The Hungarian Society of Victoria, in a unique gesture of cultural pride and support for the University of Victoria, will hold a Bartók Celebratory Fundraising Dinner on September 18, 2008 at the Hungarian Cultural Centre, 476 Bay Street, Victoria to assist the School of Music with the cost of hosting the international symposium “Bartók’s String Quartets: Tradition and Legacy”, which will take place on September 19-21, 2008 at the University.
The three-day workshop (September 19-21) will provide a unique opportunity for Canadian scholars and musicians to learn from each other, and from colleagues from the USA, Israel and Hungary. The enrichment of the academic discourse by the perspectives of performers and composers will be especially valuable for all; conferences that actively involve scholars as well as performers and composers are few and far between. The two Hungarian participants are pre-eminent in their respective fields – a prominent ethnomusicologist (Judit Frigyesi) and a composer of international repute (Zoltán Jeney). A number of the North American speakers are prominent members of the music theory community; three of them have won coveted awards in the field (Jonathan Bernard, John Roeder, and Harald Krebs). Musicologist Elliott Antokoletz has published three books on Bartók, and is editor of the journal Bartók Perspectives.
Further details of the Bartók Symposium are available on the website:
http://finearts.uvic.ca/music/whats_new/bartok
Symposium participants from Hungary, Israel, and North America will be officially welcomed to Victoria in the Hungarian Cultural Centre (September 18), and in return, a taste of the three days of lectures, concerts, and workshops will be given as follows: the Lafayette String Quartet will perform a selection from Bartók’s string quartets before dinner (the delicious meal prepared by the Society’s locally renowned Hungarian chefs, Sandor & Kathy Balazs), followed by a welcoming of the eminent Hungarian composer, Mr. Zoltan Jeney to Victoria, and a discussion about Bartók’s musical legacy in Hungary. Local Hungarian clarinetist Rebecca Fischer will also perform a piece of Bartók’s music; and the colourful and lively Buzavirag Hungarian Dancers group will round out the evening with a national dance performance.
Tickets for this celebratory dinner are $25.00 and are available from Kathy Kover 383-3470 or at kafeko@shaw.ca Doors open at 6:00 p.m., Pre-Dinner Concert at 7:00 p.m., Dinner at 7:30 p.m., Program continues from 8:30 p.m.