Born 1977 in Veszprem, Hungary, Péter Somodari began playing the cello at the age of four. Between 1997 and 2006 he studied at the music academies of Budapest and Saarbrücken, receiving important impulses from Làszlo Mezö, Miklos Perényi, Gustav Rivinius Ferenc Rados, and György Kurtàg. He has received numerous awards, among them first prize at the 2005 International Music Competition in Markneukirchen. He has appeared in performance with such musicians as Christian Tetzlaff, Leonidas Kavakos, Tabea Zimmermann, Boris Pergamenschikov, Truls Mørk, Miklós Perényi, Alexej Lubimov, and György Kurtàg. From 1997 to 2001 Somodari performed in the Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra, both as section cellist and as soloist. Then from 2001 to 2004 he was a member of the Keller Quartet and the Hungarian State Opera. From 2004 to 2012 he held the first Solo Cellist position in the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra. Since September, 2012 Somodari is Solo Cellist of the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2018 he serves as Guest Professor at the Music University Vienna (MDW). 
This is his first appearance at PMF.