Amadinda Percussion Group
Amadinda Percussion Group was formed in Budapest by four graduates of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in 1984. Back then, Amadinda had two objectives in mind: to introduce the now classic masterpieces of percussion music to the Hungarian audience, which was not familiar with these compositions at the time, and to premiere the music of contemporary Hungarian composers both in their home country and internationally.
In recent years the musicians' initial goals have expanded to include three new aspects: researching traditional percussion cultures, composing new music and transcribing significant works from the history of music to percussion instruments. As a result, traditional music from four continents, Zoltán Váczi and Aurél Holló's beFORe JOHN series, as well as transcriptions of pieces by Ravel, Debussy and other European composers were all added to Amadinda's repertoire.
From the very beginning Amadinda has made it a point to inspire other composers to write music. One example of this is John Cage's Four4, a piece he wrote for Amadinda in Tokyo in 1991. A definite highlight of the ensemble's career to date was the premiere of György Ligeti's composition Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel (With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles) in France. This work was written especially for Katalin Károlyi and Amadinda in 2000.
Compositions from Steve Reich are a key element of Amadinda's repertoire. The nearly 20-year relationship between Reich and Amadinda includes works such as the Mallet Quartet, which he dedicated to the then 25-year-old Amadinda and the Canadian percussion group Nexus. Mallet Quartet was first performed at the Palace of Arts in Budapest in December 2009.
The diversity of Amadinda's work is also reflected in its numerous recordings. One of the highlights of the ensemble's discography is a 6-CD series containing all the percussion compositions by John Cage. With the first album released in 1991, the recordings in this series encompass a significant portion of Amadinda's career. The sixth and last CD of this set was released in March 2011.
Beside their collaborations with Ligeti, Reich and Cage, the four musicians have also worked with renowned artists like Peter Eötvös, Zoltán Kocsis, András Schiff, György Kurtág, András Keller and James Wood. Amadinda Percussion Group is regarded as one of the most original and versatile percussion groups in the world today.
www.amadinda.com
Zoltán Rácz
Born in Budapest in 1960, Zoltán Rácz studied at the Béla Bartók Conservatory and graduated the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in 1983. During the Bartók Centenary Year 1981 he performed and recorded Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with Zoltán Kocsis and Dezső Ránki.
In 1984 Zoltán Rácz founded Amadinda Percussion Group and has remained its artistic director to this day. He has also appeared as a soloist and conductor, having performed and recorded with Peter Eötvös, András Schiff and Bruno Canino. He was a founding member and principal timpanist of the Budapest Festival Orchestra between 1992 and 1996, and member of the artistic advisory board of the Budapest Spring Festival from 1997 to 2005.
Since 2006 Zoltán Rácz has served as music director for Hungary's leading contemporary music group, the UMZE Chamber Ensemble. As conductor of the ensemble he has appeared at numerous festivals in Europe and Hungary. He is the artistic director of the annual Hommage à Ligeti concert series of the Palace of Arts Budapest and professor at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music since 1990.
In 2002 Zoltán Rácz received the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Award by the French Minister of Culture and Communication.
Zoltán Váczi
Born into a family of musicians in Budapest in 1960, Zoltán Váczi studied music at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music and percussion at the Ferenc Liszt College of Music between 1975 and 1984. Together with Zoltán Rácz, Váczi is a founding member of Amadinda Percussion Group.
In the early 1990's, Zoltán Váczi and Aurél Holló started a series of pieces for percussion instruments with the purpose of connecting the traditional high cultures of percussion with the most outstanding musical trends of the 20th century; recognizing, adopting, retaining and further developing musical achievements. Titled beFORe JOHN, the series include nine compositions of which eight have been completed to date.
Aurél Holló
Aurél Holló was born 1966 in Mór, Hungary. He studied percissuion and composition at the Music Conservatory in Győr between 1980 and 1984, and graduated the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in 1992.
Holló became a member of Amadinda Percussion Group in 1991 and has taught at the Béla Bartók Conservatory since 1996.
Many of his projects include the composition series beFORe JOHN, together with Zoltán Vácz, collaborations with guitarist Gábor Olgyay and the UMZE Chamber Ensemble, and arranging classical and jazz transcriptions for Amadinda Percussion Group. Aurél Holló also gave master classes (Chamber Music for Percussion) at the International Bartók Seminar in Szombathely, Hungary.
Károly Bojtos
Born in Hungary in 1962, Károly Bojtos began his musical studies in classical percussion with Oszkár Balázs in Budapest and went on to study with Oszkár Schwartz at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music. As his fellow band members, Bojtos also graduated at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in 1985. His professor at the Music Academy was Ferenc Petz.
Károly Bojtos is a founding member of Amadinda and the leader of the group's instrument development and research program. From 1992 to 1999 he also performed with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and has had regular appearances with the UMZE Chamber Ensemble.
Since 2002, Bojtos has been teaching percussion at the Dunaharaszti Elementary Art School in Hungary.
In recent years the musicians' initial goals have expanded to include three new aspects: researching traditional percussion cultures, composing new music and transcribing significant works from the history of music to percussion instruments. As a result, traditional music from four continents, Zoltán Váczi and Aurél Holló's beFORe JOHN series, as well as transcriptions of pieces by Ravel, Debussy and other European composers were all added to Amadinda's repertoire.
From the very beginning Amadinda has made it a point to inspire other composers to write music. One example of this is John Cage's Four4, a piece he wrote for Amadinda in Tokyo in 1991. A definite highlight of the ensemble's career to date was the premiere of György Ligeti's composition Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedűvel (With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles) in France. This work was written especially for Katalin Károlyi and Amadinda in 2000.
Compositions from Steve Reich are a key element of Amadinda's repertoire. The nearly 20-year relationship between Reich and Amadinda includes works such as the Mallet Quartet, which he dedicated to the then 25-year-old Amadinda and the Canadian percussion group Nexus. Mallet Quartet was first performed at the Palace of Arts in Budapest in December 2009.
The diversity of Amadinda's work is also reflected in its numerous recordings. One of the highlights of the ensemble's discography is a 6-CD series containing all the percussion compositions by John Cage. With the first album released in 1991, the recordings in this series encompass a significant portion of Amadinda's career. The sixth and last CD of this set was released in March 2011.
Beside their collaborations with Ligeti, Reich and Cage, the four musicians have also worked with renowned artists like Peter Eötvös, Zoltán Kocsis, András Schiff, György Kurtág, András Keller and James Wood. Amadinda Percussion Group is regarded as one of the most original and versatile percussion groups in the world today.
www.amadinda.com
Zoltán Rácz
Born in Budapest in 1960, Zoltán Rácz studied at the Béla Bartók Conservatory and graduated the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in 1983. During the Bartók Centenary Year 1981 he performed and recorded Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with Zoltán Kocsis and Dezső Ránki.
In 1984 Zoltán Rácz founded Amadinda Percussion Group and has remained its artistic director to this day. He has also appeared as a soloist and conductor, having performed and recorded with Peter Eötvös, András Schiff and Bruno Canino. He was a founding member and principal timpanist of the Budapest Festival Orchestra between 1992 and 1996, and member of the artistic advisory board of the Budapest Spring Festival from 1997 to 2005.
Since 2006 Zoltán Rácz has served as music director for Hungary's leading contemporary music group, the UMZE Chamber Ensemble. As conductor of the ensemble he has appeared at numerous festivals in Europe and Hungary. He is the artistic director of the annual Hommage à Ligeti concert series of the Palace of Arts Budapest and professor at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music since 1990.
In 2002 Zoltán Rácz received the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Award by the French Minister of Culture and Communication.
Zoltán Váczi
Born into a family of musicians in Budapest in 1960, Zoltán Váczi studied music at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music and percussion at the Ferenc Liszt College of Music between 1975 and 1984. Together with Zoltán Rácz, Váczi is a founding member of Amadinda Percussion Group.
In the early 1990's, Zoltán Váczi and Aurél Holló started a series of pieces for percussion instruments with the purpose of connecting the traditional high cultures of percussion with the most outstanding musical trends of the 20th century; recognizing, adopting, retaining and further developing musical achievements. Titled beFORe JOHN, the series include nine compositions of which eight have been completed to date.
Aurél Holló
Aurél Holló was born 1966 in Mór, Hungary. He studied percissuion and composition at the Music Conservatory in Győr between 1980 and 1984, and graduated the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in 1992.
Holló became a member of Amadinda Percussion Group in 1991 and has taught at the Béla Bartók Conservatory since 1996.
Many of his projects include the composition series beFORe JOHN, together with Zoltán Vácz, collaborations with guitarist Gábor Olgyay and the UMZE Chamber Ensemble, and arranging classical and jazz transcriptions for Amadinda Percussion Group. Aurél Holló also gave master classes (Chamber Music for Percussion) at the International Bartók Seminar in Szombathely, Hungary.
Károly Bojtos
Born in Hungary in 1962, Károly Bojtos began his musical studies in classical percussion with Oszkár Balázs in Budapest and went on to study with Oszkár Schwartz at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Music. As his fellow band members, Bojtos also graduated at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music in 1985. His professor at the Music Academy was Ferenc Petz.
Károly Bojtos is a founding member of Amadinda and the leader of the group's instrument development and research program. From 1992 to 1999 he also performed with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and has had regular appearances with the UMZE Chamber Ensemble.
Since 2002, Bojtos has been teaching percussion at the Dunaharaszti Elementary Art School in Hungary.
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