It was a very special night at the Magyar Zene Háza. North America’s “home grown” Hungarian folk band made its debut at this world famous venue in Budapest. Fészer Banda’s Hunor Kosbor, Lackó Gáspár, Bence Kalán, Stella Kemecsei and Emma Turcanu gave a full house an evening (and a táncház) to remember.
With their sound carrying into the warm evening air, the band played a lengthy set which included Kalotaszegi, Csávási and Mezőségi, Slovák tunes and more. It was also the first time Kemecsei formally played the clarinet with the group.
Organized by Soma Salamon, Curator for the Magyar Zene Háza, this event materialized thanks to the expanding cultural exchange between the diasporas in North America and the Hungary-based folk community. This also included former New Jersey KCSP fellows Gábor Szanyó, and Viola Kovács, who led the táncház for the large crowd that attended.
The moment was also bittersweet. Fészer will be on hiatus for a year as three of its band members spend a year studying in Hungary. The North American folklife community will be that much “poorer” for a bit. The good news is that for those willing to travel, Fészer will play at Fonó – Hungary’s other penultimate folk venue – in October.
