Janos Pilz was born in Kiskoros, a small town in the Hungarian plain that has had a major impact on the nation: Kiskoros was the birthplace of Sandor Petofi, Hungary's greatest poet. Like Keller, Pilz studied with Denes Kovacs at the Budapest Academy of Music and then went on to become leader of the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra (1988-1991). He too won first prizes, at the Hubay and the Zathureczky competitions (1986 and 1988). A founding member of the Keller Quartet, he has additionally made a name for himself as a soloist in the field of Baroque music (also using period instruments)."The Keller Quartet won prizes for their performances and recordings (on Erato) of Bartok's string quartets in the 1990s, including the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 1996, and the Cannes Classical Award 1997. The Keller Quartet also won the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 1997 for their ECM New Series Kurtag album, "Musik fur Streichinstrumente", which also collected a Diapason d'Or and a Gramophone Awards Nomination.

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