Born in the city of Hatvan, Éva Balatoni began her music studies on piano and started to sing at age 14. After graduating from high school in Miskolc, she attended college in Debrecen, graduating from the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music's programme in that city. After completing her education, she started out teaching in a music school before signing as a soloist with the Csokonai Theatre of Debrecen in 1986, making her debut there as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. In Debrecen, she also sang the roles of Amneris (Aida), Czipra (Der Zigeunerbaron), Flora Bervoix (La traviata), Eboli (Don Carlos), Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor), Gertrud (Bánk bán), Örzse (Háry János), the title role of Carmen, Maddalena (Rigoletto) and Judit (Bluebeard's Castle). In 1991, she signed with the Hungarian State Opera as a soloist and member of the company. It is here where she has sung her most important roles: Kundry (Parsifal), Brünnhilde (Die Walküre), the title role of Carmen, Judit (Bluebeard's Castle), Amneris (Aida), Eboli (Don Carlos), Klytaemnestra (Elektra), Örzse (Háry János), Venus (Tannhäuser), the Old Woman (Judit Varga's Love), Gutrune/Second Norn (Götterdämmerung), Lola/Lucia (Cavalleria rusticana), Lidi (Gyula Fekete's The Redeemed Town), Emelka (Ernő Dohnányi's The Tower of the Voivod), the Neighbour (Blood Wedding), Madelon (Andrea Chénier), Olga/Larina/Filippyevna (Eugene Onegin), Miss Baggott (Britten's The Little Sweep), Mary (Der fliegende Holländer), Tisbe (La Cenerentola), Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), Wellgunde (Das Rheingold), the Neighbour (The Spinning Room), Emilia (Otello), Maddalena (Rigoletto), Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Grandmother Buryja (Jenůfa), Martina Laborde (Eötvös's Love and Other Demons) and Mirabella (Der Zigeunerbaron).
Her awards and recognitions include the Mihály Csokonai Vitéz Award, the award established by Dr and Mrs Andor Mándi, the Bartók-Pásztory Award (as part of the Hungarian State Opera company) and the Artisjus Award for performing artists.
Her recordings include Wagnerian Heroines and Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle (with the HSO Orchestra, conducted by János Kovács).
She has appeared together with the Opera's company in Spain, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany and Ukraine, as well as on stages in other countries. She has received the Mihály Székely memorial plaquette in 2017.
