István Kónya, born in Nagykanizsa, Hungary, obtained his first diploma in History and Music in 1985, while boardening his training with studies in classical guitar. In 1989 he joined the lute studio of Toyohiko Satoh at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. There he gained his lute diploma in 1994, being the first Hungarian lutist to achieve such a distinction. In addition to renaissance and baroque lutes, he plays the archlute and the chitarrone. Obtaining his chamber music degree in 1996 at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, he attended master classes with Nigel North and Steven Stubbs.

Since 1993 he has been a lute teacher at many early-music courses in Hungary;  like Savaria Early Music Week (1993),  Musica Antiqua Apud Danubium/Szentendre (1994-1996), Early Music Course/Bükk (2002-2004), Early Music Course for Singers & Luteplayers/Székesfehárvár since 2007;  teacher and artistic director of the "Early Music Summer Academy" in Szombathely (1996-1998), of the „Savaria Early Music Cource” since 2005, of the  International Lute & Guitar Festival in Győr/Hungary since 2006.