On November 16th the Virtuosos Ensemble gave a frenetic concert in the Hungarian Community Centre. The programme consisted of well known, popular pieces in new arrangements by Apor Szűts. The compositions and the very talented young performers riveted the attention of the audience till the very end. One encore proved to be too little – the audience would have liked more but the intensity and virtuosity of the performance did not allow more from the players. Please, watch the recording, hopefully it will give you and idea of the atmosphere of the evening.

(Recorded by Gábor Finta) 

The Hungarians of Ottawa paid tribute this year also to the martyrs of the 1956 revolution. The Soviet invasion started on the 4th of November. The representatives of the Hungarian Embassy and local Hungarian institutions laid a wreath on the monuments at the Beechwood Cemetery and the Maple Island.

(Recorded by Gábor Finta) 

On October 26 Felicián Kalmus presented a concert at the Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre. On the programme there were works of the great classical composers besides excerpts from movies, folk songs and his own compositions as well. As a bonus there was a visual presentation that complimented the musical effect of Kalmus’ high quality instrumental playing. The flickering of the projected images (in this video only) are caused by the different frequency of the European and American electrical systems.

(recorded by Gábor Finta) 

In honour of the 1956 revolution the Hungarian flag was raised at Ottawa City Hall. Ambassador dr. Bálint Ódor and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson spoke the occasion. Members of the Youth Folk  Dancers  also performed at the occasion.

(Recorded by Gábor Finta)

On Oktober 20th the Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre presented a memorial programme of the 1956 revolution. The guest speaker of the evening was Dr. Bálint Ódor, Ambassador of Hungary. Ernő Szelepcsényi spoke about his memories of the revolution. Béla Szabó paid tribute to the recently deceased freedom fighter, József Polgár. Performances of the Ottawa Hungarian Scouts, the Youth Folk Dancers and András Dobai contributed to the programme of the evening.

(recorded by Gábor Finta) 

On September 28, 2019 the Romungro Band gave a very succesful concert in the Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre.
The “Romungro” word stands for Hungarian gypsy, and most of them are true musician gypsies. Musically and gastronomically their culture relates closely to the Hungarian one. The Romungro band was founded in 2007 by Péter Horváth and Sándor Kalányos. In 2009 they regrouped, and by 2013 they have grown into a stable, consistent band.

(Recorded by Gábor Finta) 

On September 7th Melissa-Marie Shriner gave her third concert at the Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre. In the first part she sang Hungarian folk songs, arias from operettas/operas to the great pleasure of the audience. In the second section she turned to her favorite jazz music. Two Hungarian musicians from Toronto supplied the accompaniment. We are happy to present to our audience a cross section of the concert.
After the music Melissa-Marie Shriner was interviewed by Gábor Finta, while Robert Horváth and Attila Darvas conversed with Magdalena Tóth.

(Recorded by Gábor Finta) 

The Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre and the Hungarian School jointly celebrated Mother’s Day on the first Sunday of May, 2019.  On the program  there were humorous scenes, singing, dancing, piano music and a video depicting the colours of the awakening spring. After the programme, the fathers prepared a delicious supper for the mothers and guests.

(recorded by Gábor Finta)

Hungarian Folk-music from the Carpathian Basin performed by two fiddles. A concert by Tamás Nyitrai and Márton Pusko.
Hungarian Folk-music from the Carpathian Basin performed by two fiddles. A concert by Tamás Nyitrai and Márton Pusko.
One of the most popular musical instruments of the Carpathian Basin is the fiddle.
At our concert we would like to introduce you this type of musical tradition and play fiddle music preserved by the ethnicities living in the Carpathian Basin. During these compositions you can listen to the folk music of well-known, as well as lesser known regions – each of which representing the unique traditions of fiddle music. You might as well find reconstructions of traditional music in our repertoire which not only had had an effect on the works of our greatest composers in the past but also on today’s great performers of Hungarian folk music, as well.

(Recorded by Gábor Finta) 

On the 17th of March the anniversary of the 1848 revolution was celebrated in the Ottawa Hungarian Community Center. The guest speaker was László Sinka, first officer of the Hungarian Embassy. The program featured the students of the Hungarian School, Mariann Talla and a short film about the revolution was also shown. The participants concluded the event with singing songs from the time of the revolution.

(Recorded by Gábor Finta)