Mátyás Antál was born in 1945 in Budapest, Hungary. He studied the flute and conducting at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. After graduating, he played flute in the Hungarian State Orchestra, and later became a conductor.
He was named chorusmaster of the Budapest Choir in 1984, and in 1986 he became an associate conductor with the Hungarian State Orchestra. Antál has conducted orchestras in performances all throughout Europe and on a number of recordings. In 1998, he was awarded the Liszt Prize.