Register for Virtual and In-Person Hungarian Folk Singing Classes
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Current and Upcoming classes:
All classes and lessons listed below are taught by Zina Bozzay. The online classes are live and interactive, and not video recorded for later use.
Please register as soon as possible! This is partly because space is limited, and also because for in-person classes it helps with our planning to know how many people to expect, and for virtual classes Zoom links are sent in advance of class.
For more information about the Hungarian Folk Singing Circle and our teaching in general,
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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, and includes 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)
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 (Prerequisite: Level I)
For those who have already attended 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 on pronunciation and hear the common pitfalls and corrections.
Classes are held in English by Zina Bozzay, who has been teaching Hungarian pronunciation to non-Hungarian speakers for over a decade.
Upcoming Dates:
No upcoming classes at this time - scheduled upon request. Please use the registration form below to indicate interest.
Class Prices:
Residents of Hungary: 1000 Ft. per class
International Participants: Sliding scale $8-15 USD per class
WEEKLY ONLINE HUNGARIAN FOLK SINGING CLASSES
Held on Zoom, open to participants around the world
Several-week class series teaching a variety of beautiful traditional Hungarian folk songs, including village source recordings, pronunciation and translation of the lyrics, background information on the style, and more. Held in English and open to participants of all cultural, linguistic, and musical backgrounds, welcoming experienced singers as well as those with no previous experience in the style. Further details about each specific class are below. If this is your first Hungarian singing class, consider taking the pronunciation class above before the class series.
It is strongly preferred for participants to commit to the full class series, but drop-ins are also welcome. There is a minimum of 5 registered participants to hold the class, and classes are capped at 25 people. Because there are several class times and people are joining from various time zones around the world, each class has a name (Chestnut, Tulip, 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.
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Songs of Transdanubia (Dunántúl)
Tuesdays, September 14 - October 19
- 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 Israel
Price:
Full class series (six 1.5hr classes): Drop-in (single class):
Residents of Hungary: 10,000 Ft. 2000 Ft. per class
International Participants: Sliding scale $60 - 150 USD Sliding scale $12-25 USD per class
Songs of Moldavia (Moldva)
Tuesdays, November 2 - December 7
- 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 THE CLASS TIME CHANGE DUE TO DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!
Check your class time here based on your location for each class date.
- 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 U.S. time change occurs on November 7 (unlike October 31 in Hungary), so the first class meeting will be an hour different than the rest of the series for some U.S.-based participants. Check your class time here based on your location for each class date.
Price:
Full class series (six 1.5hr classes): Drop-in (single class):
Residents of Hungary: 10,000 Ft. 2000 Ft. per class
International Participants: Sliding scale $60 - 150 USD Sliding scale $12-25 USD per class
HUNGARIAN FOLK SINGING WORKSHOP (Budapest)
Songs of Magyarbőd, featuring beautiful traditional harmonies
Saturday, October 9, 2021
Morning Session 10am-12pm - Lunch Break 12-1pm - Afternoon Session 1-3pm
Held in English, no previous experience required
Location: Marczibányi Téri Művelődési Központ. 1022 Budapest, Marczibányi tér 5/a.
Hosted by the Hungarian Folk Singing Circle / Népdalkör, with support from the Csoóri Sándor Alap
Join us to learn beautiful Hungarian village folk songs! This workshop is open to participants of all cultural, linguistic, and musical backgrounds, welcoming experienced singers as well as those without previous experience in the style. The workshop will include the pronunciation and translation of the song words, learning the songs directly from village source recordings, background information on the songs and the style, and lots of joyful singing together!
Zina Bozzay is an active researcher, performer, teacher, and arranger of traditional Hungarian village folk songs. Based in Budapest, she does song collecting work around the Carpathian Basin and performs internationally both as a soloist and with her ensemble Vadalma. She has led the Hungarian Folk Singing Circle since 2010 with a focus on making this tradition accessible to English speakers, and teaches at various institutions in Budapest and across the diaspora. Known for her friendly, accessible teaching style, academic rigor, and contagious enthusiasm, her classes have hundreds of participants from dozens of countries around the world every year. Read more.
Advance registration is strongly encouraged.
Price: 5000 Ft. Full Day Workshop (3000 Ft. for morning or afternoon session only)
Please share with your friends on Facebook!
NÉPDALKÖR RECITAL
Held on Zoom, open to participants around the world
Tuesday, December 14, 7:00pm Budapest time
(10am California / 1pm New York / 6pm England)
A warm and cozy celebratory event in which we can enjoy the fruits of our study, savoring what we have learned and sharing it with each other and our loved ones. Participation is open to all current and former students of the singing classes, camps, workshops, and private lessons. Participants must sign up by November 12 with the songs they would like to sing. A few family members and friends of performers may also attend as audience. This is not open to the general public.
This is a free event. Current class members will receive the recital details and sign-up sheet automatically. If you are not currently taking weekly classes and would like to participate, please email Zina (zinabozzay@gmail.com) or register below.
Private group classes and large events
PRIVATE LESSONS,
PRIVATE SMALL AND LARGE GROUP CLASSES,
WORKSHOPS, FESTIVALS, & OTHER EVENTS
In addition to the public group classes listed above, we have people studying both in-person in Budapest and online from around the world in one-on-one private lessons, semi-private or small group private study (2-5 people), and in larger groups (choruses, school music classes, workshops, festivals, summer camps, etc). In-person teaching can happen in other cities as well, with travel arrangements.
Beyond learning folk songs, frequently requested topics include an introduction to the style, locating specific recordings or song words, pronunciation coaching, feedback and corrections on a song before a performance or recording, and stylistic vocal technique. Private lessons are typically 1 hour long, but can also be shorter or longer (30min, 90min, 2 hours), and can be scheduled on a one-time basis or ongoing weekly or monthly. Please either fill out the registration form below or contact us directly with your inquiry.
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.
Payment
Registration is complete when payment has been received.
Please write a note with your payment which includes the participant's name, exact class(es) and dates, and amount per class (if registering for multiple classes) that you are paying for. Thank you!
Please see the FAQs below for more information about class prices and sliding scale.
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Payment method options, marked with the possible currencies:
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PayPal (USD or HUF) - use link or send to zinabozzay@gmail.com
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Revolut (USD or HUF) - send to +36-70-603-7011
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Venmo (USD only) - send to @ZinaBozzay
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Transfer to Hungarian bank account (HUF only) - Bozzay Zina, 12010240-01612266-00100005 (Raiffeisen)
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Transfer to US bank account (USD only) - email zinabozzay@gmail.com for details
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Transferwise to Hungarian or US bank accounts above
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Cash (USD or HUF) - for in-person classes or similar situations
More Information and FAQs:
Preparing for Virtual Classes:
Using a computer or other large screen device is preferable to using a phone screen for the Zoom call, to be able to see full-size video. Please arrange your device so that you can sit or stand ergonomically in front of it, and so that you are looking straight at the screen (not looking down or to the side). This is for good singing posture and ability to do the standing and movement exercises that are part of the classes.
Have paper, pencils, and a glass of water ready when class begins, as well as snacks if needed. If you have previously taken classes with Zina, have previously learned songs and other materials also on hand.
If possible, print the pdf of the song lyrics, and if you are not able to print, you may find it helpful to write the words out on a piece of paper so that you can add details about the melody, translation, etc to that paper during the class. You do not need to be able to play back the audio recordings during class time, as Zina will play them from her device - those are for individual practice outside of class.
Using Zoom:
Please sign on to the online class punctually a few minutes before start time, so we can begin class together. You do not need to download anything to use Zoom (no app needed), but if you have never used Zoom before please go to the link ahead of the class start time to get yourself oriented and test your set-up. You just need a working microphone, speaker or headphones, and camera (the camera is optional, but much better for all participants and the functioning of the class) - by default it will use those built in to your device.
But I'm self-conscious about my singing! / How will we sing together?
Besides warm-ups, much of the class will be in a listen-repeat format, or singing together with participants muted. In this format, beginners and others who may feel self-conscious can sing with wild abandon, because they cannot be heard -- AND everyone experiences the singing as a duo with the instructor. There will also be opportunities for participants to sing for the group and receive feedback, particularly after learning a song well or toward the end of a class series to show what they have learned.
Pricing:
For our virtual classes, we offer globally just pricing, ensuring accessibility to participants living in widely different economies, as well as fair compensation for the labor and expenses involved in holding these international classes. We ask that you pay for the class according to typical singing class prices in your local economy. "Sliding scale" means that you can choose what you are able to pay within the given price range. We understand that people individually have very different financial circumstances, and the current pandemic has additionally impacted incomes and expenses for many. Instead of offering various discounts (low income, students, seniors, etc), this allows you to make that choice based on your own circumstances and how you value the class. We hope that this pricing model facilitates equality in difficult times, and we thank you for your support of this work. Additional financial donations are also always gratefully accepted.
If you would like to attend the classes but the cost is prohibitive for you, please contact us. We have arranged work-exchange, exchange of professional services, and barter of goods, among other solutions (see our donations page to get ideas of the kinds of things that could be exchanged). We don't want money to stop anyone from joining.
No refunds are possible if a class is paid for and not attended.
Recording:
We ask that you not record or videotape the classes, bearing in mind that all class materials (audio files and song words) are emailed to all participants. We expect all participants to honor and respect the host and fellow participants by adhering to this policy. We reserve the right to record or photograph the classes for documentation and possible promotional purposes.
Questions / Contact:
Contact Zina here or at zinabozzay@gmail.com.
Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you in class!
