Béla Kovács (born May 1, 1937 in Tatabánya, Hungary) is a Hungarian clarinetist.He graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary.He was principal clarinetist with the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra since 1956, until he retired in 1981.Kovács has been a Professor of Clarinet at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest and at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, Austria. He has also composed a set of concert etudes for clarinet called "Hommages" that are written in the style of a number of different composers and are studied and/or performed widely today.