2-8. August 2025
TOGETHER, IN ONE VOICE
Host: Dénes Gulyás, Kossuth Prize and Liszt Ferenc Prize-winning opera singer
8:00 PM
Concert of the Panula Masterclass Excellences
(Hírös Agóra Theatre Hall)
The fourth edition of the Jorma Panula International Conducting Masterclass offers a true showcase of the emerging generation of outstanding young conductors at the Hírös Agóra Cultural Centre. At the age of 95, Maestro Panula—who has trained dozens of star conductors since the 1970s—continues to teach the art of conducting with remarkable energy and dedication. From nearly 40 applicants, nine conductors from around the world were selected through a rigorous video audition process. Over the course of a week, the selected conductors studied under the guidance of Maestro Panula and Huba Hollókői, Artistic Director of the Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra, and now they take the conductor’s podium for the final concert. The audience will have the special privilege to compare how the same orchestra sounds under nine different conductor’s batons in one concert, accompanied by a unique highlight: the first concert piece, Evening in the Village by Bartók will be conducted by Maestro Panula himself.
Programme:
Béla Bartók: Evening in the Village
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Intermission
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 5
Zoltán Kodály: Dances of Marosszék
Performed by: Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by: Jorma Panula and the participants of the masterclass
Duration: approx. 85 minutes + 20 minute intermission
Tickets: General admission: 4000 HUF, Senior: 3600 HUF, Student: 1500 HUF
10% discount with Kecskemét Card
Sunday, 3 August 2025
7:00 PM
Kodály Point – Deák Square
Concert by Sebestyén Kis (cello), cello soloist of the Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
Zoltán Kodály: Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8 – Movement I
Gaspar Cassado: Cello suite
9:00 PM
Brass Magic
Atmosphere Concert – journey through the history of music with the brass and percussion ensemble of the Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
(Main Square)
Programme:
Giovannoni Gabrieli: Sonata Pian’e Forte
Georg Friedrich Händel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon
Giuseppe Verdi: Triumphal March from Aida
Johan de Meij: Brasserie Royale
Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 2
Robert Ramskill: Jazzamataz
Chris Hazell: Brass Cats
Alan Silvestri: Back to the Future film score
Ulvaeus-Andersson: Chess
Van McCoy: The Hustle
Conductor: Vilmos Kis-Fekete
Performed by: The brass and percussion ensemble of the Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
Duration: approx. 50 minutes
Free admission
Wednesday, 6 August 2025
5:00 PM
The Musical Heritage of Hungarian Shepherds – Lecture by Zoltán Juhász, folk musician and research engineer
(Katona József Library) (Programme in Hungarian)
6:15 PM
Book Launch
Olli Varonen: Key to the Miracle – Colour Strings in Finland
The Work of Géza and Csaba Szilvay
(Kodály Institute) (Programme in Hungarian)
Presentation of the Hungarian edition of the book, originally published in Finland in 2023
Translated by: Ottilia Kovács
Publisher: Foundation for the Kecskemét Kodály Institute, 2025
Supported by: Hungarian Academy of Arts and the Liszt Institute Helsinki
The 50-year musical legacy of the Szilvay brothers in Finland offers a compelling example of how a music education initiative can rise from challenging beginnings to international acclaim. Sometimes moving, sometimes humorous, their story is always marked by the highest level of professional dedication. Colour Strings—a distinctive method for teaching string instruments—is grounded in Zoltán Kodály’s principles of music education: from singing folk songs to reading notation, from musical mother tongue to the most refined layers of composed music. The international success of the Helsinki Youth String Orchestra left a lasting mark on 20th-century music pedagogy.
This book explores that journey and is recommended for anyone involved in the education of children.
Participants of the launch event: Géza Szilvay, Csaba Szilvay, Dr. Ágnes Horváth, Péter Erdei
Admission is free.
7:00 PM
Kodály Point – Deák Square
Concert by Huba Hollókői (violin) and Gergő Sipos (cello)
Zoltán Kodály: Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7
7:30 PM
Peacock
Jubilee concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Kodály Institute, the 50th anniversary of the Hírös Agóra, and the International Kodály Society
(Liszt Academy, Budapest)
Programme:
Zoltán Kodály: Fölszállott a páva – Variations on a Hungarian folk song Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
conductor: Huba Hollókői
Zoltán Kodály: Geneva Psalm CXIV
Performed by the Choir of the 27th International Kodály Symposium
Márton Levente Horváth – organ
conductor: Huba Hollókői
Zoltán Kodály: Budavári Te Deum
Mária Lökösházi – soprano, Judit Rajk – alto,
Flórián Körmendy – tenor, Zsombor Cserményi – bass
Performed by the Choir of the 27th International Kodály Symposium
Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
conductor: Péter Erdei
Tickets: 1900 HUF
Friday, 8 August 2025
7:00 PM
Kodály Point – Deák Square
“From the Classics to Kodály and Film Music”
A programme by the M. Bodon Pál Music School of Kecskemét
Performers: Anett Ambrus – violinist, Franciska Barta, Tamás Gyenei, Milos Katonka, Márk Zsolt Kovács, Levente Pusztai, Sára Borbála Szabó, Hunor Szücs, Tamásné Pusztai
Instructors: Edit Bujdosóné Csáki, Levente Kovács, Mária Janzsó, Dóra Nemes, Csaba Orosz, Timótné Tary
Thursday, 7 August 2025
8:00 PM
Peacock
Jubilee concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Kodály Institute, the 50th anniversary of the Hírös Agóra, and the International Kodály Society
(Hírös Agóra Theatre Hall)
Programme:
Zoltán Kodály:
Four Italian Madrigals – excerpts
Nr. 1. Chi voul veder
Nr. 3. Chi d’amor sente
Chamber Choir of the 27th International Kodály Symposium
conductor: Anna Füri
Zoltán Kodály: Fölszállott a páva – Variations on a Hungarian folk song
Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
conductor: Huba Hollókői
Budavári Te Deum
Mária Lökösházi – soprano, Judit Rajk – alto,
Flórián Körmendy – tenor, Zsombor Cserményi – bass
Performed by the Choir of the 27th International Kodály Symposium
Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
conductor: Péter Erdei
Tickets: General admission: 4000 HUF, Senior: 3600 HUF, Student: 1500 HUF
10% discount with Kecskemét Card
Further concerts:
September 27th 11:00 Otthon Mozi
Zenét hallgat a család – zenei képeslapok
Italy
Family concert with the Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra