Gabor Rejto

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Gabor Rejto (1916–1987) was a Hungarian cellist.

Rejto was born in Budapest. His first 'cello teacher was Frederick Teller, a local teacher whose ideas, for the time, were exceptionally forward looking. At sixteen, Rejto entered the Academy of Music under Adolf Schiffer (a pupil of and later assistant to David Popper), and two years later, with his Artist’s Diploma, he began his European concert career.

From the age of twenty, he studied with Pablo Casals for two years, first in Barcelona and then in Prades. Casals had revolutionized the approach to the 'cello and when he worked with Rejto, they spent almost a month on just basic technique. Rejto then played in concerts throughout Europe, with major symphony orchestras such as those in Vienna, Budapest, Rome and Warsaw, as well as in solo recitals.

In 1952, Gabor Rejto and Yaltah Menuhin undertook a tour of New Zealand together. Over a period of five weeks, they gave twenty-five concerts to great critical acclaim.

Rejto was a resident of the United States from 1939 until his death. During his career, he was on the faculty of the Manhattan and Eastman Schools of Music. From 1954 to his death was professor of 'cello at the University of Southern California. He was also the 'cellist in the Paganini and Hungarian String Quartets, and was a founding member of the Alma Trio. Mr. Rejto taught for a number of years at the Music Academy of the West summer program for gifted students, where his master classes were extremely popular, not just to cellists. His experience in chamber music attracted many students to his 'cello workshops held throughout the United States. Rejto was chosen Artist Teacher of the Year at the American String Teachers Association’s 25th Anniversary Conference.