In de Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians vond ik het volgende (informatie uit 1981)
Kovács, Béla, (born Budapest, 1 May 1937). Hungarian clarinettist. He studied with György Balassa at the Liszt Academy of Music, and while still a student became a member of the Budapest Opera orchestra (1956); he was later appointed a soloist. He was a founder of the Hungarian Wind Quintet, in which he played from 1961
to 1971, and is a member of the Budapest Chamber Ensemble. In 1975 he was appointed a professor at the Liszt Academy. A notable virtuoso, and Hungary's leading clarinettist, he is a fine player of both classical and contemporary music. His recordings include Mozart's concerto and quintet, Bartók's Contrasts and a number of contemporary Hungarian works. He was awarded the Liszt Prize in 1964 and named Artist of Merit in 1972.
PETER P. VARNAI