Gergely Ménesi gained his first orchestral experience in the St. Stephen Symphony Orchestra, where he played the violin. He later studied piano and organ and also sang in several choirs.

He obtained his diplomas in choral conducting and orchestral conducting (the latter with distinction) at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest in 1994 and 1997.

In May 1998, Gergely Ménesi won second prize at the 9th International János Ferencsik Conducting Competition.

He participated in conducting masterclasses led by Yuri Simonov. He further expanded his professional knowledge at the Bartók Seminar in Szombathely and at Helmuth Rilling’s Bach and Mendelssohn courses.

His first professional appointment was at the University of Miskolc, where he conducted the Symphony Orchestra of the Béla Bartók Institute of Music and taught chamber music.

For 26 years to this day, he has served as conductor of the Győr University Orchestra.

Between 2000 and 2004, Gergely Ménesi conducted the Vox Humana Choir of Vác. In addition, from 2000 to 2002 he taught solfège and music theory at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, at the String Department.

From 2001 to 2006, he was principal conductor of the Szolnok Symphony Orchestra. At the orchestra’s concerts, he sought to bring music closer to audiences through explaining the programme, and in cooperation with the local television station he produced classical music programs featuring excerpts from works performed at the concerts.

In September 2006, he was appointed conductor of the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra, where he worked regularly until June 2009.

After this, Gergely Ménesi became conductor of the Zugló Philharmonia, today known as the Szent István Philharmonic Orchestra, and from July 2013 he has been the artistic director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. In addition to his rehearsal work, he also conducts the orchestra’s seasonal concert series. A particularly moving event was the concert of November 15, 2015, when he conducted replacing the ill Zoltán Kocsis; works by Liszt, Bartók, Dohnányi, and Kodály were performed on that occasion.

He wrote his doctoral dissertation on “The Sacred Music Works of László Lajtha” and was awarded the DLA degree in 2016.

In January 2018, Gergely Ménesi received the Lajtha Prize.