International Folk Dance Association and   First Unitarian Church of St. Louis present . . .
	Past Event Page  •  IFDA Home Page

Gázsa Hungarian Folk Ensemble

in a concert and dance party

Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
First Unitarian Church of St. Louis
5007 Waterman Ave. (at Kingshighway)
St. Louis, MO 63108  (see Google Map)
Admission $15 (students 18 and under, $10)

Join us for an exciting evening of exciting Hungarian folk music, songs and dances from Transylvania at its best, from one of the finest folk ensembles of its kind!

The Gázsa Hungarian Folk Ensemble was formed in 1992 by several Hungarian folk musicians who studied authentic village music from masters of the tradition.  The ensemble is led by violinst István ("Gázsa") Papp.  Gázsa was born and raised in Transylvania and has played with many giants of Hungarian folk music.  A graduate of the Conservatory of Music in Kolozsvár (Cluj), Transylvania, he was influential in starting and providing music for the first táncház (dance house, or community folk-dance event) in Kolozsvár while he was a student.  The táncház folk revival movement inspired many young musicians to learn and preserve their authentic folk music.

Although the performers in the Gázsa Ensemble are all Hungarians, they include in their repertoire music of other traditional cultures in the Carpathian Basin.  Romanian, Slovak, Serbian, Croatian, Ukrainian, and Rom (Gypsy) folk traditions are all represented.

The Gázsa Hungarian Folk Ensemble has accompanied the famous Budapest Ensemble for a decade.  Together they have performed in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico, to critical acclaim.  In their 2000 North American tour, the ensemble was praised by the New York Times as "admirable" and "compelling"; the New York Newsday noted "superb musicians. . .lively, seductive music"; the Boston Glube praised their music as "pulsating"; and in the Chicago Sun Times the group's fiddlers were called "irresistible and the musicians "superb".

On this tour the ensemble will consist of five musicians and two dancers.  The musicians include two violinists, a violist, a bassist, and a cimbalom (Hungarian hammered dulcimer) player.  Two dancers from Transylvania, wearing beautiful folk costumes of several geographic areas, will perform as well.

We are especially fortunate in St. Louis to hear this music presented with the dances it was intended to accompany.  Don't miss it!

For further information please contact Rex or Nancy Couture at 314-275-8228 or .