East Coast - Spring 2024
New York, Washington D.C., New Jersey
Events below are all open to the general public, and are listed in chronological order
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Saturday, April 27
Afternoon Singing Workshop
28th Annual Spring Wassail, Stone Ridge, NY
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Sunday, April 28
3pm Singing Workshop
6:30pm Táncház (show and dance party)
Jalopy Theatre, Brooklyn, NY
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Monday, April 29
6-9pm Hungarian Folk Singing Circle in Washington D.C.
Join us for a fun Hungarian folk singing workshop open to participants of all backgrounds, no previous experience required. We'll learn beautiful traditional village songs perfect for springtime directly from village source recordings, including the pronunciation, translation, stylistic details, and background information on the style. From 6-7pm we'll cover all of the Hungarian letter sounds, followed by the singing class from 7-9pm. Please RSVP to LELIZAF@gmail.com to reserve your spot and receive full workshop details. $20.
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Wednesday, May 1
7-9pm Singing Workshop - Songs from Magyarbőd
Washington D.C.
Songs from Magyarbőd are famous for their beautiful fleeting harmonies, distinct among the Hungarian folk song repertoire. Join us for this fun, intensive Hungarian folk singing workshop for Tisza Ensemble dancers and other members of the community who want to immerse themselves in these gorgeous songs. The songs will be taught directly from village source recordings, and workshop materials include the song words, translations, a full break-down of the stylistic harmony parts, and putting it into practice. From 6-7pm we will hold an optional Hungarian Pronunciation Class -- please join us if you are new to the style or if you have years of experience and want to refine and perfect your pronunciation! From 7-9pm the Singing Workshop will be focused on the songs, and will not include teaching pronunciation. Please contact the Tisza Ensemble to register at info@tiszaensemble.org! $20.
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Thursday, May 2 - Saturday, May 4
Lecture and Singing Workshop
American Hungarian Educators Association (AHEA) Conference
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Visit the AHEA website for the most current version of the conference program. According to the latest program, Zina's 20-minute research presentation will be on Saturday in the panel from 11:15am-1:15pm, immediately followed by the 60-minute singing workshop from 1:15-2:15pm. See descriptions below.
Anyone may attend this conference - you do not need to be an AHEA member and day passes are available.
Advance registration is required.
Presentation and Workshop Descriptions:
Spinning and Singing: What Hungarian fonó can teach us about singing today
Hungarian village life was rich with song, and one primary place of music-making was the spinning room. But what exactly did that look like? When and where was it held, who was there, how did they spend the time together, and why was it such a crucial place for maintaining the songs passed down over centuries? Based on original research directly with village culture bearers across the Hungarian language area who grew up in this traditional practice, this paper will present not only the practical, tangible aspects of singing at the fonó, but also some of the intangible emotional, psychological, and relational functions it served. Today, many sing folk songs as a self-standing musical repertoire, without giving thought to this original context and how profoundly interwoven singing was with daily tasks, close relationships, and villagers’ overall well-being. Examining each element of that context can inform and in fact transform our thinking about music pedagogy and the practical, social, and emotional needs of music students and all those craving more music in their lives, in Hungary and across in the globe.
Hungarian Folk Singing Workshop
Held in English, this folk singing workshop is open to conference participants of all musical and language backgrounds, no previous experience required. The beautiful songs will be taught directly from village source recordings, such as those famously collected by Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, and the workshop materials will include the Hungarian song words, English translations, and background information on the style. Following her presentation at the AHEA Conference in 2022 on international folk song teaching methodology, the workshop is led by Zina Bozzay, known for her accessible teaching style, academic rigor, and contagious enthusiasm. Join us!
Join Zina Bozzay at the Spring Wassail to learn beautiful traditional Hungarian folk songs! No previous experience with the style required. Coming to us from Budapest, Zina is an active performer, researcher, arranger, and teacher of Hungarian village folk songs deeply involved in accessibility and diaspora. Trained in Hungary, she collects from the last living village singers from the oral tradition and leads the Hungarian Folk Singing Circle, in which she has taught thousands of Hungarian speakers and non-speakers from over 50 countries.
Hungarian Folk Song Teaching is scheduled for Saturday 4pm!
Tickets (Saturday Wassail Ticket)
6:30pm Hungarian Táncház (click link for tickets)
With Életfa, Fészer Banda, Zoë Aqua, Jake Shulman-Ment, and Zina Bozzay!
The Életfa Hungarian Folk Band was founded in 1987 by children of Hungarian immigrants and presently consists of first-generation Hungarian-Americans and Hungarian immigrants living in New Jersey, New York and Washington, DC. Életfa, which means the Tree of Life, symbolizes the core mission and passion of the band, which is to preserve the past while passing it on to the next generation. Életfa’s performs at a wide range of venues, from concert halls, outdoor festivals, museums to Táncházes (“Dance Houses,” or Hungarian folk dance parties). They are dedicated to spreading their joy of authentic Hungarian folk music, song and dance from the villages of present day and historic Hungary to audiences of all ages, within the Hungarian community and throughout North America. (eletfa.org)
3-5pm Hungarian Folk Singing Workshop with Zina Bozzay (click link for tickets)
Join us to learn beautiful traditional Hungarian folk songs! This workshop is open to participants of all musical and language backgrounds, with no previous experience in the style required. In the first half-hour we will go over Hungarian pronunciation for those who need it, followed by the song teaching. Songs will be taught directly from village source recordings, and participants will receive those recordings, printed song lyrics, English translations, and background information on the songs, regions, and traditions.
Following the singing workshop, put what you learned into practice at the rocking Hungarian folk dance party known as “táncház” , with doors at 6:30pm.
