Current and Upcoming Hungarian Folk Singing Classes
Click on a class or scroll down for further class details. Click here to register.
All classes below are taught by Zina Bozzay, unless a guest teacher is indicated.
Click here for general information about the Hungarian Folk Singing Circle and our classes.
Click here if you are interested in arranging a class for a specific event, group, or institution.
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About our singing classes:
Our Hungarian Folk Singing Classes, both in person and online, as one-time workshops and multi-week class series, are held in English and open to participants of all cultural, linguistic, and musical backgrounds. We welcome experienced singers as well as those with no previous experience in the style. The classes include a wide range of beautiful village songs from across the Hungarian language area, crafted over generations of unbroken oral tradition. These are not composed songs or modern arrangements, and they are taught directly from village source recordings. 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.
VIRTUAL CLASSES HELD ON ZOOM
FOR PARTICIPANTS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class Series - Songs of Székelyföld (focus on Gyergyó, Csík, and Kászon)
Tuesdays, January 24 - February 28, 2023
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Hungarian Folk Singing Workshop - The Hungarian folk "birthday song", "Sok születésnapokat"
Sunday, February 12, 2023
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class Series - Songs of Gyimes
Tuesdays, March 7 - April 11, 2023
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Hungarian Folk Singing Class Series - Songs of Bukovina
Tuesdays, April 18 - May 18, 2023
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Private lessons and coaching (all levels, any songs or regions)
Ongoing - contact to schedule
CLASSES HELD IN PERSON IN BUDAPEST
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Hungarian Folk Singing Classes (variety of songs and regions)
Held weekly on Mondays in Buda, open to all, advanced registration required.
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Private lessons and coaching, group workshops, lectures, etc.
Ongoing - contact to schedule
HUNGARIAN PRONUNCIATION CLASSES
Held on Zoom, open to participants around the world
Level I
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. The class covers each letter sound, 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 II (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. 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.
Pronunciation Practice Class - Level I (Prerequisite: Level I above)
For those who have already attended Pronunciation Level I, 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.
Pronunciation Practice Class - Level II (Prerequisite: Level II above)
Corresponding to Pronunciation Level II above, this is a higher-level practice class filled 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:
Our January pronunciation classes have passed. Additional dates may be offered upon request.
Class Prices:
Residents of Hungary: 1500 Ft. per class
International Participants: Sliding scale $10-20 USD per class
ONLINE HUNGARIAN FOLK SINGING CLASSES
Held on Zoom, open to participants around the world
Some details and logistics for all of the online classes below:
- Pronunciation: 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, which is taught in that separate pronunciation class.
- 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 the multi-week class series:
- Class size: There is a minimum of 5 registered participants to hold the 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: Participants are encouraged to sign up for one private lesson per 6-week class series in order to receive more individual feedback and guidance in their development, especially returning students (not required, just recommended).
Please check out the FAQs page for more information!
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Songs of Székelyföld
Tuesdays, January 24 - February 28, 2023
With a focus on the Gyergyó, Csík, and Kászon basins, we’ll be learning a wide variety of songs from Székelyföld, also known as Szekler Land, in eastern Transylvania. This a large region of Hungarian speakers outside of Hungary, as seen on this current language map. The gorgeous repertoire of traditional folk songs range from simple and playful to intricately ornamented. Join us!
- 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 Israel
TIME ZONE CALCULATOR - Check the class times here by entering your location and each class date!
Class Prices:
Residents of Hungary:
Full class series (six 1.5hr classes): 10,000 Ft.
Drop-in (single class): 2000 Ft. per class
International Participants:
Full class series (six 1.5hr classes): Sliding scale $60 - 150 USD
Drop-in (single class): Sliding scale $12-25 USD per class
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Songs of Gyimes
Tuesdays, March 7 - April 11, 2023
Come learn from the rich and distinctive repertoire of Gyimes, at the very eastern edge of Transylvania. Class materials will include dance songs for the unique, asymmetric lassú magyaros and the csárdás, as well as a wedding song, plaintive song, and csujogatások (rhythmic shouting calls during dancing). The striking music of the Gyimes valley is famous for a reason, and we're fortunate to be able to learn directly from master village singers. This 6-week class series is taught with two different class times to accommodate various time zones around the world.
- 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
Please note that the clocks will change during this class series, and as a result we will shift the class one hour later (to 10am Budapest time) for the final two class dates, to accommodate the participants in various time zones.
March 7, 14, 21 - 9am Hungary / 9pm New Zealand
March 28 - 9am Hungary / 8pm New Zealand
April 4, 11 - 10am Hungary / 8pm New Zealand
- Rosemary Group: Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30pm Budapest time
North America daytime, Europe evening:
10am California / 1pm New York / 6pm England / 8pm Israel
Please note that the clocks will change during this class series, and we will adjust if needed according to what works best for the enrolled participants.
TIME ZONE CALCULATOR - Check the class times here by entering your location and each class date!
Class Prices:
Residents of Hungary:
Full class series (six 1.5hr classes): 10,000 Ft.
Drop-in (single class): 2000 Ft. per class
International Participants:
Full class series (six 1.5hr classes): Sliding scale $60 - 150 USD
Drop-in (single class): Sliding scale $12-25 USD per class
Looking ahead...
After this class series, we will continue with our Eastern Transylvania Semester:
Songs of Bukovina - April 18 - May 18
Review Class - May 23
Spring Recital - May 30
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Weekend Workshop:
"Sok születésnapokat", the Hungarian folk "birthday song"
Sunday, February 12, 2023
7:00-8:30pm Budapest time (10am California / 1pm New York / 6pm England / 8pm Israel)
Learn this gorgeous folk song from the village of Szék in Transylvania, which you can sing for your loved ones on their birthdays! It has a beautiful melody and equally beautiful and poetically-rich song words, and is commonly sung within folk music and dance communities both in Hungary and in the diaspora. The class is held in English and open to participants of all cultural, linguistic, and musical backgrounds. It includes pronunciation and translation of the lyrics, listening to several village source recordings, and learning the song well in detail. We welcome newcomers and long-timers alike, including participants who are and aren't already familiar with this melody.
Note: If you are not yet familiar with the Hungarian letter sounds, take our Hungarian pronunciation class on January 15!
Class Price:
Residents of Hungary: 2500 Ft.
International Participants: Sliding scale $15-25 USD
Register here
IN-PERSON CLASSES
BUDAPEST
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Monday Hungarian Folk Singing Class (ongoing)
Variety of songs and regions
II. District, Budapest - Address given upon registration
This small-group in-person singing class is held weekly on Mondays from 6-8pm, covering a variety of songs from various regions, taught directly from source recordings. 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, which is taught in the separate pronunciation class.
Price:
Monthly membership: 8000 Ft. (four consecutive 2-hour classes, 8 hours class time)
Drop-in: 2500 Ft. per 2-hour class
Register here
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Hungarian Folk Singing Classes at the
American International School of Budapest (ongoing)
For current AISB students and community. Please contact with interest in joining.
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.
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 below and select gift certificate, or send us a message here.
