In the last week of Advent, there are intimate concerts to get you in the mood for the holidays, and even after Christmas, there are concerts to keep you in the mood. Unusual venues, popular hits, artists and bands guarantee a memorable experience. Charlie, the Alma Band, Zoltán Bereczki, the Cotton Club Singers and the Budapest Klezmer Band are among the acts to be seen in the upcoming weeks.
The Miracle of Love – Holiday Concert
Monday 16 December 2024, 18:00, Kölcsey Centre
A series of concerts with the Celebration Orchestra and the BTA Choir, conducted by Camp Kirkland.
Further details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/a-szeretet-csodaja
Advent Concerts in the Reformed Great Church: Amici – Voices of the World
Christmas tunes with an operatic touch
Monday 16 December 2024, 19:00, Reformed Great Church
Attila Dolhai, Otokár Klein, Levente Molnár and Dániel Vadász have appeared on almost every major stage in Hungary and many abroad over the past 20 years, but this is the first time that the audience will hear them together. They are preparing for one of the most atmospheric concerts of the Advent season, full of musical specialties. Among the songs to be performed will be The Angel from Heaven, Silent Night, Ave Maria, White Christmas, Jingle Bells and Feliz Navidad.
Further details: https://www.facebook.com/events/573943348322443
Christmas concert by the Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kodály Choir
Tuesday 17 December 2024 19:00, Kölcsey Centre
Program:
Poulenc: Four motets for Christmas
Haydn: Nelson Mass
Moscheles: Concerto for flute and oboe
With the participation of Petra Elek, Dóra Galgóczy Boros Boros, Zoltán Megyesi, Bence Pataki – vocals, Balázs Köcsky – flute, Gábor Bicskey – oboe / Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra / Kodály Choir (choir director: Zoltán Kocsis-Holper)
Conductor: Imre Kollár
Further details: https://www.kodalyfilharmonia.hu/hangversenynaptar/elonezet/453/karacsonyi-koncert
Advent acoustic concert – AcousticDuo
Wednesday 18 December 2024 17:00, Karakter 1517 Bookstore and Café
The AcousticDuo is a special acoustic formation formed by István Pápai (saxophone) and Levente Farkas Bács (acoustic guitar). Two accomplished musicians who combine the world of acoustic instruments in a unique way to bring familiar songs and classics to the audience in a fresh, reimagined form. The AcousticDuo has made it their mission to bring a professional take on the light-hearted style to curious ears within the walls of cafés and restaurants. They rework popular and beloved songs that are familiar to everyone, but given new life in their own sound world. Their repertoire includes songs that are familiar to people of all ages from all over the world.
Last year, the group toured the country to showcase their professional skills and unique acoustic sound to young audiences, which was followed with great interest and interest.
More details: https://www.facebook.com/events/469480369518828
Advent Evening of the Reformed Church District of the Trans-Tisza Region
Wednesday 18 December 2024 18:00, Reformed Small Church
Bishop Károly Fekete will give a festive greeting and play the organ.
With the participation of Ágnes Rendes and Eszter Vojtkó – singing, Erika Bozsányiné Kiss – piano, Dániel Sárosi – organ.
the Choir of the Little Children, the Vox Antiqua Chamber Choir, the Vox Iuventutis Children’s Choir, the choirs of the Reformed congregations of Debrecen, the Kharis Brass Ensemble and the György Maróthi Chamber Orchestra.
The conductors are Sándor Berkesi, Csaba Márton Kiss, Eszter Kissné Szemző, Lóránd László, Donát Tóth and Péter Vad.
Further details: https://www.facebook.com/events/595175782970169
Golden Wings Voices – charity concert
Thursday 19 December 2024, 18:00, Reformed Small Church
The evening will support the recovery of two boys with Duchenne syndrome, Barni and Tálti. Both members of the brother and sister pair living in Egerszalok were baptised in the Great Church in Debrecen about a decade and a half ago, and the family currently attends the Reformed congregation in the Heves County township. A cure for the serious muscular dystrophy disease is possible but involves considerable costs, and the audience at the concert can contribute to this.
The Lyra Symphony Orchestra of Debrecen, the Kodály Singers, the Kölcsey Choir, Hella Bűdi, Károly Fekete, Bishop of the Reformed Diocese of the Trans-Tisza Region and organist Dániel Sárosi will be performing.
Christmas concert by Zoltán Bereczki
Friday 20 December 2024 19:00, Kölcsey Centre
Further details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/bereczki-karacsony
StEFREM – Christmas Lights
Sunday 22 December 2024 19:00, Kölcsey Centre
One of the best-known Hungarian acapella groups will perform with singer Sára Bolyki. The artist, like the band, is at home in many different styles. The ensemble’s Christmas Lights album, released last year, provides the basis for the program, which includes Christmas and Advent songs from Hungary, Anglo-Saxon, Northern European and Carpathian Basin nations. Famous secular melodies will also be performed, including Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons of Winter and Silent Night, all in their own arrangements. A special feature of the evening is that these songs have never been performed in this form before, with a female soloist.
Further details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/stefrem-karacsonyi-fenyek-kozremukodik-bolyki-sara
Advent Concerts at the Reformed Great Church: Cotton Club Singers – ABBA Jazz
Monday 23 December 2024, 19:00, Reformed Great Church
The Cotton Club Singers in 2022 revived its most successful concert show ABBA-JAZZ after a 15-year hiatus. The concert will feature the four original singers from the ABBA Jazz album – Orsolya Kozma, Gabriella Szűcs, Gábor Fehér and Boldizsár László. The concert will be accompanied by the band’s former, but still highly acclaimed Cotton Club Band. This evening promises to be an unforgettable experience, where you can hear ABBA’s greatest hits live in unique arrangements from Mamma Mia to Dancing Queen.
Further details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1604367726847675
Concert of the Budapest Klezmer Band
Monday 23 December 2024 19:00, Csokonai Theater
The Budapest Klezmer Band has been entertaining audiences since 1990 with its lively and humorous stage performances. It combines the different musical trends of the Carpathian Basin in a virtuoso way. The members of the band are true masters of their instruments, redefining klezmer music across genres. In their original musical compositions, traditional Yiddish motifs are complemented by elements of Gypsy and folk music, spiced up with a touch of modernity.
The orchestra’s founding leader and composer is Ferenc “Fegya” Jávori, whose innovative ideas have given rise to the genres of klezmer ballet, klezmer suites and klezmer musicals in Hungary. All of these artistic productions were created with world-class local collaborators. The orchestra’s sophisticated musical world of diverse klezmer music, with a distinctly Carpatho-Basin flavour, has been a huge success with audiences in Europe and overseas. The Budapest Klezmer Band has received many prestigious awards and prizes.
More details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1073213157318168
Children’s concert by the Alma Band
Thursday 26 December 2024 10:30, Kölcsey Center
The Alma Band initially played for adults, but request for a children’s concert made them so successful that they were soon asked to play several other concerts for kids and soon found themselves playing almost children’s concerts.
Further details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/alma-zenekar-koncert
TV2 Megasztár ’24 Gala
Thursday 26 December 2024 19:00, Kölcsey Centre
It’s a rare thing for a Concert Agency to announce a concert where they don’t know who will perform… TV2’s revived show Megasztár has been running for weeks now, where the talented stars are still just candidates to the jury, but by the time we get to the final, it will be clear who will be the real Megasztár, who will be the audience’s favorites. What we do know is that this finalist team will be the heart and soul of the competition, and they deserve to be able to show themselves live to the audience after the competition, to meet their existing or then recruiting fan base. To add a twist, the Christmas Megastar Gala will be hosted by a judge. And of course, it’s all live…
Further details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/tv2-megasztar-24-gala
Charlie 77 concert
Friday 27 December 2024 19:00, Kölcsey Centre
Charlie is a musician and trumpeter: a performer of rock, jazz, blues, soul and funky with a distinctively hoarse voice. Throughout his career, he has played in many groups and has recorded countless albums. His latest album, Beyond Everything, was released in 2020. This anniversary is the occasion for the launch of a tour that will sum up his life’s work, which has been captivating a very large fan base for decades, but also everyone who loves sophisticated music. In fact, if you wanted to hear all his favorite songs, you’d have to have at least 3 different concerts, but you’d still have to have one song at each one: “Be who you are!”
Further details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/charlie-77-sztarvendeg-abahazi-csaba
100 Folk Celsius concert
Saturday 28 December 2024 10:30, Reformed Great Church
100 Folk Celsius are a true icon on the Hungarian music scene, who have left an indelible mark on Hungarian folk and country music over their decades-long career. With their cheerful songs and playful style, they have entertained generations, whether with hits for children like “Paff the Magic Dragon” or concerts for adults. The band’s name has become synonymous with light-hearted melodies, a sense of being close to nature and the eternal serenity that their songs convey.
More details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/100-folk-celsius
MODERN TALKING 40 – Thomas Anders and Neoton Família concert
Saturday 28 December 2024, 18:00, Főnix Arena
Modern Talking 40 returns with a 90-minute live super concert!
The biggest star of the 80’s, Thomas Anders, will come to Debrecen to perform the greatest Modern Talking hits again! With more than 124 million records sold, 14 albums released, and evergreen hits like You’re my heart, you’re my soul and Cheri Cheri Lady, the German duo that defined the retro era has forever written their name in music history. Let’s commemorate this together at the Phoenix Arena, where pop music lovers are once again invited to an unforgettable party!
And, of course, we shouldn’t miss the merits of the Neoton Família: the Hungarian pop music group is still hugely popular today, having released around 30 Hungarian-language and more than 10 English-language songs worldwide. Their best-known songs need no introduction.
Further details: https://www.fonixarena.hu/esemenyek-modern-talking-40-thomas-anders-neoton-familia-debrecen-2024.12.28-18-00-ora
Csík-Presser-Christmas: The Song is Ours 2.0
Saturday 28 December 2024 19:00, Kölcsey Centre
In 2020, Csík Band embarked on an exciting venture when they released an album of covers only, featuring a selection of songs by a single band, Locomotiv GT! The release of the album was followed by a two-year album release tour, the success of which led to the follow-up “The song is ours 2.0”.
Further details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/csik-presser-karacsony-a-dal-a-mienk-2-0
Christmas gala concert of musical and operetta stars
Sunday 29 December 2024 19:00, Kölcsey Centre
Performing: Ágota Dezső, Aisha Kardffy, Szilvi Szendy, Zsuzsi Vágó, Máté Kerényi Miklós, Péter Laki, Zsolt Árpád Mészáros, Károly Peller
With the participation of the Szolnok Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Kanai Toshifumi
Directed by Károly Peller
Further details: https://kolcseykozpont.hu/program/musical-es-operett-csillagok-karacsonyi-galakoncert
New Year concert
Wednesday 1 January 2025 16:00, Reformed Great Church
Program:
Claude Goudimel: 90th Psalm of Geneva
György Orbán: The 90th Psalm of Geneva
Árpád Palotai: Come, Lord God, Holy Spirit
Claude Goudimel: 65th Psalm of Geneva
Beischer-Matyó Tamás: Blessed is he whom you teach
Claude Goudimel: Psalm 134 of Geneva
Claudio Monteverdi: Cantate Domino
János Vajda: Kolinda
Melchior Vulpius: Angelus ad pastores ait
With the participation of Olga Vojevogyina – piano / Kodály Choir / Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Zoltán Kocsis-Holper
Further details: https://www.kodalyfilharmonia.hu/hangversenynaptar/elonezet/491/ujevi-koncert
The Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Year Gala Concert
Friday 3 January 2025 19:00, Csokonai Theatre, Main Stage
The New Year’s Gala Concert will feature the best-known songs of the genre: solos, romantic duets, blood-pumping rhythms, unadulterated Hungarian songs and the inevitable Strauss waltzes and polkas. Audiences will hear a diverse selection of the greatest operetta hits from the world’s musical stages.
The guests of the evening are Mónika Fischl and Zsolt Haja. The Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by Dániel Somogyi-Tóth, the chief music director of the city of Debrecen.
Further details: https://www.kodalyfilharmonia.hu/hangversenynaptar/elonezet/492/a-kodaly-filharmonikusok-ujevi-galakoncertje
