Soma Dinyés, born in Budapest in 1975, is a highly accomplished musician with a distinguished career in composition and conducting. He completed his studies in composition at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music and earned a degree in choir conducting from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. In 2012, he was awarded a doctorate (DLA) with highest honours and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research on the works of Johann Schelle, a precursor to Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig. In 1995, Dinyés founded the Ars Longa Choir and Orchestra, renowned for its performances at national festivals and acclaimed recordings. Notably, during the 2002/03 season, the ensemble undertook the ambitious task of performing the first Leipzig Cantata cycle of J. S. Bach, comprising 54 cantatas, in the original order of first Leipzig performance. Since 2007, Soma Dinyés has been actively involved with the Bratislava-based orchestra Solamente Naturali, serving as a harpsichord and organ continuo player and conductor. His collaborations with the orchestra have taken him to prestigious venues worldwide, including cities such as Warsaw, Marburg, Brussels, Boston, New York, and Mexico City. Noteworthy among his projects as conductor is his reconstruction of J. S. Bach’s St Mark Passion.
In addition to his orchestral engagements, Soma Dinyés has been a regular contributor of esteemed ensembles such as the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Liszt Ferenc Chamber Orchestra, and the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others. He is sought after for his expertise in conducting and directing baroque projects. From 1999 to 2019, Soma Dinyés served as a dedicated educator at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music, teaching solfege, music theory, and chamber music, and conducting both the symphony orchestra and chamber orchestra. He has also imparted his knowledge through teaching continuo and chamber music at various summer schools of early music.
Since 2019, Soma Dinyés has held the position of Chief Conductor of the Hungarian Radio Children's Choir and serves as a voice teacher at the Zoltán Kodály Elementary School of Music. Under his leadership, the choir has performed in numerous other formations such as texture performances in the Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery, folk dance galas in the Budapest Sports Hall and the Erkel Theatre, concert tours to commemorate Zoltán Kodály's folk song collections 100 years ago all over the country, and a children's TV series on M2, entitled “Let's go to the stage!”.
