Márton Illés, born in Budapest in 1975, is one of the most prominent composers of his generation. As a child and a teenager, Illés benefitted from a broad musical education in piano, composition and percussion at Kodály Institutes in Győr. From 1994 Illés transferred to Music Academy Basel where he initially studied piano with László Gyimesi, receiving the soloist’s diploma in 1998, and composition with Detlev Müller-Siemens from 1997 to 2001. In 2001 Illés began further studies at the University of Music Karlsruhe with Wolfgang Rihm (Composition) and Michael Reudenbach (Music Theory). Mastercourses with György Ligeti, György Kurtág and Helmut Lachenmann had a lasting influence on his compositional thought. From 2005 onwards, Illés taught music theory and composition at the Universities of Music in Karlsruhe, Würzburg and Mannheim.
Illés wrote pieces for every conceivable genre and combination of instruments, ranging from music theatre and string quartets to electroacoustic compositions. A vivid combination of direct expression and rigorous construction distinguish his works, which are often overtly physical in their conception. Illés spoke in regard of Húr-tér I, his 3rd String Quartet (2016/17) about “disturbingly characteristic, physically gestural sound substances.” His interest in “grasping the energetic nature of psycho-physical processes” can be experienced throughout his music.
Illés’s compositions are created in collaboration with leading orchestras, soloists and ensembles on the contemporary music scene, including the Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Recherche and the Trio Catch. He wrote the clarinet concerto Re-akvarell (2015) for Sabine Meyer, the violin concerto Vont-tér (2019) for Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the WDR Sinfonieorchester and the cello concerto Sirt-tér (2023/24) for Nicolas Altstaedt. The orchestral piece Lég-szín-tér was given its world premiere in 2023 by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Kirill Petrenko.
Márton Illés’s oeuvre has been awarded with numerous prizes and scholarships, including the Christoph and Stephan Kaske Prize (2005), the Composers Prize of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation (2008), the Schneider-Schott Music Prize of the City of Mainz (2008) and the Paul Hindemith Prize (2008) of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. In 2017, he was awarded the SWR Symphony Orchestra’s Prize at the Donaueschinger Musiktage for his piece Ez-tér. Illés has been awarded residencies at the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome, at the International Villa Concordia in Bamberg and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Umbria. 2020/21 he held a residency at the Cité des Arts Paris, and in 2024 he was Composer in Residence with Philharmonie Essen and the NOW Festival.
Illés is also a regular performer. A trained pianist, he played the piano part in the world premiere of his composition Rajzok II (2011). As a guest conductor with Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern and Ensemble Musikfabrik he has conducted both his own works and those of other composers.
As of: February 2026