Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra
The Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra, maintained by the Hírös Agóra Cultural, Arts and Youth Centre of Kecskemét, was founded in 1966 from musicians and artist-teachers of Kecskemét and its surroundings, under the enthusiastic direction of conductor Lajos Nemesszeghy and oboe teacher and orchestra secretary János Lukács. As the only symphony orchestra in Bács-Kiskun County it plays an important role in the cultural life of Kecskemét and the region, and in cultivating the Kodály musical tradition. The ensemble is a regular and popular participant in the festivals and notable occasions of the “Hírös” city, and a skilled interpreter of Zoltán Kodály’s symphonic works.
After Lajos Nemesszeghy, Endre Kemény led the ensemble from 1968 to 1985. Then László Martos took over the leadership of the orchestra. From 1990 to 1996 Péter Dóbiás was the conductor, then from 1996 to 2019 the pianist-conductor László Gerhát was the conductor. Many world-famous conductors have stood at the head of the orchestra, among them Kenichiro Kobayashi, Ádám Medveczky, Mátyás Antal, Péter Erdei and Tamás Vásáry, with soloists of the world’s elite such as Annie Fischer, Andrea Rost, Viktória Vizin, Erika Miklósa, György Pauk, Dezső Ránki, Sergei Nakariakov, Balázs Fülei, Suzana Bartal, Gergely Bogányi, Denis Matsuev and Zoltán Kocsis. The ensemble’s regular concert partners are the Hungarian National Choir and the Debrecen Kodály Choir, and it cooperates closely with the Kecskemét Kodály Institute of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. Since August 2022 the orchestra’s artistic director has been Huba Hollókői.
Besides the classical, symphonic and operatic repertoire, the orchestra also performs successfully in many other genres. It has given joint concerts with the Csík Band several times, and has also played with Adrienn Szekeres, Katica Illényi, the Péter Sárik jazz trio, animation film artist Ferenc Cakó, and the Kecskemét City Ballet and the Kecskemét Dance Ensemble, among others. Its film-music concert at the Hírös Festival attracts an audience of many thousands to the main square of Kecskemét every year.
The Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra places great emphasis on nurturing young talents, on the musical education of children and young people, and on popularising classical music. Every year it gives a concert with the outstanding instrumental students of the Kodály School, helping to launch their careers. Its matinee concert series “The Family Listens to Music”, started in 2016, has by now introduced several thousand small children, their parents and grandparents to a love of classical music.
Over the years fruitful partnerships have developed with several of Kecskemét’s twin cities. In 2006 the orchestra gave a concert in Hyvinkää, Finland, in 2016 in Târgu Mureș as part of the Târgu Mureș Days, and in 2017, in honour of the Kodály Year, in Galanta. In 2018 it presented works by Árpád Solti in Subotica.
The Kecskemét Symphony Orchestra has two albums of its own, on which Hungarian works and works with Hungarian connections can be heard. On the 2011 CD “Concerto”, besides one concertino each by Ferenc Farkas, János Vajda and Pál Kadosa, Zoltán Kodály’s Concerto is heard. The orchestra also played in two films: the foreign co-production “In the Shadow of Beethoven” and a theatre scene of the film Kincsem.
The General Assembly of the City of Kecskemét awarded the orchestra the Zoltán Kodály Prize in 2016.