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
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Hungarian Pronunciation Classes
Next class date: Sunday, September 21 - Level I covering all Hungarian letter sounds
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Introduction to Hungarian Folk Music
Next class date: Sunday, September 21 - 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!
More details coming soon
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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 3 - Dec 8 Magyarbőd.
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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:
Level I: Sunday, September 21, 6pm Budapest time (9am California / 12pm New York) - held on Zoom
Scheduled on request: We usually offer these 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!
Class Prices:
Residents of Hungary: 3000 Ft. per class
International Participants: $20 USD per class
(Please contact us if cost is prohibitive.)
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 multi-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
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 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).
We have two different class times to accommodate various time zones around the world, and newcomers as well as returning students are welcome in this class.
If you are new to Hungarian pronunciation or would like a review, take a Pronunciation Class before the series.
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.
- 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!
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
Note:
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If cost is prohibitive, please contact us about bartering! We have many work exchange options.
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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.
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.
Fall 2025 Class Series Dates:
September 22 - October 27, 2025 - Songs of Dunántúl (Transdanubia)
November 3 - December 8, 2025 - Songs of Magyarbőd (village in former Northern Hungary)
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 below and select gift certificate, or send us a message here.
