special Prize – Vántus István Composer Competition, Association of Hungarian Composes and Vántus István Foundation, Szeged (2006) 3rd prize – National Composition Competition, Budapest (2006) Shared 1st prize – Liszt Academy Composer Competition, Budapest (2007) Special Prize – Youth Contemporary Music Evenings, Budapest (2007) Special Prize – 9th Zdarzenia Theatre and Art Festival, Tczew (2007) Special Prize – Youth Contemporary Music Evenings, Budapest (2008) Special Prize – Wekerle centenarian, Wekerle Cultural Association, Budapest (2008) Special Prize – Youth Contemporary Music Evenings, Budapest (2009) 1st prize – Liszt Academy Composer Competition, Budapest (2009) 1st prize in Chamber Music – NHMF Composer Competition, Budapest (Chuang Tzu's Dream, 2009) 3rd prize, Musical Competition of Madách Theatre, Budapest (Macskadémon/The Demon Cat, 2010) Madách Színház YouTube channel – 24 February 2011 Shared 3rd prize – Liszt Academy Composer Competition, Budapest (2010) 1st prize – Generace Composer Competition, Ostrava (2013) 1st prize in Chamber Music – NHMF Composer Competition, Budapest (Trance, 2013) 1st prize – Generace Composer Competition, Ostrava (2015)
References
External links
Official website
Rostrum of Composers 2017 – Palermo (Hungarian Radio / Radio Hongroise) Máté Bella, rostrumplus.net – May 2015 Bella, Máté, Editio Musica Budapest Ltd. emb.hu Retrieved 30 April 2019 Máté Bella (Composer), betterthansexmusical.co.uk Bella, Máté, Budapest Music Center, info.bmc.hu
“One must be able to give an account of each second and each note” – Interview with the composer Máté Bella, lfze.hu – 22. February 2018