• 1952 – 1962

    Music school in Košice, studying the piano

  • 1962 – 1967

    Košice Conservatory, studying piano and double bass

  • 1963

    founded the Ján Hajnal Trio (accompanied by Viktor Hidvéghy – double bass, and Jozef "Dodo" Šošoka – drums), in which he still performs, with different musicians

  • 1964 – 1966

    The Jazz Quartet at the Košice Conservatory

  • 1966

    finalist in a competition of young jazz musicians in Vienna

  • 1967 – 1969

    leader of a military band

  • 1967

    performed at the Czechoslovak Amateur Jazz Festival in Přerov, the International Jazz Festival in Prague, and a festival of amateur groups in Salgotarján (Hungary)

  • 1973 – 1979

    member of the Tatra Singers

  • 1977 – 1983

    member of the Slovak Jazz Quintet, with which he appeared regularly at the Bratislava Jazz Days, at the Aquarium Club in Warsaw (Poland), and other venues

  • 1980 – 1983

    member of the Czechoslovak Radio Dance Orchestra in Bratislava, for which he arranged and conducted his own compositions

  • since 1983

    worked as a solo pianist abroad

  • 1985

    member of Pavol Kozma's Esprit, with which he played at the Bratislava Jazz Days in 1985 and 1992

  • 1985 – 1987

    pianist and arranger for the Television Orchestra

  • 1987

    performed as a part of the Ján Hajnal Quintet at Bratislava Jazz Days' Slovak Jazz Review

  • 1988 – 1993

    occasional guest performances with Pavol Kozma's Esprit

  • 1990 – 1994

    composed for Radio Bratislava's Big Band

  • since 1993

    member of Jozef "Dodo" Šošoka's All Stars Trio (Slovak Cultural Days in Budapest 1995, Woodstock Budapest 1994, Slovak Jazz Review 1994)

  • 1995

    occasional performances (in duos with Gabo Jonáš and his wife Ria Hajnalová, and in trios with the trumpeter Ľubor Priehradník, amongst others)

  • 2002

    appeared with the Trio at the Košice Jazz Festival

  • 2003 – 2004

    member of the Tatra Quintet (Juraj Bartoš – trumpet, clarion; Milo Suchomel – tenor saxophone; Ján Hajnal – piano, leader; Peter Čudek – double bass; Peter Solárik – drums; Ria Hajnalová – vocals)

  • since 2003

    a focus on solo jazz piano

  • 2003

    played solo piano at the International Jazz Festival in Prague

  • 2004

    a jazz recital at the Bratislava Music Festival

  • 2005

    member of the Classical & Jazz Art Duo with Prof. Miloš Jurkovič (flute) in a programme entitled Bach & Jazz, which played for Slovak Radio in Bratislava, at Bratislava Castle, the Přerov Jazz Festival, and the Trenčín Musical Autumn, amongst other events the present currently works with the American drummer, Bobby Durham, in Switzerland, and with the Austrian musicians Georg Breinschmid (bass guitar) and Christian Sallfelner (drums); plays concerts solo (at venues such as Leighton House in London) and as part of a duo (the Classical & Jazz Art Duo); he is also greatly interested in the theme of classical music played in jazz style (Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bach, Suchoň, Cikker, Zeljenka, and Alexander Moyzes).

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