István Kónya studied with Toyohiko Satoh  at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, where he gained his lute diploma in 1994, being the first Hungarian lutist to graduate. In addition to renaissance and baroque lutes, he plays the archlute and the chitarrone. From 1993 on lute teacher and artistic director of several early music courses in Hungary. His activities as a solist, accompanist and chamber musician have taken him all over Europe. He made two solo CD’s, three Lute Books,  and had a lute concert serie in the Buda Castle, where he had over 50 recitals.