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VADALMA CONCERT & FÉNYES BANDA TÁNCHÁZ

January 20, 2019, 3:00 pm - 10:00 pm

VADALMA
Celebrating Vadalma’s new album release!
“Music of Elderflowers: Hungarian village folk songs in handmade arrangements”

Based in San Francisco and Budapest, Vadalma (“Wild Apple”) creates vibrant, intimate arrangements of Hungarian village folk songs, featuring the rich singing traditions of Transylvania, Moldva, Transdanubia, and other areas of the Carpathian Basin. Led by Zina Bozzay, with violinist Matthew Szemela and cellist Misha Khalikulov, the songs are framed with both traditional and original accompaniment. Vadalma has collaborated with numerous artists from Hungary, including Agócs Gergely, Navratil Andrea, Enyedi-Salamon Quartet, Berecz István, and Dűvő, and brings a new face to this beautiful heritage. Vadalma means “Wild Apple”, and also has a double meaning of “wild song today”.

“This album reflects a process of re-learning heritage and reimagining it in our own ways, a wild version in the diaspora. The folk songs on this album are from the village oral tradition, coming from many regions across the Hungarian language area. We learned all of the songs directly from village singers, both in person and in archival recordings. Our instrumental accompaniment is a blend of traditional, composed, and improvised elements, crafts to frame the songs and highlight their beauty and uniqueness.”
– Zina Bozzay

Vadalma:
Bozzay Zina – voice, ütőgardon (percussive cello), arrangements
Matthew Szemela – violin
Misha Khalikulov – cello
Guests on the CD: Éva Fábián (voice), Andrea Navratil (voice), Gergely Agócs (Transdanubian long flute)
Guests at this NY concert: Boglárka Raksányi (voice), Katalin Harsaczki (voice), members of Fényes Banda
“Zina approaches Hungarian folk music from classical music. She is such a masterful composer… With her outstanding musicians, they show more and more colors of traditional Hungarian songs. Her compositions create such gorgeous music, that I believe, it is a far-and-away exemplary standard for our Hungarian world music arrangers!”
– István Berecz, Folk Music Director, Fonó Music Hall, Budapest
Learn more: www.zinabozzay.com/vadalma.
On the website, you may also order a CD to be shipped, to be picked up at the Hungarian House at another time, or a digital copy to download.

TÁNCHÁZ with FÉNYES BANDA AND FRIENDS
Fényes Banda was formed in 2012 out of the Hungarian/Transylvanian folk dance and music communities of New York, New Jersey and Boston. They are currently the only band playing traditional Hungarian village folk music in New York City. They learn from some of the greatest players of this music at camps and workshops, as well as from field recordings.
A “táncház” (literally “dance house”) is a community folk dance to live traditional folk music, and everyone is welcome to join in and participate.
Members: Claire Bright – violin, János Perge – violin, György Kalán – kontra, Brano Brinarsky – bass, and Katalin Harsaczki – vocals.
Fényes Banda: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Musician-Band/F%C4%97nyes-Banda-1436336116692909/

Tickets: $15/advance, $20/door
Buy tickets here: https://vadalmaconcert.brownpapertickets.com
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Zina Bozzay
Born and raised in San Francisco to a Hungarian immigrant father, Zina Bozzay is an active performer, researcher, and teacher of traditional Hungarian folk songs. Trained in Hungary by master folk singers, Zina regularly travels to villages around the Carpathian Basin to collect from last living singers who learned in the oral tradition. She has performed at the Táncháztalálkozó, Hungarian Heritage House, National Theatre, and Hungarian Parliament in Budapest, and in the US she frequently performs, gives lectures and workshops, coaches choruses, and founded the Hungarian Folk Singing Circle (Népdalkör) in San Francisco. Zina holds a Masters degree in Music Composition, and with her ensemble Vadalma, she creates historically-informed, innovative chamber arrangements of Hungarian folk songs using both traditional and non-traditional accompaniment. Zina worked on Hungary’s successful nominations to UNESCO’s Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage and at the Hungarian Heritage House in Budapest, and has been funded by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Creative Work Fund, Center for Cultural Innovation’s Creative Capacity Fund, SF Community Music Center, Zellerbach Family Foundation, and Hewlett Foundation. She aims to treat the folk songs like precious jewels, using the tools at hand to keep the traditions alive in our village across the ocean. www.zinabozzay.com

Matthew Szemela
Praised by the New York Times for his “outrageous fiddling,” Matthew Szemela is a violinist who crosses musical genres with ease, performing in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall in New York City to Miles Davis Hall at the Montreux Jazz Festival. He has collaborated, recorded, and performed with a myriad of artists including Jay-Z, Questlove, Beyonce, Rihanna, Savion Glover, Sting, Lana Del Rey, Josh Groban, Garth Brooks, Placido Domingo, Warren Haynes, Bob Weir, Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, Billy Childs, Lisa Fischer, Laurence Hobgood, Marcus Lovett, Mark O’Connor, Kix Brooks, Brian Blade, Cassandra Wilson, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, Susan Sarandon, Johnny Mathis, Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo, and Olivia Newton John. TV and film appearances include the 2007 Warner Brothers film August Rush, Good Morning America (with Josh Groban), The View (with Rihanna), and American Idol (with Lana Del Rey). Currently, Matthew performs with several Bay Area groups including the Berkeley Symphony, Opera San Jose, Rupa & The April Fishes, Tango Del Cielo, Incognito Express, Musical Art Quintet, and Vadalma.

Misha Khalikulov
Misha Khalikulov is a cellist born in the former U.S.S.R. republic of Uzbekistan and raised in San Francisco, CA. He holds a degree in Classical Cello Performance from UCLA under the tutelage of Antonio Lysy. In 2009, he joined Rupa and the April Fishes, which has taken him on tour to 27 countries. With them, he has performed on international music festival stages around the world and recorded on two albums. He is also a member of the groups Blind Willies, StringQuake, Vadalma, Zéna Carlota, and Amy LaCour trio, with whom he has recorded five albums and toured around the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Aside from performing, Misha devotes his time to music education.