Outstanding performance by young musicians

Twenty-two individual masterclasses led by thirty-two artists have been held in recent weeks at the University of Debrecen's Faculty of Music, at the XXII International Summer Academy for Young Musicians, with over one hundred and sixty students from fourteen countries. The event also marked the ninetieth birthday of Tamás Vásáry, pianist and conductor, who this year again took over the leadership of the Zoltán Kodály World Youth Orchestra.

In addition to the countries of the European Union, young musicians from all over the world came to the summer academy, for example from Korea, China and Iran, but also from Turkey and Hong Kong, to study with excellent professors and to attend courses of international standard at the University of Debrecen's Faculty of Music. The two-week event also attracted many returning students, including those who had chosen to pursue a career in music or who had chosen a Hungarian university for their education because of the summer academy

Participants could practise piano, flute, violin, violin, bass violin, saxophone, cello, oboe, clarinet, horn, trumpet, trombone and percussion, take a vocal masterclass and improve their skills in the Music of Movement course.

A special highlight of the event was the Music Evenings in the Great Forest concert series, which featured a colourful repertoire of music performed by the Academy's professors in the Liszt Hall. In addition to the gala concerts, the Contemporary Music Singing Competition was organised for the eighth time in memory of Emil Petrovics, and it is planned to integrate it into the academic year at the Faculty of Music in Debrecen next year.


Judit Váradi, Artistic Director of the Summer Academy of Young Musicians, told hirek.unideb.hu that this year has again proved the great demand for summer music courses at the University of Debrecen, as the event has an outstanding international resonance and the public who attend these evenets are also happy to welcome the young talents.

- This year, more than one hundred and sixty participants from fourteen countries attended the Summer Academy, which means that more and more people are spreading the word about the University of Debrecen around the world. This year, the success of the academy far exceeded our expectations, which is largely due to the fact that the young people who came to us took the task seriously and worked with great concentration, so that professional work could be given a high priority.It was a colourful palette, a remarkably well-prepared group of people, most of whom came to the faculty because they wanted to develop and play in an orchestra. This sense of purpose helped to create a stage-ready and high quality orchestra in a short time, even though it is very difficult to create a cohesive formation from such a diverse range of cultures and young people with such different backgrounds. The most important message of the summer academy was that with the right concentration and humility, it can be done. This year's Summer Academy was characterised by a sense of liberation and joy, and it was clear to all participants that we had created something unique and unrepeatable.It is a uniquely complex musical event in Hungary, with courses, competitions and master teachers taking the stage. All of this attracts the attention of young people on an international level," said the artistic director.

In closing, the Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Youth World Orchestra, formed from the participants of the summer academy, conducted by Tamás Vásáry and Zoltán Bolyky, gave a concert in the Great Reformed Church, celebrating Tamás Vásáry's 90th birthday, to be celebrated by the Kossuth Prize-winning pianist and conductor in August. After the Debrecen performance, the world orchestra performed in the concert hall of the Slovak Radio in Bratislava and then in the Great Hall of the Music Academy in Budapest. The audience gave the ensemble a standing ovation after each performance. Before the concert in the Great Church, Tamás Vásáry emphasised that the new formation was made up of excellent musicians and that this year's work together was a greater experience than ever before.



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