Biography
Exceptional virtuosity, utmost precision, and musical maturity are the qualities that have established Dalibor Karvay as one of the most prominent Slovak artists of his generation. Driven by a constant desire for absolute tonal purity and emotional depth, he continuously refines his musical expression and pushes the boundaries of his interpretative artistry.
From a young age, he garnered numerous prestigious awards, including victory at the Young Musicians’ Meeting in Córdoba (1996), the Eurovision Grand Prix – Young Musician of the Year competition (2002), and first prize at the David Oistrakh International Competition in Moscow (2008). He was repeatedly invited to the Seiji Ozawa International Academy in Switzerland. In 2009, the Slovak Republic honored him with the Minister of Culture’s Award for exceptional artistic achievements and outstanding representation of Slovak interpretative art abroad. Two years later, he received the Tatra Bank Foundation Art Award (2011), and in 2016, he was granted the Ľudovít Rajter Prize. His remarkable musical accomplishments were further highlighted by his performance at Windsor Castle for His Royal Highness, Prince Charles of Wales, where, at just eighteen years old, he shared the stage with the legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.
His passionate quest for the ideal sound and perfect violin was later documented in the film Stradivari: Search for Perfection (2004).
As a soloist, Dalibor Karvay has performed with numerous renowned orchestras, including the Wiener Symphoniker, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Wiener KammerOrchester, Camerata Salzburg, Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Nationaltheater-Orchester Mannheim, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, English Chamber Orchestra, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Solistes Européens Luxembourg, Czech Philharmonic, Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Slovak Philharmonic, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, State Philharmonic Košice, and Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina.
He has collaborated with esteemed conductors such as Petr Popelka, Ion Marin, Marek Janowski, Marie Jacquot, Leif Segerstam, Giedrė Šlekytė, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Jaap van Zweden, Kaspar Zehnder, Alexander Rahbari, Lucie Leguay, Tetsuro Ban, Pawel Przytocki, Tomáš Netopil, Tomáš Brauner, Ondrej Lenárd, Rastislav Štúr, and many others. Dalibor Karvay is also a sought-after chamber musician. He has collaborated with top artists such as Radek Baborák, Julian Rachlin, Wenzel Fuchs, Boris Kuschnir, Magda Amara, Stefan Stroissnig, Roman Patkoló, Daniel Buranovský, Vag Papian, Gottlieb Wallisch, Pavel Haas Quartet, and members of the Wiener Symphoniker and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
From 2020 to 2025, he served as First Concertmaster of the Wiener Symphoniker, with whom he also appeared on several occasions as a soloist – most recently in December 2025 in Vienna under the baton of Chief Conductor Petr Popelka, and in March 2025 at the Beijing Performing Arts Centre in China. In the current season, he has appeared as a soloist in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Vietnam, and Slovakia. In the 2026/2027 season, he will serve as Artist-in-Residence of the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic in Łódź, Poland.
Dalibor Karvay began playing the violin at an early age under the guidance of his father. He later continued his studies at the Conservatory in Žilina in the class of Bohumil Urban, before pursuing further training at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with the legendary violin pedagogue Boris Kuschnir. While still a student, he made several recordings for Slovak Radio. His debut solo album Souvenirs was released in 2017 by Music Centre Slovakia.
Alongside his active international concert career, Dalibor Karvay is Professor of Violin at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. From 2014 to 2025, he also held a teaching position at the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna.
Dalibor Karvay plays the Antonio Stradivari violin, Cremona 1694, “ex Benecke,” on loan from the Austrian National Bank.
