Nationally and internationally renowned performers take turns on Pentecost weekend in and around Kálvin Square in Budapest: more than 60 events await audiences at six venues over three days, and all of them are free of charge. The Reformed Music Festival is set to become one of the biggest free music events in the capital.
Organ marathons, jazz concerts, dance halls, children's shows, exhibitions, educational presentations - all this can be fit into the last weekend of May in the centre of Budapest. This year, the Reformed Music Festival, founded almost two decades ago by Gergely Böszörményi, will offer a more diverse programme than ever before. The event has also hired a new artistic director this year. Music historian Endre Tóth, who also works at Müpa (Palace of Arts) Budapest and Bartók Radio, says: "The event is becoming more prestigious every year, so it's no wonder that bigger and bigger names are accepting the invitation.”
Among the performers are jazz pianist Béla Szakcsi Lakatos Jr, musicians from the Budapest Philharmonic Society Orchestra, the Finucci Bros Quartet with István Tabáni, Szilvia Bognár, Tárkány Művek, László Fassang and Balázs Szokolay Dongó, the Borbély Workshop, theatre artist Zoltán Rajkai, the Söndörgő, Dalinda, Magidom, organists János Pálúr and Balázs Szabó, the St. Ephraim Male Choir, the Sebő Ensemble, Kaláka, the Vujicsicsics Ensemble and many others. "It is clear from the programme that the Reformed Music Festival is not event designed to a specific audience but is open to all. From classical music to pop, everyone can find something to their liking - Reformed and non-Reformed alike," says Endre Tóth.
The event is Reformed not only in name but also in spirit: while it is faithful to tradition, it is also open for renewal. According to the managing director of the organizing Reformed Public and Cultural Foundation, this can be seen in the progress made compared to previous years. “It is not only a recreational and fun event, but also a missionary tool. More than half of the performers are Reformed, and by presenting our spiritual treasures, we should be able to reach out to those who wish to find their way to our Church," Gábor Zila added.
The Reformed Music Festival will be held between 26 and 28 May 2023 in six venues: on Bakáts Square, in the Ráday House, in the former ADNA Café, in the Kálvin Chamber Garden, in the Reformed churches in Kálvin Square and in Nagyvárad Square.