Béla Horváth was born into a musical family. He began his musical studies in his hometown of Pécs as a student of Miklós Csikós. Afterwards, he became a student at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music (Conservatory) in Budapest, from where oboist János Kemény directed him toward the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. He earned his teacher’s degree in music there in 1994, studying under Emília Csánky.
He has been a member of the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra since 1991, and of the Budapest Festival Orchestra from 1992 to 2000. Since 2000, he has been the principal oboist of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, and since 2019, he has strengthened the ranks of Concerto Budapest.
Alongside his orchestral work, he is frequently heard as a soloist and chamber musician. He has played as a partner to Heinz Holliger, Maurice Bourgue, Zoltán Kocsis, the Amadinda Percussion Group, and the Keller Quartet. He has performed with the Budapest Wind Ensemble, as well as numerous domestic and international ensembles. He served as a teacher at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest from 2014 to 2019.
As a dedicated performer of contemporary music, he has regularly contributed to UMZE concerts since 2004. He won the János Richter Wind Instrument Competition in Győr in 1989, and was named "Artist of the Year" at the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra in 2013.
He plays contemporary music on numerous CD recordings, including the solo part in Miklós Malek's Oboe Concerto on a 2018 recording. He is featured as a soloist and chamber musician on the CD Fák zenéje / Musique "d"arbres.
