Past Events (page under construction)
November 29. Friday / 6pm
On a Narrow Path - Improvisations of Zsigmond Gerlóczy Concert
Reflecting a myriad of musical impressions, Gerlóczy seeks to highlight the universal values of music from the myriad musical dialects, showing that the often untrodden paths between them reveal old and new truths - from World music, baroque, Viennese classicism, post-romanticism, bebop, funk, pop and jazz.
November 14, Thursday / 8pm
Cimbalom on Stage: Cimbalom Guy Charms our Zest Concert
A lively concert showcasing this unique dulcimer instrument popular throughout Central and Eastern Europe of Hungarian origin. Featured works by Czech composers will include Janáček, Hába, and Ištvan, as well as works by Hungarian composers Kurtág and Bartók. The concert will highlight the cimbalom's potential in contemporary concert music with an original composition by Daniel Skála written for two cimbaloms.
November 9, Saturday / 5:30
2024 Donor Appreciation Night, 60th Anniversary of AFHLE
An evening to remember as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the American Foundation for Hungarian Literature and Education by thanking our strongest supporters and members, with art, music, theater, and a heritage celebrating culinary tasting.
November 4, Monday / 7pm
Szekler Hungarian Mezőkölpény Folk Dance Workshop
Gergő Kecskés and Hajni (Bábá) Kecskés from Szeged, Hungary are a force in Hungarian dance and music, teaching in many parts of the world. They will teach the unique dance combinations of this Szekler regional folk expression from Transylvania, while passing on the ethnographic background of the dances.
November 3, Sunday / 5pm
PALI: Mrs. Paul Maléter's Biographical Monologue
Pál Maléter, the defense minister of the 1956 revolution was executed together with Imre Nagy. His widow, Judith Gyenes, documented the tragic events of her life, paired with heart-warming commentary about one of the brightest moments of Hungary's recent past during the 1956 Uprising. This monologue is based on 15 hours of in-depth interviews and documents.
October 23, Wednesday / 6pm
October 23rd Remembrance Concert with Balázs Fülei
Please join us on this 68th Anniversary Remembrance Concert for the October 23rd, 1956, Hungarian Uprising. In the spirit of unity and courage we are joined on this occasion by world renown pianist, Balázs Fülei and a moving combination of music by Hungarian composers Liszt, Bartók, and Kodály.
October 19. Saturday / 4pm & 7pm
Vadrózsa Folk Dance Workshop and Dance House "Táncház"
Hungarian Folk Dance Workshop and Dance House / Magyar Néptánc Bemutató és Táncház
4-6pm: Folk Dance Workshop (Children and beginners welcome)
6-7pm: Recess Break / Szünet (zenével, falatozó)
7-10pm: Folk Dance House / Táncház
October 18, Friday / 6pm
Meet the Author of The Angel Makers of Nagyrév, Patti McCracken
Experience a captivating discussion with writer and historical researcher Patti McCracken as we explore the intriguing story of 'The Angel Makers'. In the small community of Nagyrév, Hungary on the Great Plains, one of the most alarming series of horrific events took place and Patti will explain how she approached her research with a stronger focus of the sociological circumstances than had ever been done before.
October 12, Saturday / 6pm
Krisztina Szeder Concert for Families, Children & Adults
Dalszerző-énekesként a Szeder szóló projekt keretén belül Magyarországon és határontúli számos magyar klubban, fesztiválokon, budapesti nagyobb koncerttermekben lépett már fel. Énekhang, dobok és hangtál segítségével, relaxáló hangutazásokat és hangfelszabadító workshopokat is tart. Ez alkalommal egy szál gitárral hallhatjuk Szedert, ami egy intimebb előadásmódot tesz lehetővé. Szövegcentrikus, mégis könnyen énekelhető dalait korosztálytól függetlenül ajánljuk!
October 8, Tuesday / 7:30pm
Dal Sogno Chamber Ensemble
In honor of the Hungarian Uprising on October 23, 1956, Dal Sogno Ensemble will perform music that resonates with counter-oppressive movements and thematic to revolutionary spirit. Central and Eastern European composers featured in this emotional and gallant concert will include: - Haydn - Kodály - Yury Falik - Kurtág - Weinberg - Hummel
September 22, Sunday - 4pm
Accord Treble Choir Concert and High-Tea, Urgent Earth - Climate Week Performance
A cappella eco-cantata about the climate crisis and prologue inspired by Wiccan rituals. The choir will perform musically diverse movements on ecology paired with a variety of Hungarian choral works that celebrate the beauty of nature, love, and music.
September 20, Friday / 7pm
Write it Again Shakespeare - On Screen Theater Performance (English subtitles)
A play about a witty proposal to the English playwright Shakespeare, on how they should collaborate to rewrite the original play in order to rid The Merchant of Venice of the accusation of anti-Semitism - perhaps due to a misunderstanding (pre-recorded play in Hungarian with English subtitles).
September 10, Tuesday - 7pm
"Daisy" Short Documentary Film Screening and Discussion
A family suicide leads the narrator, Catalina Kulczar, on a quest to explore her Jewish lineage and her family’s immigration story over multiple generations, with open-water swimming becoming her way to come to terms with the present.
September 8, Sunday / 6pm
"For a Better World - 110 Years of Hungarian Scouts" Book Launch and Panel Talk
Könyvbemutató és panel-beszélgetés MCC vendégekkel és a Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség elnökével, Lendvai Lintner Imrével, amely a Magyar Cserkészszövetség több mint egy évszázados történetét tárja fel. A könyv átfogó képet nyújt a cserkészet kihívásokkal teli útjáról, miközben bemutatja annak mai helyzetét és jövőjét.
August 28, Wednesday / 6:30pm
Gabor Gyukics' "Detoxification of the Body" Literary Meet and Greet
Gábor G. Gyukics will launch his new volume titled "Detoxification of the Body" and will be in conversation with American writer, poet and member of the literary collective The Unbearables, Thad Rutkowski.
August 16, Friday - 6:30pm
The Wife of all Wives - The Life of Júlia Szendrey, with Mariann Tallián and Balázs Lázár
A thought-provoking musical, literature, and poetry production, bringing to life aspects that evoke the mid 19th century Hungary. Uncovering the individuality of Júlia Szendrey, we learn of her desire for freedom and how she became the Hungarian pioneer of the modern woman with her character and courage.
August 3, Saturday - 7pm
"Deer Bell" Film Screening and Conversation with Edit Jakab (writer/director)
An enlightening short documentary follows a day in the life of a rural Hungarian Roma family focusing on the children, who are raised by their grandparents. From morning until the sun goes down. And, life goes on just the same.
Thursday, June 27th at 7pm
A Summer's Eve of Music with Dal Sogno Ensemble
An ensemble composed of well recognized and esteemed classical musicians who are devoted to performing works from the traditional and non-traditional canon of chamber music by often overlooked composers who have dreamt of their music being heard. Featuring music from Kodály, Dohnányi, Hayden, Mozart, Nombeko, and DeKenessy.
June 6, Thursday / 7:30pm
Prof. Barry Goldsmith: Secular Hungarian Jewish Architects & Architecture
Join us on a enlightening and fun discovery of wonderful art-deco design and architectural ingenuity by secular Jewish architects from Hungary, as presented by expert and professional humorist Barry Goldsmith.
May 31, Friday / 7:30pm
Rehearsal for Truth Festival honoring Vaclav Havel: The Bat, by Krisztina Tóth
Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival is a showcase of contemporary European theater organized each year in New York City. Krisztina Toth's "The Bat" offers a biting commentary on a Hungarian society marked by hatred, recrimination, and ultimately sorrow. In a kindergarten changing room, a rubber bat vanishes into thin air, setting off a chain of events igniting suspicion and resentment among the parents. What begins as mild distrust soon turns into full-blown hatred. The story unfolds through a series of daily yet deeply resonant scenes into a darkly humorous tale of absurdity from Central and Eastern Europe.
April 12, Friday / 6:30pm
Recipes for a New Beginning, meet the author:
Kinga Júlia Király, and
Special guest András Koerner
Recipes for a New Beginning is a literary and scholarly work, a cookbook, a cultural dictionary, and a memorial album of Transylvanian Jews; a historical summary of the Transylvanian Jewish community’s past 100 years. Special guests: András Koerner, a NY Architect, and the author of the award-winning book, Jewish Cuisine in Hungary (CEU Press 2019)
April 19, Friday / 5:45pm
Hungarian Literary Heritage Workshop: Imre Madách, The Tragedy of Man
“The Martians” on the Manhattan Project were a team highly esteemed scientific figures who immigrated from Hungary. While closing offices used during the project, only one item couldn’t be categorized in the inventory of items found in the space utilized by the “Martian” team, and that was a worn and torn Hungarian copy of Imre Madách’s The Tragedy of Man. Together, we will examine the reasons why this masterwork found its way into their essential reference library.
March 30, Saturday / 6:30pm
Semmelweis Film Screening
Join us for a special screening of Lajos Koltai’s masterpiece, Semmelweis. This acclaimed romantic period biopic explores the life and work of Ignác Semmelweis, a devoted Hungarian physician and scientist and an early pioneer of antiseptic procedures. Called “the savior of mothers”, he defied traditional theories and strove to overcome one of the most devastating diseases of the 19th century, postpartum infection.
March 15, Friday / 5:45pm
Hungarian Literary Heritage Workshop: Imre Madách, The Tragedy of Man
Commemoration of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution
For this kick-off event that coincides with the March 15th Hungarian Revolution Commemoration, we
will explore the philosophies and events that molded the mindsets of notable literary figures in Hapsburg era Hungary, primarily concentrating on Sándor Petőfi and Imre Madách.
March 15, Friday / 8pm
Déryné Program - Sándor Petőfi & the Magyar Independence Commemoration
March 9, Saturday / 4pm
Mirages on the Great Plain - Délibábos Hortobágy
POSTPONED TO JANUARY 2025
Ferenczi & Freud, Intrigues around the Divan
Sándor Ferenczi was Freud's colleague and friend, and later his chosen successor. He was the first professor in psychoanalysis. Their relationship ended up in a fatal quadrangle that sparked the birth of psychoanalysis. Recorded in Hungarian with English Subtitles in 2017.
December 6, Friday / 7:30pm
Music for a Winter's Night: Alexa Stier, pianist
A twentieth-century piano repertoire evoking the spirit of winter and Christmas, blending nostalgia with the shadow of the past century's historical upheavals. Includes works of Hungarian composers Béla Bartók and György Kurtág alongside music by George Crumb and George Enescu.
December 31, Tuesday / 7:30 - 12:30am
New Year's Eve Benefit Concert Gala
December 18, Wednesday / 6 - 9pm
Magyar Folk Art in Bold, Exhibition Closing Event