Barnabás Kelemen is a Hungarian violinist. He began his violin studies at the age of six, with Valéria Baranyai, and at age eleven he was admitted to the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music into the studio of Eszter Perényi. He received his diploma in 2001. During his time at the Academy, he participated in master classes with such renowned musicians as Isaac Stern, György Kurtág, Sergiu Luca and Thomas Zehetmair, among many others.

In 1999 he won the First Prize of the Mozart International Violin Competition in Salzburg, and in 2002, he won the gold medal at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. In 2006 he was awarded by the Knight's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil division).

Since 2005 he has been teaching at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

Barnabás Kelemen has achieved outstanding results in prestigious contests, including first prizes at both the 1999 International Mozart Violin Competition in Salzburg and the 2002 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, and third prize at Brussels’ 2001 Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition. His artistry has been recognized with the highest professional and state honours: he has been awarded Liszt and Kossuth Prizes and Prima and Gramophone Awards, and is the holder of the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.

Together with Katalin Kokas, he is the founder and artistic director of the Festival Academy Budapest Chamber Music Festival, which regularly features artists such as Vilde Frang, Maxim Rysanov, Shlomo Mintz, and Joshua Bell. From 2010 to 2018 he was the leader of the Kelemen Quartet, which enjoyed a stellar international career.

Barnabás Kelemen performs on the “ex-Dénes Kovács” Guarneri del Gesú violin of 1742, generously loaned to him by the Hungarian State.

Prizes:
2001 Liszt Memorial Plaque
2001 Sándor Végh Prize
2003 Liszt Prize
2003 Rózsavölgyi Golden Medal
2003 Diapason D’or
2003 Classical Artist of the Year (Hungarian Gramofon)
2001 Prize
2005 Prize
2006 Knight's Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil division)
2007 Prima Prize
2012 Kossuth Prize
2020 Béla Bartók-Ditta Pásztory Award