WELSH-HUNGARIAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION 2021

Welsh-Hungarian Cultural Association-2021

Although 2021 was still a tricky year (still hit by COVID), quite a few things
happened online which had a positive effect on the Welsh-Hungarian cultural
platform that we have been involved with.

We established the Welsh-Hungarian Cultural Association in December 2020

with Balint Brunner (founder of Magyar Cymru) and Marta Kecskes, then we
arranged an online Christmas concert. Welsh singers sang Hungarian carols,
while Hungarians sang in Welsh. Ceri Davies, the Kodaly Violin School, Hajnal
Lehoczky and I were the performers.

I was invited to talk about our concerts on BBC Wales Radio and on Kossuth
Radio in December and many journalists wrote articles about the WHCA. For
example, an article appeared in Hungary, in the BEOL, Bekes county's leading
newspaper.

In the meantime Balint Brunner was invited to several media platforms: BBC
News, ITV Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and the M5 Hungarian TV Channel.

After these interviews, I worked with Balint on the Wales Week Hungary
programme.
WELSH-HUNGARIAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION 2021

For Saint David's Day, I initiated musical performances, world premieres and a
light projection at the BREDA CASTLE in Lökösháza in the south-east of
Hungary. In nearby Kunágota, on the 1st of March, school children discovered
aspects of Welsh history and culture and Klara Gyomber, a native of Kunagota,
painted a lovely canvas of Daffodils for Wales.

At the same time as the light projection, Istvan Sipos performed Welsh songs and
Emma Gyori-Dani played a new flute composition by Georges Gondard, a French
composer (a WHCA member).

In the UK, Adrian Partington (a WHCA member) played another work by

Georges Gondard, Llanddewi Brefi, on the organ of Gloucester Cathedral.

In Manchester, at the Gobefest, Dorothy Singh, Richard Parry and I gave a Welsh-
Hungarian streamed concert with Simmy Singh, dedicated to the Welsh National
Day.

For March 15th, Georges Gondard composed a new piece, this time for the
Hungarian National Celebration Day. The Monty Folk Ensemble under the
direction of Lydia Bassett, learned a Hungarian folk song and performed it
beautifully.

In the summer, I sang some Welsh songs at 3 concerts in Hungary with my

Budapest colleagues. As a result, a Hungarian Choir from Budapest will tour
England and Wales in early July this year, visiting London, Cardiff and
Gloucester.

In September, Dorothy Singh, Richard Parry and I performed in a live Welsh-

Hungarian concert at the Gobefest in Manchester.
WELSH-HUNGARIAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION 2021

In October, I organised the 4th Welsh-Hungarian concert in Cardiff and we

performed in the presence of prestigious guests from the Hungarian Cultural
Centre in London.

Despite the difficulties of finding a venue just two weeks before the concert, my
helpers and I did a very good job and the programme on the day was fantastic. I
am grateful to Messrs Alun Davies, Tom Walker, Martin Berkeley and Richard
Parry and to Ms Maria Deli-Foris (director of the Hungarian Cultural Community
of Newport) for helping me in this task. I am also grateful to Balint, Marta
Kecskes and all the performers including Dorothy, Richard, Ceri Davies, David
Hutchings, the Kodaly Violin |School, Vince Olah and the Bristol Hungarian Folk
Dancers.

In December I visited Montgomery where, in collaboration with the mayor of the

town, Jill Kibble, we began preparing for the Montgomery Welsh-Hungarian
Day. We are also grateful to Lydia Bassett, the director of Mid Wales Opera, for
her invaluable assistance.
WELSH-HUNGARIAN CULTURAL ASSOCIATION 2021

On the following day, we had a great concert in West Wales with Dorothy Singh,
the Kodaly Violin School and the Bristol Hungarian Folk Dancers.

In Montgomery, Dorothy Singh helped the school children to learn a wonderful

Hungarian carol.

With the new Welsh-Hungarian Cultural Association, we are now preparing for
the first Montgomery Welsh-Hungarian Day in cooperation with Montgomery
Town Council and Magyar Cymru.