Szabadi studied under Professor Ferenc Halász at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest where on receiving his diploma, he became the youngest-ever member to join the teaching staff.
In 1985 Szabadi was awarded third prize at the international Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in Finland where he has since been invited to perform regularly and to give master classes.
Szabadi was among the musicians invited by Prince Charles to perform at the celebration in honour of Sir Georg Solti's 80th birthday held at Buckingham Palace in 1992.
Conductors with whom he has appeared include Simonov, Ceccato, Nelson, Gardelli, Tabachnik, Loughran, Berglund, Renzetti, Kamu, Haenchen, Vásáry, Kobajashi, Adam and Ivan Fisher.
He is the double prize-winner (1999, 2002) of the MIDEM Festival in Cannes, France, where the international jury chose the Szabadi recording of Dohnányi Violin Concertos, and the complete Bartók edition (issued by Hungaroton, the Hungarian record company) which includes Szabadi's version of the early Bartók violin sonata.
[citation needed] In 1995 Szabadi established, as Artistic Director, a chamber music festival in Keszthely, a resort on Lake Balaton.