Current and Upcoming
Hungarian Folk Singing Classes
Basic information
about all of our singing classes below:
All classes -- both in person and online, and as one-time workshops/lectures or as multi-week class series -- are taught by Zina Bozzay, held in English, and open to participants of all cultural, linguistic, and musical backgrounds unless indicated otherwise in a specific class description. We welcome experienced singers as well as those with no previous experience in the style.
The singing classes include a wide range of beautiful village songs from across the Hungarian language area, crafted over generations of unbroken oral tradition, and they are taught directly from source recordings of those village culture bearers. They are not composed folk-style songs or modern arrangements of village songs. They include uptempo dance songs to grieving songs, love songs to lullabies, old style and new style, simple and highly ornamented, with beautiful song words and unique regional scales and rhythms.
Participants receive village source recordings, ethnographic maps, song word sheets (lyrics), English translations, and background information on the songs and regions. Classes also often include information about vocal technique, traditional instruments, seasonal practices, and the traditional lifestyle and ways of thinking that these songs come from.
Here is an example of what learning and singing back from a source recording looks like. The four class participants in this video are from across the US and aren't native Hungarian speakers. This happens to be a slow ornamented song, but we do simpler ones as well!
Upcoming Dates
Click on a class or scroll down for further class details.
Click here to arrange a separate class for your event, group, or institution.
View recent classes:
Fall 2023 Spring 2024 Fall 2024 Spring 2025
VIRTUAL CLASSES HELD ON ZOOM
FOR PARTICIPANTS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
Fall 2025
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Hungarian Pronunciation Classes
Sunday, September 21, 2025 - Level I covering all Hungarian letter sounds
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Introduction to Hungarian Folk MusicSunday, September 21, 2025 - overview lecture on the style, regions, history
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class Series - Songs of Dunántúl (Transdanubia)
Tuesdays, September 23 - October 28, 2025
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class Series - Songs of Magyarbőd (in former Northern Hungary)Tuesdays, November 4 - December 9, 2025
If possible, arrange to attend this series with a friend, as these songs contain harmonies!
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Recital
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Spring 2026
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Hungarian Pronunciation Classes
Sundays, January 11, 18, and 25 - Special thematic series covering Hungarian foods, names, and places
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class - Magyarbőd Review Class
Tuesday, January 6 - reviewing songs from the Nov-Dec class series above
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class Series - Songs of Moldva (Moldavia)
Sundays, January 11 - February 15, 2026
Tuesdays, January 13 - February 17, 2026
Recorded Class Option (only available during the same dates)
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class Series - Region to be announced
Tuesdays, February 24 - March 31, 2026
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class Series - Review Series (all songs from the 2025-2026 year)
Tuesdays, April 21 - May 26, 2026
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Private lessons and coaching
Ongoing - contact to schedule
CLASSES HELD IN PERSON IN BUDAPEST
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Hungarian Folk Singing Classes at the Óbuda Folk Music School
Weekly classes on Monday evenings, covering a different region and group of songs each 6 weeks, in parallel with the online classes listed above. Sept 22 - Oct 27 Dunántúl, Nov 10 - Dec 15 Magyarbőd, January 5 Magyarbőd Review Class, January 12 - February 16 Moldva.
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Hungarian Pronunciation Classes
Scheduled upon request, see levels and details below
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Introduction to Hungarian Folk Music
Interactive lecture presentation held at various institutions, scheduled upon request
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American International School of Budapest
Throughout the school year, September - May
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Private lessons and coaching, group workshops, lectures, etc.
Ongoing - contact to schedule
HUNGARIAN PRONUNCIATION CLASSES
Engaging small-group classes held on Zoom, open to participants around the world
Various levels, from basic letter sounds to advanced challenges
Level I (60 minutes)
An in-depth class on Hungarian pronunciation, open to absolute beginners as a first introduction to the language as well as those with experience who want to review. This class covers every letter sound, about half an hour on the consonants and half an hour on the vowels, with a few practice words for each letter. Participants receive a detailed pronunciation guide for later reference. This class is typically offered at the start of each singing class series or before a workshop, and is open to anyone to attend, whether or not you are taking a singing class.
Level I Practice Class (60 minutes) (Prerequisite: Level I above)
For those who have attended Pronunciation Level I above, or previously learned all of the Hungarian letter sounds, this class is solely focused on putting it into practice through participants pronouncing words and receiving feedback. We cover everyday words and common words in folk songs to really strengthen all the basic sounds of the language. If you are struggling with certain vowel sounds, or sometimes mix up which consonants sound like what, join us. It is also a good class for those with more experience to focus in on pronunciation and hear the common pitfalls and corrections.
Level II (60 minutes) (Prerequisite: Level I above)
This class is designed for those who have already taken Level I or have previous experience with Hungarian, including heritage speakers in the Hungarian diaspora, who are interested in learning further details to fine-tune their pronunciation and understanding. This class covers pronunciation quirks and exceptions often not taught to beginners, such as consonant assimilation, consonant voicing and devoicing, archaic name spellings, and examples of dialect pronunciation.
Level II Practice Class (60 minutes) (Prerequisite: Level II above)
Corresponding to Pronunciation Level II above, this is a higher-level practice class with more challenging words. It includes more difficult city and region names, multi-syllable words and compound words, words with consonant assimilation, and archaic spellings. This is designed for those who already have some experience with Hungarian (whether in our singing classes or as language learners / heritage speakers) and are clear on what each letter sounds like, and want to overcome their fears and finesse their pronunciation through detailed work and feedback.
Classes are held in English by Zina Bozzay, who has been teaching Hungarian pronunciation to non-Hungarian speakers for over a decade. They are small group classes to maximize individual attention.
Upcoming Dates:
Special thematic pronunciation series, January 2026
These special thematic pronunciation classes are designed for those with some familiarity to practice, strengthen, and correct their pronunciation. Covering common Hungarian words, these fun classes will gradually build in difficulty and include individual feedback. You will gain confidence in pronouncing friends’ and relatives’ names well and being able to refer to Hungarian foods and places, whether you’re in the diaspora or in Hungary. These classes are open to anyone, both singing class participants looking to improve their ease with pronunciation, or Hungarian learners looking to work on this vocabulary! Participants will receive detailed words lists and pronunciation guides.
Sundays, 8-9pm Budapest time (11am-12pm US West Coast / 2-3pm US East Coast)
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January 11 - Hungarian foods (common fruits, veggies, dishes, drinks, etc)
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January 18 - Hungarian names (common given and family names)
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January 25 - Hungarian place names (cities, towns, regions, major sites)
Residents of Hungary: 10.000 Ft. for this 3-class series
International Participants: $50 USD for this 3-class series
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Scheduled on request: We usually offer Level I classes at the start of each semester, and additionally whenever a few people request it or new people join the singing classes and need it. Please send a message here with the pronunciation class(es) that you would like to take. When a few people have requested a given level, we schedule a class!
General Pronunciation Class Prices:
Residents of Hungary: 3000 Ft. per class
International Participants: $15 USD per class
(Please contact us if cost is prohibitive.)
ONLINE HUNGARIAN FOLK SINGING CLASSES
Held on Zoom, open to participants around the world
General information for all of the online classes below:
Pronunciation
If you are new to Hungarian pronunciation or would like a review, consider taking a Hungarian pronunciation class before the singing classes. In the singing classes we review the pronunciation of the song words themselves but not the basics of the Hungarian letter sounds, which is taught in that separate pronunciation class.
Class level
All classes are open to newcomers as well as returning students unless indicated otherwise. We use various pedagogical methods to make the classes and materials accessible to beginners while also challenging those who are experienced in the style.
Class time and class names
Because there are several class times and people are joining from various time zones around the world, each class has a name (Chestnut, Tulip, Rosemary, etc) for the ease of participants figuring out which time is right for them and registering for the correct class! Some time zones are written below, but please double-check your own time difference with Budapest, and note daylight savings changes if applicable. The online classes are live and interactive, and not video recorded for later use.
Registration deadline
Please register as soon as possible, as space is limited and Zooms links are sent in advance of class.
For 6-week singing class series:
Class size
There is a minimum of 5 registered participants to hold a class, and classes are capped at 25 people.
Commitment / Drop-ins
It is strongly preferred for participants to commit to the full class series, but drop-ins are also welcome.
Private lessons
Having offered these group singing classes for over a decade, we see the best results when participants have at least occasional private lessons. Participants are encouraged to sign up for one private lesson per 6-week class series in order to receive individual feedback and guidance in their development, especially returning students. Not required, just recommended!
Class Prices:
Residents of Hungary:
Full class series (six 90-minute group classes) plus one 1-hour private lesson: 30,000 Ft.
Full class series (six 90-minute classes) without lesson: 25,000 Ft.
Drop-in (single class): 4000 Ft. per class
International Participants:
Full class series (six 90-minute group classes) plus one 1-hour private lesson: Sliding scale $130 - 230 USD
Full class series (six 90-minute group classes) without lesson: Sliding scale $90 - 180 USD
Drop-in (single class): Sliding scale $15-25 USD per class
Recorded Class Series Option: same price as the class series without lesson as listed above, but it includes the private lesson in the final week.
Note:
If cost is prohibitive, please contact us about bartering! We have many work exchange options.
While the sliding scale has a "maximum", additional contributions supporting this work are always welcome!
If you are able to pay more, it supports the participation of those who cannot.
Please check out the FAQs page for more information!
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Songs of Dunántúl (Transdanubia, Western Hungary)
Tuesdays, September 23 - October 28, 2025
Join us for six weeks of learning a range of songs from the western side of Hungary, with a focus on Dél-Dunántúl, Southern Transdanubia (Somogy, Tolna, Baranya counties).
Please refer to the general information about our classes above, including the class prices.
- Chestnut Group: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30am Budapest time
Europe daytime, Australia and New Zealand evening:
9am England / 4pm Hong Kong / 6pm Sydney / 8pm Christchurch
- Rosemary Group: Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30pm Budapest time
North America daytime, Europe evening:
10am California / 1pm New York / 6pm England / 8pm Romania
TIME ZONE CALCULATOR - Check the class times here by entering your location and each class date!
Register here
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Songs of Magyarbőd (in former northern Hungary)
Tuesdays, November 4 - December 9, 2025
(also note recital on December 16)
Join us for the beautiful and unique harmony singing of Magyarbőd! For the online classes, we encourage you to invite a friend, family member, or community member to take this series with you if possible, so you can work on the harmonies together on your end in real time. It will also work well if you are on your own, as we will have guest co-teachers demonstrating the harmonies on our end, we will teach all of the harmony parts, and you will become confident on them for when you can sing the songs with others. Although these songs can be sung during karikázó dance as in the image above, you do not have to be a dancer to join this series -- this is a singing class only focused on the songs!
Please refer to the general information about our classes above, including the class prices.
- Chestnut Group: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:30am Budapest time
Europe daytime, Australia and New Zealand evening:
8am England / 4pm Hong Kong / 7pm Sydney / 9pm Christchurch
- Rosemary Group: Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30pm Budapest time
North America daytime, Europe evening:
10am California / 1pm New York / 6pm England / 8pm Romania
TIME ZONE CALCULATOR - Check the class times here by entering your location and each class date!
Register here
Magyarbőd Review Class
January 6, 2026
Chestnut and Rosemary Groups, same times as above
Residents of Hungary: 4000 Ft.
International: Sliding scale $15-25 USD
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Songs of Moldva (Moldavia)
Sundays, January 11 - February 15, 2026
and
Tuesdays, January 13 - February 17, 2026
Join us for the full range of human expression this winter, from highly ornamented songs and elaborated folk ballads to playful táncház hits and rhythmic shouting calls, all from this region immediately east of the Carpathians. The same repertoire will be covered during each of the class times below.
Please refer to the general information about our classes above, including the class prices.
- Tulip Group: Sundays, 9:00-10:30pm Budapest time
12pm California / 3pm New York / 8pm England / 9am (Monday) New Zealand
* This is a new class time designed for participants in North America who cannot attend the weekday times, and of course can also be a later evening class for participants in Europe or a Monday morning class in New Zealand. In order to launch this new group, we will need a minimum of 5 people to sign up.
- Chestnut Group: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:30am Budapest time
Europe daytime, Australia and New Zealand evening:
8am England / 4pm Hong Kong / 7pm Sydney / 9pm Christchurch
- Rosemary Group: Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30pm Budapest time
North America daytime, Europe evening:
10am California / 1pm New York / 6pm England / 8pm Romania
TIME ZONE CALCULATOR - Check the class times here by entering your location and each class date!
- Recorded Class Option
An online class above will be recorded each week, with the link sent every Tuesday and viewable through that weekend. Participants watch each week and stay actively engaged through the class series, with a private lesson on Zoom in the final week to sing through all of the songs and ask any questions.
Register here
Introduction to Hungarian Folk Music
Lecture presentation and folk song teaching providing a well-rounded, interactive overview of the tradition.Held in-person at the Óbuda Folk Music School, requesting institutions, and online on Zoom.
Past institutions include ELTE, Károli Gáspár University, Hungarian Heritage House, Fulbright Scholars, AISB, and students from the Balassi Institute, Kodály Institute, various Budapest language schools, Hungarian diaspora organizations, and more. It is held annually for several institutions, typically in early/mid September and January with the arrival of each new class or group, so that the participants can best make use of their time in Budapest knowing the local resources available to them. See flyer above for program content, which can be adjusted based on the needs of each participating group.
Please contact zinabozzay@gmail.com for further details or to schedule for your group or institution.
Upcoming Date:
Sunday, September 21, 7pm Budapest time (10am California / 1pm New York)
Held on Zoom, open to the general public, no previous experience or affiliation required
Class Price:
Residents of Hungary: 5000 Ft. per class
International Participants: $30 USD per class
(Please contact us if cost is prohibitive.)
IN-PERSON SINGING CLASSES
BUDAPEST
Hungarian Folk Singing Class (ongoing)
Óbuda Folk Music School - Mókus u. 20, Budapest 1036
Mondays 6:00-7:30pm
This weekly small-group in-person singing class is open to adults and mature teens of all backgrounds, covering a variety of songs from various regions, taught directly from source recordings. Generally the curriculum follows the same songs and materials as the concurrent online singing classes listed above, covering a given region for each 6-week series. Class size is limited and may reach capacity, and advanced registration is required.
If this is your first Hungarian singing class, consider taking a Hungarian pronunciation class beforehand. In the singing classes we review the pronunciation of the song words themselves but not the basics of the Hungarian letter sounds.
Having offered these group singing classes for over a decade, we see the best results when participants have at least occasional private lessons to get one-on-one feedback and guidance.
2025-2026 Class Series Dates:
September 22 - October 27, 2025 - Songs of Dunántúl (Transdanubia)
November 10 - December 15, 2025 - Songs of Magyarbőd (village in former Northern Hungary)
January 5 - Magyarbőd Review Class
January 12 - February 16 - Songs of Moldva (Moldavia)
February 23 - March 30 - Region to be announced
April 20 - May 25 - Review Series (all songs from the year)
Class Prices:
Full class series (six 90-minute group classes) plus one 1-hour private lesson: 30,000 Ft.
Full class series (six 90-minute classes) without lesson: 25,000 Ft.
Drop-in (single class): 4000 Ft. per class
(Please contact us if cost is prohibitive.)
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Hungarian Folk Singing Classes at the
American International School of Budapest (ongoing)
Folk song teaching for 6th grade AISB students every quarter, as well as other students and members of the AISB community upon request. Please contact with interest.
Private group classes and large events
PRIVATE LESSONS,
SMALL AND LARGE GROUP CLASSES,
WORKSHOPS, FESTIVALS, & OTHER EVENTS
In addition to the public group classes listed above, we teach one-on-one private lessons as well as private small groups (coaching for bands and choruses, dance ensembles learning specific songs for a choreography, friends or family members taking a private class together, small group masterclass on a specific topic, etc.) and large groups (music schools, universities, festivals, táncház, summer camps, conferences, etc.). These classes are held in person in Budapest, in other cities/countries with travel arrangements, and online for people around the world. Please visit the Our Offerings page for more information, or Contact Us to make arrangements.
Consider gifting one of our singing classes
to a family member or friend! Choose among Hungarian pronunciation classes, one-time workshops, class series, lectures, and more.
You may choose a specific class to gift or choose an amount which may be applied at the recipient's discretion. Personalized gift certificate PDFs (shown at right) are available at no extra charge.
Simply fill out the class registration form and select gift certificate, or send us a message here.
