Category: Bands

Sültü play nothing but the authentic folk music of the Csángó people – a Hungarian minority living in Romania – of Moldavia and Gyimes, learned from old Csángó masters. The band recreates the atmosphere of these enchanted regions week by week at the dancehouses, concerts, family events and cultural festivals. The voice of Angelika Szilágyi, a Csángó from Csík village, lends further authenticity to their performance. If you would like to get to know the real Csángó music, dance the dances from Moldavia and learn beautiful archaic folk songs, look up, follow and meet Sültü band.

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CONTACT: benkoand@gmail.com / +36 20 471 7990

Over the past fifteen years, Zagyva Banda has become a decisive representative of the Hungarian Táncház movement. The band was brought up with the Táncház Method which is recognized by UNESCO. Zagyva is currently one the most active folk music bands in Hungary. They play authentic folk music from the Carpathian Basin, but they also deal with the culture of other nationalities living in the area. They are especially solicitous for cultivating the traditions of Galgamente, since the members’ family roots stem from here. In 2011, at a competition organized for violinists playing traditional Hungarian folk music, the band’s first violinist, Gellért Boda won the bronze medal. Following that, they published their first CD. In 2012, they started recording a CD-series in which they work upon the music of different ethnographic landscapes. They are currently working on the third disc. In 2015 the members organized a live concert that is available on CD and DVD as well.

CONTACT: zagyvakoncert@gmail.com

A rising star of the folk scene, Junior Prima awardee Sára Tímár is well known among lovers of world and folk music in Hungary. An outstanding singer from the younger generation of the dancehouse movement, she has sung in countless bands and productions. She started her own band in 2009, and has given many concerts at home and abroad ever since. Her solo album came out in 2018 January with the title „What Shall I Call You” (Minek Nevezzelek..), which she presented at a sold out concert at the Liszt Music Academy. Her second album featuring Protestant psalms of gratitude was released the same year. She leads a folk music workshop and dancehouse at the Cultural Centre of Szentendre.

CONTACT: timar.sara@gmail.com // Tímár Sára +36 30 427 7575

Drone instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy and bagpipe provide the backbone of Tallabille’s sound, over which Viktória Havay’s voice soars. Members had earned Young Master of Folk Arts titles and Junior Prima awards individually, to also receive the honour as a band in 2012. Their repertoire is rooted in the southern parts of the Great Plain – the main source of hurdy-gurdy tunes; but also features northern bagpipe music and archaic melodies from the Trans-Danubian Plain. Their mission is to uncover and popularize the musical heritage of Hungary’s Great Plain.

CONTACT: tallabille@gmail.com // Németh András +36 20 436 6796

Playing music since the age of 11, László Szlama is by now a master of plucked string instruments. Despite his youth, he is a viruoso of koboz and citera, teaching both at secondary and tertiary levels after his graduation from Liszt Music Academy in 2016. He was selected for the 50 Talented Hungarian Youth programme of La Femme magazine, and is mentored by award-winning opera singer Erika Miklósa. He plays in the bands Bordó Sárkány, PásztorHóra, Boró-Szlama and  Holddalanap.

CONTACT: szlamalac@gmail.com // Szlama Laci +36 70 703 7650

The deeply resonating voice and embellished singing of Júlia Kubinyi has earned her the Young Master of Folk Arts title in 2012, and Junior Prima award the following year. Still, most remember her as a finalist of the folk music talent show „Peacock”(Fölszállott a Páva) from 2012. She grew up with folk music, singing and dancing, performing at festivals at home and abroad, recording with bands since she was a child. She is a permanent member of Dűvő band since 2008, but also contributes to other folk music productions regularly. She is a recurring guest artist at the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble. Her solo debut album titled „I Walk Alone” (Magam Járom) came out in 2015.

CONTACT: kubinyi.julia@gmail.com // Kubinyi Júlia +36 30 739 0601

The story of this band started from Szigetköz, which is famous for its wild and romantic waters. The Danube drifted Rita, Márton and Áron wimpling through Szentendre towards Vác, so that during the years in music secondary school they could become a band with Zsófi and Ábel (anno 2010). The members of the string section are still attending the Liszt Ferenc Music Academy or they have just finished their studies there. The concerts of the band are usually thematic and the conception is not only musical. The prosperous performance entitled “Egy a madár a hangjával” brought up the 19 th century world by performing the poems of contemporary poets known from the collections from the last century, spiced up with authentical recruitment music. In the latest programmes they perform the cue music of the dances of the inhabitants of Bukovina.

CONTACT: sararanyzenekarnak@gmail.com // Radák Márton +3620 9291765

A unique band fusing the archaic vocal elements with urban and international layers of Olah Gypsy music. Soloists from famed bands Ternipe, Szilvási Gipsy Folk Band, Ando Drom and Romano Drom unite their voices, to which guitar, spoon and milk churn supply the beat. The unison of powerful voices and fiery rhythm is rounded off by brass instruments, clarinet, accordion, bass and percussion.

CONTACT: marotidani@gmail.com // +36 30 474 0044

Horsa Band has a simple mission: to play Transylvanian music as authentically as possible. They rely on field recordings by ethnographers and their own collection to recreate the original sound of the string bands in Mezőség and Kalotaszeg. As the older members still had the chance to play with the great village musicians in Transylvania, they can pass on their knowledge to the young and talented members of the group. First violinist István Horsa, recipient of the Béla Halmos prize, set up the band and keeps it on its path of authenticity.

CONTACT: istvan.horsa@gmail.com // Horsa István +36 20 392 0843

The group HolddalaNap  (‘MoonSingsSun’, or ‘The Moon with the Sun’) was founded  by well-known and experienced Hungarian folk musicians. With their debut album ‘Dandala‘ 2015, soon they were selected to the 10 groups who could represent hungarian world music in Fono Café, the 0th day before the WOMEX 2015 in Budapest. They have participated at WOMEX 2017 and 2018 as exhibitors, and thanks to the blooming co-operations they made, they had concerts and workshop at the National Ethnographic Museum of Warsaw in Mazurka Festival. There second album was released in 2018, by NarRator Records.

“ What they do in the song Hold és felhő (‘Moon and Cloud’)should be taught in a world music class. The final song on the album (Itt ülök fenn kerek mennyben ‘I sit here in Round Heaven’) which is a cover of a Transylvanian prayer, is one of the best thing what happened in the modern folk scene lately.” (Mihály Rácz, Lángológitárok)

CONTACT: holddalanap@gmail.com // Gulyás Anna +36 30 458 7129