Attila Mihó

I don’t know myself how Mihó Attila and Friends came into existence. When I was twelve years old, I met my friend Görög András at a dance house for kids in Ráckeve. It was the first time when he helped me play the violin, which became regular over the years. In the autumn of 2011, I began my studies at Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, majoring in folk music. At the time we ran our own dance house in Budapest for four years, and up to the present, we are regular guests of the Sebők folk-dance club and Fonó Music House. In the last six years, the current line-up gradually evolved, and we released our debut album called „Which way…” in 2017.

CONTACT: info@folkfest.hu

Ágnes Enyedi

The soaring voice and natural charm of Ágnes Enyedi qualifies her as a true presenter of folk heritage. The artless appeal of her singing has won the most notable prizes in the field: Ágnes is a Junior Prima awardee as well as bearer of the Young Master of Folk Arts title. She has collected songs from across Transylvania and Moldavia, visiting the latter with Tázló band. She has been featured on several albums since 2006, making her solo debut in 2010 with the title „Love of a Dove”. Singing with Magos string band, they won the 1st prize at Folkbeats talent contest, and the chance to tour North America. She sang in Tatros band, and is a regular performer in productions by the Danube Folk Ensemble, and the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, whom she accompanied on their US tour in 2013.

CONTACT: enyedi_agi@yahoo.com // Enyedi Ágnes +36 30 376 0444

Mihály Dresch

A musical genius who combines Central European heritage with the Afro-American roots of jazz both while composing and performing –  to a perfectly natural effect. His string quartet features folk musicians of the most devoted, studious and virtuosic ilk. The accompaniment helps him rise to a new vantage point in blending traditions, while retaining the trademark Dresch sound.

CONTACT: dresch.mihaly@gmail.com

Anna Csizmadia

Born and raised in Bácska, the region spread across the Hungarian-Serbian border, she is inspired by the musical heritage of her birthplace. She attended the renowned music school in Szabadka/Subotica, from where she applied to the folk singing faculty of the Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. She strives to keep the ancient core of folk songs that has shaped, taught, comforted and delighted generations over the centuries. She won the „Peacock” talent show (Fölszállott a Páva) in the solo singing & instrument category in 2012, and received Junior Prima Award in 2014. The same year she was also given the Artist Award of Hungarians in Vojvodina.

CONTACT: csanna92@gmail.com

Zalán Csenki

Zalán Csenki, Junior Prima awardee made his mark playing the koboz (cobza ) in the Hungarian folk talent show „Peacock” (Fölszállott a Páva). Apart from his main instrument,  the lute-like kobza, which he is dedicated to promote, he also plays tambura, flute and tarogato. He started his first band Korinda playing the music of Hungarian communities living in Romania (the Csángó and Székely people) in Szeged.

CONTACT: kobzalan@gmail.com // Csenki Zalán +36 30 602 1733

Bara Band

The quintet gains inspiration from the folk heritage of the Carpathian Basin. The thoroughness of their interpretation lies hidden under the apparent ease, diverse arrangements and joyous lyrics of their music. They serve as a bridge connecting the musical heritage of the past with the technical possibilities, and more than anything, the needs and emotions of our present.

CONTACT: barazenekar@gmail.com // Páll Éva +36 70 536 6508

Kálmán Balogh

Kálmán Balogh  is an exceptional musician, one of the most notable cimbalom players in the world. Kálmán Balogh’s background and training render him an ideal musical personality to achieve such synthetic goals. A graduate of Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music of Budapest, he has completed many successful tours throughout the world with various ensembles.
The cimbalom, a short of oversized hammer dulcimer played with mallets like a vibraphone, possesses piano like percussive abilities to drive a band rhythmically or take the melodic lead.
In Kálmán Balogh’s  expert hands, the cimbalom can do both simultaneously. His mastery of this unique and rare Hungarian folk instrument has mesmerized audiences.

Teacher:
Liszt Ferenc University of Music, Folk Music Department – folk cimbalom teacher, Bartók-Pikéthy Music School, Vác – folk cimbalom teacher,   Instructor at workshops held in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA Awards:
Young Artist of the Folk Art,  eMeRton Award, Artisjus Award,  Kodály Award, Hungarian Heritage Award

CONTACT: info@kalmanbalogh.hu // Balogh Kálmán +36 30 468 0660

Babra

Budapest-based Babra performs captivating almost-forgotten traditional music of South Slavic minorities along the Danube from a fresh perspective, with tamburitza, accordion, clarinet, percussion and vocals.

Performing captivating South Slavic and Balkan music, Babra was formed in Budapest in 2014, at the intersection of Western and Eastern Europe, a long-time melting pot of still-living rural traditions and innovative urban cultures. The dynamic and varied music of the South Slavs who centuries ago resettled along the banks of the Danube, features the traditional plucked string instruments called tamburitza along with beautiful polyphonic singing. Babra performs this music as well as Macedonian and Serbian styles, incorporating clarinet, saxophone, accordion, and traditional percussion into their instrumentation. 

Babra takes the almost-forgotten diverse musical styles as inspiration for their own unique sound, embodying this rich musical heritage with youthful energy. Their first album was released in 2019, earning a spot in the top ten of the WMCE. They also had the opportunity to play at the Womex2020 showcase in MÜPA.

“From the banks of the Danube we came, tamburitzas in hand; from a tiny, hidden musical paradise of archaic, polyphonic singing style, the unity of the tamburitza and the harmony of the clarinet and the accordion, whose rolling melodies taught us what it’s like when one sound freezes time, while another joyfully gives birth to light.”

CONTACT: bandbabra@gmail.com // Réti Benedek +36 30 550 4503 // Varga Veronika: +36309855626

Rozsdamaró Band

The name Rozsdamaró comes from a friend, and means „rust remover”. Rust refers to the crackly, archival recordings we use to learn the style and original sound of the village bands of old. We started playing together in the year 2000 in Szeged, released our first album in 2004 with the title „Then and Now” (Egykor és Most), and received the Young Artist of Folk Arts award in 2005.

KONTAKT:


Rézhúros Band

Most of us were drawn to folk music through dancing, only to realize that although music and dance are complementary, it’s hard to do them both at the same time. We chose to play music, a decision that has defined our lives ever since. Almost all of the members come from the same village: Üllés, in the Southern Great Plain region of Hungary. We constantly train and study our rich folk heritage, and eagerly receive instruction from our masters, who still had the chance to learn from the legendary village musicians of the past century.

CONTACT: rezhurosbanda@gmail.com