Program Report 2015

 

12th Crescendo Summer Institute in Tokaj, Hungary

20 July - 3 August 2015

 Artistic Report

 

The Opening Ceremony of the 12th Crescendo Summer Institute was held on 20 July 2015 at 7.30 p.m., in the Main Hall of Tokaji Ferenc Secondary School, which also serves as the central venue for the Institute. Master classes are held by an international faculty of 70, with 180 students and guests from 37 different countries:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Republic of South Africa, Ukraine, the United States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

 

Attendants at the ceremony were greeted by György Posta, mayor of the City of Tokaj, and by the leadership of Crescendo Summer Institute: Beat Rink and Airi Rink, founders and directors of Crescendo International; opera singer Timothy Bentch and violist Eszter Dudás, founders and artistic directors of Crescendo Summer Institute; and Balázs Végh, operative director of Crescendo Summer Institute. As a musical greeting, pieces by Bartók and Rossini were performed by Philipp Hutter, Swiss trumpeter; Gábor Varga, Hungarian clarinetist; Rita Termes, Hungarian pianist; and Eugene Alcalay, Romanian pianist from the USA.

 

The artistic programme of Crescendo Summer Institute began on the morning of Tuesday, 21 July 2015. Artistic directors of Crescendo have offered solo classes for strings (violin, viola, cello, bass), woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet), brass (trumpet, horn, tuba), piano, organ, voice and guitar. Opportunities for the students admitted to Crescendo Summer Institute to play together include classes in chamber music, orchestra, choir and choir directing, opera, piano accompaniment, baroque ensemble and jazz.

 

Beyond professional training, it is the goal of Crescendo Summer Institute to provide guidance for the next generation in several areas of life and to give them useful advice for their artistic careers with the help of professionals. Crescendo Summer Institute enhances individual training and character development by organizing mentoring programmes and small group talks. This year, the central theme for these is “The Artist’s Heart”. The work of Crescendo International as an organization has now been centred on the meeting point of faith and art for three decades, and the special quality of life at the Summer Institute also lies in the personal experience of this connection.

 

Two lectures were held during the first week of Crescendo Summer Institute.

Portuguese pianist Sara Ascenzo gave a presentation on the meaning of psychological well-being according to mainstream psychological models and on the different ways professional musicians cope with challenges concerning their mental well-being. During the two weeks of the Summer Institute, Sara Ascenzo, researcher at the Royal College of Music in London, holds consultation sessions for the participants with the use of the school’s professional materials.

In addition, Zsolt Körmendy, concert educator, editor of the family and youth programme at the Palace of Arts (MüPa), instructor at the Liszt Academy of Music and teacher at Crescendo Summer Institute held a talk on the important things musicians need to prepare for adult life besides professional knowledge. These included career beginnings, career building, relationships, time management and money management, moving about in the world of bureaucracy, and building international connections.

 

Nostalgia Concert in Sárospatak

After Crescendo Summer Institute was launched in 2004, for ten years it was organized in Sárospatak. It offered over 150 free-of-charge cultural events, and even whole operas were staged in the magnificent yard of the Rákóczi Castle. Although for the last two years Tokaj has been the new host town, Crescendo honoured its former and always enthusiastic audience in Sárospatak by giving a nostalgia concert there again, on 22 July 2015, in the Saint Elizabeth House. Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, John Dowland, Roland Dyens, Manuel de Falla, Ferenc Farkas, Iván Madarász, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joaquín Rodrigo were performed by voice section students Norbert Antóni, Luca Bojtos, Zsuzsanna Dani, Anna Vivien Havár-Ferenczy, Botond Józsa, Anna Molnár, Melanie Utasi and Eszter Zemlényi and guitar section students Dániel Bögös, Bálint Bress and Gergely Olgyai. The artistic director of the concert was Erika Dallos, artist at the Hungarian State Opera House, instructor at the Liszt Academy of Music and teacher at Crescendo Summer Institute for the 12th time.

 

Crescendo’s Promenade Concerts have established themselves as a tradition in Tokaj as well. This year, they were held at 5 p.m. on 22 July 2015, in the town’s main square. Pieces by Robert Schumann, Igor Stravinsky and Jörg Widmann were performed by Bethany Brooks (USA, piano), Csilla Dominkó (Hungary, cello), Dávid Dominkó (Hungary, guitar), István Dominkó (Hungary, piano), Levente Dominkó (Hungary, marimba and vibraphone), Liliána Dominkó (Hungary, cello), Belle James (USA, piano), Aleksandar Janković (Serbia, bass), Jovana Jevtić (Serbia, oboe), Suzanne Klukas (Canada, piano), Eszter Kruchió (Hungary, violin), Katarina Popović (Serbia, horn), Noémi Sallai (Hungary, clarinet), Iowana Siemieniuk (Poland, soprano) and Gyula Váradi (Hungary, violin).

 

The concert given by Crescendo Summer Institute’s faculty, including soloists and chamber artists of world-famous orchestras and professors from renowned universities, is always a highlight of the academy. The concert offered a selection of our artist professors’ extraordinary repertoire, ranging from baroque to contemporary music. This Summer Institute’s first Faculty Concert was held in the Tokaj Synagogue at 5 p.m. on 23 July 2015. Professors of the Early Music Department performed pieces by Giovanni Paolo Cima, Dietrich Buxtehude and Georg Friedrich Händel. The performers were Miriam Feuersinger (Austria, soprano), Gustavo Gargiulo (Argentina, cornett), Bálint Karosi (Hungary, harpsichord), Paolo Paroni (Italy, harpsichord) and Steuart Pincombe (USA, viola da gamba). Further pieces by Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Alexandre Tansman were performed by Timothy Bentch (USA, tenor), Erika Dallos (Hungary, piano), István Dominkó (Hungary, piano), Igor Františák (Czech Republic, clarinet), Józef Kolinek (Poland, violin), Ye-Ree Kim (Republic of Korea, piano), Beata Halska (Poland, violin), Bernard Le Monnier (France, violin), László Seeman (Hungary, horn), Tünde Szabóki (Hungary, soprano) and Rita Termes (Hungary, piano).

 

In the spirit of international connections, Crescendo Summer Institute places a strong emphasis on the cultural cooperation of the Visegrád Countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and showcasing the region of Central Europe. At 3 pm on 24 July 2015, violin professor David Danel led a workshop entitled “When the (Iron) Curtain Falls” – New Music in Changing Societies. Participants of this contemporary music course could learn pieces composed in the Visegrád Countries in order to get to know prominent composers from the period after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The pieces performed allowed listeners to experience the art of composers who have a distinct style and musical attitude within contemporary music.

 

The Winners’ Concert of the Crescendo 2014 Gala was held in the Synagogue at 5 p.m. on Friday, 24 July 2015. Pieces by Frédéric Chopin, Charles Gounod, Ferenc Lehár, Jules Massenet, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Niccolò Paganini, Giacomo Puccini, Pablo de Sarasete and Giuseppe Verdi were performed by Xénia Sárközi (Hungary, soprano), Hyuk Namkoong (Republic of Korea, piano) and Gyula Váradi (Hungary, violin). Erika Dallos and Rita Termes contributed on piano.

 

The Arts at Crescendo Summer Institute:

The main concept behind Crescendo Summer Institute is built on an approach that covers all of the arts. Throughout the past decade, acting, fine arts and dance were all present for several years in addition to music. The writings of Crescendo International founder Beat Rink are also available all year long. Beat Rink’s reading night a few years ago in the Prayer Room of the Grammar School of the Reformed Church of Sárospatak, with the contribution of German pianist Martin Helmchen, is a memorable event in the history of Crescendo Summer Institute. This year, András Visky, a Hungarian poet from Transylvania, is the special guest of Crescendo Summer Institute.

 

András Visky and Crescendo

The relationship of András Visky and Song for the Nations Foundation, the organizer of Crescendo Summer Institute, dates back to the times before the Summer Institute itself. Before this year’s cooperation, both parties were involved in the creation of the monodrama and literary masterpiece “Júlia”, and in a joint artistic project at a creative camp for the fine arts. It was a great pleasure and honour for Crescendo to host András Visky at the Summer Institute from 23 to 27 July 2015. On his first night, he talked about his life at a roundtable discussion entitled “Living in the Theatre”, where young artists also had the opportunity to ask questions concerning the ideas and life experience he discussed. At 8 p.m. on Friday, 24 July 2015, the Synagogue was host to a recital of Andrea Meláth and András Visky, entitled “Give Me a Sign”. During the recital, pieces with Biblical themes could be heard: mezzo-soprano Andrea Meláth (Hungary) sang songs by Antonín Dvořak, Franz Liszt, Luigi Denza and Albert Hay Malotte, while András Visky read his own poems. Then at 5 p.m. on 25 July 2015, András Visky gave a lecture entitled “Theatre: What’s the Point? Caravaggio’s Black Box”. Finally, on the morning of Sunday, 26 July, he preached at the international church service on finding and recognising God’s grace in the dry desert.

 

Spiritual Life at Crescendo Summer Institute

Tune-Ins run every morning from 8:45 to 9:30, creating a wonderful community out of the participants of Crescendo Summer Institute. Days start with a community experience of singing, encouragement and preaching, which provide great energy for participating in the intense series of events afterwards. During the evenings, each day is closed by small-group discussions centred on the topic of the different states of “The Artist’s Heart”, as follows:

– How am I doing? – The joyful heart

– What affects me in a critical way and what leads to success? How am I with envy? – The broken, the proud and the steady heart

– Is perfect good enough? – The heart aspiring to perfection and excellence

The process of tuning hearts and revealing their different states throughout the week served as important preparation for experiencing one of the most important events of Crescendo Summer Institute. The Creative Church Service began at 8 p.m. on Saturday, 25 July 2015 in the Reformed Church. This church service is an ecumenical service where music, the arts, preaching and a creative prayer walk are all present together. It was created by Crescendo 30 years ago, and similar ceremonies have been held in over 40 cities, mostly throughout Europe. This year’s theme for Crescendo Summer Institute’s Creative Church Service was “Let Your Light Shine!”. The sermon was given by the Revd. Beat Rink (Switzerland), reformed pastor, writer and founding director of Crescendo International. The Creative Church Service featured pieces by Charles Gounod and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by Constance Fee (USA, soprano), János Pálúr (Hungary, organ), Attila Füzesséry (Hungary, violin) and Eszter Füzesséryné Dudás (Hungary, viola). The service began with the performance of the Brass Section’s band, and it also included an improvisation by organist János Pálúr after the message.

 

Musical Services in Tokaj with the participation of students and teachers of Crescendo Summer Institute

It has become a tradition that students and teachers play music at the services of the local congregations during Summer Institute. During the musical services some short pieces were performed between the different parts of the liturgy that expressed and supported the message of the Bible in the language of music. Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Jacob Gordon and Zoltán Kodály were performed by Bethany Brooks (USA, piano), Adrian Harabaru (Moldova, cello), Jovana Jevtic (Serbia, oboe), Marta Klimcak (Poland, flute), Eszter Kruchió (Hungary, violin), Hannah Mörchen (Germany, guitar) and Gergely Olgyay (Hungary, guitar).

 

Sunday’s day off was closed by joyful outings, wine cellar visits and wine tastings, rest, beach time, a barbecue party and dances from the Moldva region by the river. The historic Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region is rich in natural beauty, and it is no accident that it is a cultural region protected as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Guests from several different parts of the world had a number of opportunities to enjoy wonderful refreshment mentally and spiritually, as well as physically. Young and old, international and Hungarian students, organisers and volunteers, teachers and students can all look ahead to the master classes of Crescendo Summer Institute and the events of Crescendo Summer Festival filled with amazing experiences, renewed minds, and great expectations.

 

The final week of Crescendo Summer Institute started with fresh, new cheer. Newly arrived teachers included Júlia Pászthy (Hungary, voice), Gábor Bretz (Hungary, voice), Dag Anders Eriksen (Norway, violin) and Peter Bannister (Great Britain, composing). The second faculty concert took place in the Synagogue on 27 July 2015, with pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Béla Bartók, Max Bruch, Rodion Chedrin, Henry Eccles, George Enescu, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Francis Poulenc and Franz Schubert performed by Eugene Alcalay (USA, piano), Heinz Chen (Austria, piano), David Daly (Ireland, bass), Kristin Ditlow (USA, piano), István Dominkó (Hungary, piano), Judith Ermert (Germany, cello), Constance Fee (USA, soprano), Mateus Dela Fonte (Brazil, guitar), Philipp Hutter (Switzerland, trumpet), James Kraft (USA, trombone), Swetlana Meermann (Russia, piano), Reto Reichenbach (Switzerland, piano), Ellen Rose (USA, viola) and László Seeman (Hungary, horn).

 

At 3 p.m. on 28 July 2015, the audience was treated to a concert by the baroque small ensembles. Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, Arcangelo Corelli, Johann Gottfried Müthel and Georg Philip Telemann were performed by Theodore Bikish (USA, harpsichord), Sylvie Chopard (Switzerland, violin), Ágoston Cser (Hungary, voice), Fanny Gurgel (Hungary, cello), Gustavo Gargiulo (Argentina, baroque trumpet), Dávid Hauck (Hungary, cello and viola da gamba), Milan Jeremić (Serbia, flute), Dóra Király (Hungary, baroque bassoon), Marta Klimczak (Poland, flute), Hirofumi Kobayashi (Japan, viola), Péter Kovács (Hungary, voice), Irene Postma (the Netherlands, harpsichord), Simone Strohmeier (Germany, violin). Small ensembles are taught by Bálint Karosi. Paolo Paroni (Italy) contributed as conductor.

 

Crescendo Summer Institute places a strong emphasis on composers with anniversaries each year. This time, pieces of Béla Bartók, Jean Sibelius and Arvo Pärt are showcased. Peter Bannister, English composer currently based in Paris, gave a lecture on the life and works of the 80-year-old Arvo Pärt in the Synagogue on 28 July 2015. Bannister highlighted that over the past decades, few contemporary “classical” composers left such a deep mark on society as the highly mysterious Pärt did. Bannister posed questions asking what makes Pärt so attractive and where the power of his openly embraced church music originates. How can he reach such different groups of his audience in a time when Christianity is starting to become outdated? Actually, what is Arvo Pärt’s message today? These were the questions he set out to answer. During the lecture, Arvo Pärt’s string quartet “Summa” was performed by Teresa Rodrigues da Silva (Portugal, violin), Susana Valencia-Tobon (Colombia, violin), Elisa Rendón Peláez (Colombia, viola) and Isabela Saavedra (Colombia, cello).

 

János Pálúr’s improvisation concert took place for the second time at Crescendo. This special night was held on 18 July in the Synagogue. János Pálúr suggests that the genre of improvisation is almost unknown, even though concert improvisation was in practice even in the 19th century. Not even the best musicians intend to experiment with this kind of performance. Organist János Pálúr’s heavenly talent has compelled him to present the possibilities of improvisation during services and his concerts since early childhood. He has prepared for this year’s Crescendo Summer Institute to play the piano after 30 years’ organ work, and thus shed light on the fact that improvisation is independent of musical instruments and it follows eternal rules. The improvisation concert featured readings of verses from the Bible.

In addition to master classes, workshops with varying topics were held. These included Lectio Divina with Tina Bailey (USA), a course on Bach’s solo suites for cellists by Steuart Pincombe (USA) and an introduction to the harpsichord for pianists by Bálint Karosi (Hungary).

 

Evening small-group discussions are still held every day, with reflections on the topics of morning Tune-ins:

- How can I get rid of my worries? How could I calm down? – The still heart

- How can I address my hyper-sensitivity? – The sensitive heart

 

Intense work has continued at Crescendo Summer Institute; exciting concerts and lectures at Crescendo Festival

 

The second Promenade Concert of Crescendo Summer Institute was held at 5 p.m. on 29 July 2015. Pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven, Luis Bonfa, Paul Constantinescu, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Edvard Grieg, Joseph Haydn, Édouard Lalo, Sebastian Lee, Patrik Gergő Oláh, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Astor Piazzola, Amilcare Ponchielli, Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov, Franz Strauss, Giuseppe Verdi and Henrique Waldemar were performed by Andrew Brothers (USA, piano), Judit Czentnár (HUN, piano), Mateus Dela Fonte (BRA, guitar), Liliána Dominkó (HUN, cello), Fanni Fekete (HUN, clarinet), Elisabeta Furtuna (ROU, piano), Kristóf Gellér (HUN, French horn), Dafne Guevara (USA, flute), Chika Hanyuda (JAP, piano), János Bence Higyed (HUN, trumpet), Margaretha den Hollander (NED, bassoon), Balázs Havalda (HUN, trumpet), Philipp Hutter (SUI, trumpet), Vanda Irimiás (HUN, violin), Imola Villő Kis (HUN, violin), Anna Liliána Kiss (HUN, piano), Marta Klimczak (POL, flute), Rebeka Viola Máté (HUN, double bass), Hanna Wiktoria Michałowska (POL, soprano), Vilmos Mohácsi (HUN, double bass), Benjámin Mohácsi (HUN, marimba), Swetlana Meermann (RUS, piano), Mariann Mikkelsen (DEN, soprano), Victor Mendelev (BUL, tenor), David Mocan (ROU, French horn), Vilmos Mohácsi (HUN, double bass), Patrik Gergő Oláh (HUN, violin), Isabela Saavedra (COL, cello), Noémi Sallai (HUN, clarinet), Shelby Sender (USA, piano), Gyula Váradi (HUN, violin) and Ye-Ree Kim (KOR, piano).

 

A public talk was held on the night of 29 July 2015, with the participation of teachers and led by Beat Rink. Our guests were Kristin Ditlow (USA, piano), Gábor Bretz (HUN, opera singer), Eugene Alcalay (USA, piano) and David Daly (Ireland, double-bass). The audience could hear answers among others to the following questions: What has been the funniest situation of these artists’ careers? How do they process their success? How do they relax after a performance or a concert? What is their perspective on living out their profession?

 

Lectures by Dr Marcel S. Zwitser are always a special treat. At 5 p.m. on 30 July 2015, he gave a lecture in the Synagogue, entitled “Turning Pages in Bach’s Study Bible”. In 1935, the personal study Bible of Johann Sebastian Bach – in three massive volumes – was found unexpectedly. The immense value of the discovery was that in this Bible edition Bach had annotated several passages that provide an unprecedented view into Bach’s personal Christian faith. After many years of lobbying, a complete facsimile of Bach’s copy of this so-called Calov Commentary will be available at the end of 2015. This publication is being overseen by an international team of scholars, who will publish a volume with articles on the Calov Commentary alongside this publication (to be expected in 2016). Dr Marcel S. Zwitser belongs to this scholarly team and will lecture on Bach’s annotations in his study Bible. During the event, excerpts from Bach’s partitas were performed by Dominika Blatt (HUN, piano).

 

The Sectional Concert of the Baroque Section master class, held in the Synagogue at 8 p.m. on 30 July 2015, featured Italian-influenced pieces by Bach. It is widely known that Italian composers and style made a great impression on Bach. This influence can be especially heard in his Brandenburg concertos and the harpsichord and violin concertos. Among Bach’s large output of secular cantatas there are two with Italian texts: Cantata 203 (Amore traditore) and Cantata 209 (Non sa che sia dolore). Furthermore, in the 1740s he even transcribed one of the most popular Italian sacred works, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater into German based on Psalm 51, while he left most of the music unaltered. This piece is entitled “Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden” (BWV 1083). The concert program of the early music section of Crescendo 2015 gives a glimpse into Bach pieces birthed under Italian influence. During this concert, the Triple Concerto in A minor for flute, violin and harpsichord (BWV 1044) was also performed. The following artists contributed: Theodore Bikish (USA, harpsichord), Sylvie Chopard (SUI, violin), Eszter Draskóczy (HUN, violin), Fanny Gurgel (HUN, cello), Dávid Hauck (HUN, cello), Aleksandar Janković (SRB, double bass), Milan Jeremić (SRB, flute), Adriána Kalafszky (HUN, voice), Bálint Karosi (HUN, harpsichord), Dóra Király (HUN, baroque bassoon), Marta Klimczak (POL, flute), Eszter Kruchió (HUN, violin), Hanna Wiktoria Michałowska (POL, voice), Anna Molnár (HUN, voice), Marini Peikidou (GRE, baroque viola), Iwona Siemeniuk (POL, voice), Simone Strohmeier (GER, violin). Paolo Paroni (ITA) was the conductor for the night.

 

Nightly small-group talks have continued, reflecting on the following topics of morning Tune-ins:

– Why is worldview important?

– The thinking heart

 

The Closing Days of Crescendo Summer Institute

The sectional concerts of the master classes took place 31 July through 1 August 2015 on several iconic locations of Tokaj. Master classes of the Summer Institute were held in 83 different classrooms, grand stages and inspiring rooms across the following buildings: Tokaji Ferenc High School, II. Rákóczi Ferenc Elementary School, the Synagogue, Paulay Ede Theatre, the Reformed Church, the Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Kindergarten, the Tourinform Office, the Town Hall, museums and dormitories. It didn’t take long for musicians to feel at home everywhere and transform the town into a giant music academy campus. On the last weekend of Crescendo Festival, sectional concerts featured students performing pieces they learned during their master classes. Participants of Crescendo Summer Institute brought a wide range of pieces to classes, which they then perfected with the guidance of their teachers. It was a selection of these pieces studied in class that the audience was treated to at these concerts. The most successful performers of the concerts received the opportunity to showcase their talent at the Gala Concert.

 

Sectional concerts at Crescendo Festival:

- Organ and Guitar Sectional Concert, 31 July, 10:30 a.m., Catholic Church

- Voice Sectional Concert, 31 July, 11:30 a.m., Reformed Church

- Piano Sectional Concert, 31 July, 2 p.m., Synagogue

- Chamber Music Sectional Concert, 31 July, 3:30 p.m., Tokaji Ferenc High School, Tune-In Hall

- Jazz Concert, 31 July, 5 p.m. Paulay Ede Theatre

- String Sectional Concert (cello and double bass), 1 August 2015, 11 a.m., 2nd floor of the Synagogue

- Woodwind Sectional Concert (oboe, clarinet, bassoon), 1 August 2015, 11:30 a.m., Reformed Church

- Violin, Viola and Chamber Music concert 1 August, at 12 in II. Rákóczi Ferenc Elementary School

- Violin Sectional Concert, 1 August, 2 p.m., Catholic Church

- Brass Sectional Concert, 1 August, 4 p.m., Synagogue

- Flute Sectional Concert, 1 August, 5 p.m., Reformed Church

- Choral Conducting Sectional Concert, 2 August, 11:30 a.m., Catholic Church

- Concert of the Youth Section, 2 August, 1:30 p.m., Paulay Ede Theatre

 

Special attention was given to the 2-and-a-half-hour performance of the Opera Scenes course, starting at 7 p.m. on 1 August 2015 in the Paulay Ede Theatre. Stepping on the stage means that one must be absolutely present both physically and spiritually. In order that singers can affect the audience, appeal to the spectators, and provoke them to think, they need to focus on an immense number of different factors, such as singing technique, movement, the partners and even the personal-spiritual contents of the musical piece. This is what the intensive Opera Scenes course is all about. Voice Section students presented the fruit of this shared group work in the form of 31 well-known opera scenes.

 

Musical contributions continued at the Catholic mass and the Reformed church service, where pieces by J. S. Bach, Miklós Rózsa and Sortie were performed by Ákos Faragó (HUN, organ), Bence Kozák (HUN, organ), János Ripka (HUN, cello), Noémi Sallai (HUN, clarinet) and Bernadett Vida (HUN, organ).

 

Small-group talks and meetings came to a close as well. On the night of Friday, 31 July 2015, groups had informal discussions to evaluate the events of the two weeks and to share their personal experiences over ice cream, pizza and pleasant evening walks.

 

Gala Concerts were held at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on 2 August 2015, in the Paulay Ede Theatre and the Synagogue. They featured solo and chamber music performances of pieces learned during master classes, as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor. The most successful participants of the Summer Institute were invited to be part of these concerts by recommendation of the faculty. The performers were: Előd Gábor Ambrusz (HUN, piano), Aleksandra Bilanović (SRB, soprano), Dominika Blatt (HUN, piano), Dániel Bögös (HUN, guitar), Bálint Bress (HUN, guitar), Fanni Fekete (HUN, clarinet), János Bence Higyed (HUN, trumpet), Elisabeta Furtuna (ROU, piano), Violetta Haraszti (HUN, violin), Teodóra Hetei-Bakó (HUN, flute), Eszter Kruchió (HUN, violin), Zsófia Mohai (HUN, oboe), Viktor Mendelev (BLR, voice), Vilmos Mohácsi (HUN, double bass), Patrik Gergő Oláh (HUN, violin), Gergő Olgyay (HUN, guitar), János Ripka (HUN, cello), Aleksandra Rybakova (RUS, soprano), Isabela Saavedra (COL, cello), Noémi Sallai (HUN, clarinet), Johanna Schwarzl (GER, flute), Ádám Zsolt Szokolay (HUN, piano), Gyula Váradi (HUN, violin), the brass ensemble led by trumpet artist Philipp Hutter (SUI), and the wind ensemble and orchestra led by conductor Delta David Gier (USA). The following artist professors of Crescendo Summer Institute contributed on piano: Bethany Brooks (USA), Heinz Chen (AUT), Ye-Ree Kim (KOR), Éva Csipkay (HUN), Erika Dallos (HUN), Rita Termes (HUN). Pieces by Béla Bartók, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Gaetano Donizetti, Domenico Dragonetti, Giovanni Gabrieli, Philippe Gaubert, Charles Gounod, Frigyes Hidas, Aram Khachaturian, Édouard Lalo, Bohuslav Martinů, Jules Massenet, Joseph-Guy Ropartz, Franz Schubert, Sándor Szokolay and Joaquin Turina were performed.

 

Gala Concerts were followed by the gala party, which was officially opened by the leadership of Crescendo Summer Institute, who gave thanks to the faculty, the organizers and, also importantly, to the leadership of the Town of Tokaj and the heads of institutions in town. During the two weeks, the crowd of participants became a community: a big international family. This night, they joyfully celebrated their shared success, and many of them left with the expectation of meeting again between 25 July and 8 August 2016, at the 13th Crescendo Summer Institute.

 

Tokaj, 3 August 2015

 

Eszter Dudás and Timothy Bentch

artistic directors
Crescendo Summer Institute