Anikó Novák

Photo: Zsuzsa Ágoston

Pianist Anikó Novák was enrolled in the Exceptional Young Talents’ Class of the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest when she was 12. She continued with her graduate studies at the Liszt Academy, where she finally received her master’s degree in piano in 1994. Her most influential professors were Gyöngyi Keveházi, György Nádor, Mihály Bächer, Ferenc Rados, and Sándor Falvai.

During her studies she participated in masterclasses by András Schiff and György Sebők. In 1989, as a student, she won the Best Accompanist Prize at the International Cello Competition in Varna (Bulgaria), and in her 4th year she was awarded the Best Pianist Prize at the Liszt Academy. While still studying at the Academy, she was the piano accompanist for the violoncello lessons of Ede Banda, highly acclaimed professor and artist.

In 1995 she joined the internationally acclaimed Hungarian Radio Children's Choir as a soloist and accompanist, resulting in frequent touring and numerous recordings. Her CD of Bach-Beethoven-Schubert sonatas with double bass player Zsolt Fejérvári was released in 1996.

She has given solo and chamber concerts in major European cities (e.g.: Budapest, Vienna, Munich, Cologne, Milan, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Roma, Cremona, Palermo, Torino, Linz, St. Petersburg, Katowice, Stuttgart), in the USA, Japan, and Taiwan.

Here is the list of her solo recitals from recent years:

2019:
Malaysia, Kutching: International Kodály Symposium
Sichuan Conservatory of Music, China
Budapest, Liszt Museum
Tallinn, Estonian National Opera , Blue Room

2018:
University of Notthingam, UK, British Kodály Academy
Kecskemét, International Kodály Seminar, 
Gori, Georgia, Kodály Seminar
Tallinn, Estonia, Otsa Music High School
Tartu, Estonia, German Cultural Institute
Roma, Italy, Accademia d' Ungheria, Kodály Seminar
Sichuan Conservatory of Music, China
Budapest, Liszt Academy, Solti Hall, International Kodály Symposium

2017:
Lahti Conservatory of Music, Finland, Kodály Seminar 
Kecskemét, Spring Festival
Roma, Italy, Accademia d' Ungheria, Kodály Seminar
Sichuan Conservatory of Music, China
The Hague, Netherlands, Kodály Seminar
Salems Church, Stockholm,  Summer Festival

2016: 
Sibelius Academy, Helsinki, -,,Bartók and Friends" Concert
Roma, Italy,  Accademia d' Ungheria, Kodály Seminar

2015: 
Budapest, Liszt Academy, Solti Hall
Kecskemét, Spring Festival, Kodály Institute,
Roma, Italy, Accademia d' Ungheria, Kodály Concert
Nynashamn, Sweden, Summer Festival

She has worked with artists including Philip Glass, Dennis-Russel Davies, Barnabás Dukay, Edit Klukon, Zoltán Kocsis, András Schiff and Tamás Vásáry. As a chamber musician she has accompanied trios, quartets and instruments ranging from violin and cello to tuba, flute and clarinet. In 2001 she was the first Hungarian artist to give a recital in the Young Talents concert series at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

While still performing regularly in solo, chamber music and choral concerts, her activities have been complemented by teaching and creative music pedagogy. In 2021 she joined the expert team of the instrumental strand of the Erasmus KA226 collaborative project called PRESTO - Practices and Resources for Equipping Schools to Teach Music Online. 
 

Teaching activities:

She has gained extensive teaching experience through working with different levels and age groups:

1989 – 1995: As a university student she taught piano for the members of the Hungarian Radio Children's Choir.

1996 – 1998: She was enlisted by the Bartók Béla Music Institute of the University of Miskolc in Hungary to teach piano.

1999 – 2003: She lived in Washington DC, USA where she was invited to teach piano for kids on a voluntary basis in a newly established art school, the Sitar Arts Center.

2004 – 2010: She taught secondary piano at the Music Theory - Solfège - Conducting Department of the Teacher Training College of the Liszt Academy.

2010 – present: Currently as a faculty member of the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy, she teaches piano, piano pedagogy, and chamber music.

In piano or any instrumental or general music pedagogy, no matter what  your musical interests or experiences as a teacher or performer are, the fusion of the training of general musical skills based on the Kodály concept with the experience of free movement improvisation according to Klára Kokas’ pedagogy provides a holistic basis for all musical understanding and learning. ZeneZen course participants are guided towards musical discoveries through singing, movement, listening, imagination, full self-immersion, improvisation and instrument playing.

Since its launch in 2016 ZeneZen has been introduced in numerous training events all over the world.

In 2022, Dr Tuğba Çağlak Eker, a piano professor in Ankara, published an article about ZeneZen as a progressive music pedagogy method in the 21st century, which was published in the International Education Studies online music journal. In 2023, the course was included as well in the PRESTO online pedagogical programme. 

The list of ZeneZen, Creative Piano Pedagogy Courses and Workshops from recent years:

Websites: http://novakaniko.com/, http://novakaniko.com/zenezen/, https://www.facebook.com/zenezenpiano/