Budapest Academic Choral Society
The Budapest Academic Choral Society that celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2007 has become an emblematic ensemble of the cultural life in the Hungarian capital. They give concert all over the world as winners of numerous Hungarian and international choir competitions. The self-sustained choir - which is a representative ensemble of choral culture in Budapest - is the only amateur choral group beside professional choirs to regularly appear in professional concert productions. The choir is participant of reputed festivals, Grand Prix winner of several choir competitions and one of the highly acclaimed oratorio choirs in Hungary that also enjoys great international success. Since the foundation of the choir they took part at all the renowned European choir competitions returning with first prizes. Their greatest success was the Grand Prize of the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition in Debrecen and the First Prize of the Llangollen Eistedfodd Internationes where they were also awarded the title “Choir of the World”.
They choir gave concerts in almost every European country, in the United States and on Taiwan. They performed at the most reputed concert halls in Europe including Frankfurter Alter Oper and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Tey also appeared at the Henry Crown Hall in Jerusalem, the Tel Aviv Opera, the Sydney Opera House and the National Concert Hall in Taipei. The choir was among the 30 top choirs of the world to be invited to the 4th World Symposium on Choral Music in Sydney in 1996. In 1998 they participated at a concert tour in the Netherlands performing Händel’s The Messiah in various cities.
They gave highly successful gala concerts together with the Budapest Youth Choir at the 1st Choir Olympics in 2000 in Linz and at the 3rd Choir Olympics in Bremen in the summer of 2004. The ensemble took part at the Liturgica Festival of Church Music with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in 2001 and 2002 and they were re-invited to Israel in February 2006.
The choir lays great emphasis on the musical training of younger generations. Therefore every year for the 20th year running they organise a music camp for young people from Budapest, which is concluded by a grand concert in 2006 for the first time at the new National Concert Hall.
The history of this temporary choir (United Youth Choir of Budapest) began in 1986 when a massed choir of young students performed Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Petőfi Csarnok (a well know hall in Budapest). Encouraged by the success of this concert and by the great enthusiasm of its young participants this has become a regular event looking back on a 20 year old tradition now. Organised by the Budapest Academic Choral Society, lead by Gábor Hollerung young music lovers gather each year for the joint performance of an oratorio. During the past two decades they performed a wide variety of oratorical works, singing pieces like Mozart’s Requiem, Händel’s The Messiah, Dvořak’s Stabat Mater, Haydn’s The Creation. In addition to these works they also presented the premiere of several contemporary Hungarian compositions (e.g.: Iván Madarász: The Queen of Sheba, János Vajda: A Song of Psalms, Emil Petrovics: A Dunánál (By the Danube), Roland Szentpáli: Magnificat). In 2006 nearly 500 young singers sung Orff’s Carmina Burana and Mendelssohn’s The First Walpurgis Night at the National Concert Hall.
The Budapest Academic Choral Society is a regular partner of the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra. Each year the two ensembles open a joint concert series called “Vox Humana” at the Music Academy. The series will move from 2006 to the new National Concert Hall. The choir is actively involved in the organisation of the Budapest International Choir Competition that took place for the 10th time in March 2005. A seminal objective of the ensemble is to foster contemporary music and introducing new Hungarian choral compositions to the public.
The Budapest Academic Choral Society that celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2007 has become an emblematic ensemble of the cultural life in the Hungarian capital. They give concert all over the world as winners of numerous Hungarian and international choir competitions. The self-sustained choir - which is a representative ensemble of choral culture in Budapest - is the only amateur choral group beside professional choirs to regularly appear in professional concert productions. The choir is participant of reputed festivals, Grand Prix winner of several choir competitions and one of the highly acclaimed oratorio choirs in Hungary that also enjoys great international success. Since the foundation of the choir they took part at all the renowned European choir competitions returning with first prizes. Their greatest success was the Grand Prize of the Béla Bartók International Choir Competition in Debrecen and the First Prize of the Llangollen Eistedfodd Internationes where they were also awarded the title “Choir of the World”.
They choir gave concerts in almost every European country, in the United States and on Taiwan. They performed at the most reputed concert halls in Europe including Frankfurter Alter Oper and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Tey also appeared at the Henry Crown Hall in Jerusalem, the Tel Aviv Opera, the Sydney Opera House and the National Concert Hall in Taipei. The choir was among the 30 top choirs of the world to be invited to the 4th World Symposium on Choral Music in Sydney in 1996. In 1998 they participated at a concert tour in the Netherlands performing Händel’s The Messiah in various cities.
They gave highly successful gala concerts together with the Budapest Youth Choir at the 1st Choir Olympics in 2000 in Linz and at the 3rd Choir Olympics in Bremen in the summer of 2004. The ensemble took part at the Liturgica Festival of Church Music with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra in 2001 and 2002 and they were re-invited to Israel in February 2006.
The choir lays great emphasis on the musical training of younger generations. Therefore every year for the 20th year running they organise a music camp for young people from Budapest, which is concluded by a grand concert in 2006 for the first time at the new National Concert Hall.
The history of this temporary choir (United Youth Choir of Budapest) began in 1986 when a massed choir of young students performed Orff’s Carmina Burana at the Petőfi Csarnok (a well know hall in Budapest). Encouraged by the success of this concert and by the great enthusiasm of its young participants this has become a regular event looking back on a 20 year old tradition now. Organised by the Budapest Academic Choral Society, lead by Gábor Hollerung young music lovers gather each year for the joint performance of an oratorio. During the past two decades they performed a wide variety of oratorical works, singing pieces like Mozart’s Requiem, Händel’s The Messiah, Dvořak’s Stabat Mater, Haydn’s The Creation. In addition to these works they also presented the premiere of several contemporary Hungarian compositions (e.g.: Iván Madarász: The Queen of Sheba, János Vajda: A Song of Psalms, Emil Petrovics: A Dunánál (By the Danube), Roland Szentpáli: Magnificat). In 2006 nearly 500 young singers sung Orff’s Carmina Burana and Mendelssohn’s The First Walpurgis Night at the National Concert Hall.
The Budapest Academic Choral Society is a regular partner of the Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra. Each year the two ensembles open a joint concert series called “Vox Humana” at the Music Academy. The series will move from 2006 to the new National Concert Hall. The choir is actively involved in the organisation of the Budapest International Choir Competition that took place for the 10th time in March 2005. A seminal objective of the ensemble is to foster contemporary music and introducing new Hungarian choral compositions to the public.