János Sebestyén (2 March 1931 – 4 February 2012) was a Hungarian organist, harpsichordist, pianist and journalist.
János Sebestyén was born in Budapest to parents who were both musicians and educators. His father, Sándor Sebestyén, studied cello and authored several pedagogical works. His mother, Rózsi Mannaberg, studied piano.
He began his formal musical education in 1946 at the State Music Secondary School, studying piano, organ, and composition. He continued his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where he graduated with an organ diploma in 1955. Later, he attended the harpsichord class of Zuzana Růžičková in Prague. Sebestyén toured internationally as an organ and harpsichord soloist, performing in countries including Russia, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, the United States, and throughout Europe.
In 1970, he founded the first harpsichord class at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. He served on juries for organ and harpsichord competitions in various countries, including France, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, and Switzerland. In Hungary, he was president of the jury for the International Liszt Organ Competition in 1983, 1988, and 1993, and for the 1st International Harpsichord Competition in Budapest in 2000.
From 1950 onwards, Sebestyén worked for Hungarian Radio in several roles, including senior music producer between 1969 and 1994. Between 1962 and 2007, he contributed regularly to programmes covering culture, politics, and history. In his later years, he also contributed monthly programmes to Hungarian Catholic Radio.
He made recordings for labels such as Qualiton, Hungaroton, Turnabout, CBS International, and Naxos. . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
