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ABOUT US
ABOUT US
2026 PERFORMERS
Featured Artists
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Endre Balogh
San Francisco Bay Area
Endre Balogh is a woodwind instructor at a music school. Since 2020, he has been teaching in the Kennedy Middle School music program. Additionally, as a music educator, he has earned various teaching awards, received an invitation to present at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., and collaborated with Herbie Hancock. Through this connection, he had the opportunity to work with many local and international musicians.
ISTVÁN BERECZ
Hungary
As the son of the world famous Hungarian folk singer and storyteller András Berecz, István’s interests towards Hungarian folklore are grounded in his early childhood. He improved his folk dance skills in various dance ensembles, under the patronage of the best old dance masters from the Carpathian Basin’s remote regions, where folk traditions are still alive. He won the Golden Spur award – the highest acknowledgement for Hungarian folk dancers – three times, thus becoming a Gold Spurer for life. He was chosen as “Hungary’s best male folk dancer” in 2009. He won the first season of the “Fölszállott a Páva” Hungarian folk talent show in the solo dancer category in 2012, and was later invited to be on the judge panel. He was delegated to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival of Washington DC in 2013. Currently he is the folk art director of the “Womex Top Label”-awarded Fonó Music Hall. He has also worked as a choreographer for the National Theatre.
Ilka Dajka
Hungary
Since childhood, she has been closely surrounded by the diverse world of Hungarian folk culture. Folk dance has been an integral part of her life for almost 20 years. She graduated in 2009 in Nyíregyháza. During her years of study there, she acquired the basics of the uniquely rich singing, music, and dance culture of the Carpathian Basin, and it was there that she became more deeply acquainted with traditions and the rich heritage of folk culture.
She was later able to take this knowledge to an even higher level during her 10-year professional dancing career with the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble led by Zoltán Zsuráfszky. As a soloist of the ensemble, she was awarded the Hungarian Bronze Cross of Merit in 2019 and the Golden Pearl Dancer Award in 2022.
The most important principle throughout her career so far has been to contribute—at the highest possible level—to the preservation and continuation of her culture, using all the knowledge she has acquired. This September, she will have the opportunity to support the Hungarian community in San Francisco and to carry out meaningful work far from her homeland.
Krisztián Dömény
Hungary
Krisztián Dömény – known as xTian – is a Hungarian zither artist redefining the boundaries of his instrument. Instead of traditional folk, he brings the zither into a whole new world with hip-hop covers, cinematic soundtracks, and live improvisations, powered by a looper pedal.
His unique style has been rapidly gaining traction across Hungary: his TikTok videos surpassed 800,000 views last year, and he caught the attention of one of the country’s top artists, DESH.
This led to performances at iconic venues like Budapest Park and the MVM Dome—bringing the sound of the zither to some of the biggest stages in the country.
Now, he’s making his way to the United States. For the first time on the West Coast, audiences will experience hip-hop like never before—performed on the zither.
Judit Fischer
San Francisco Bay Area
Judit Fischer is a native Hungarian singer and music lover who has received classical training and has been performing for more than 10 years at Hungarian events in the Bay Area. She enjoys experimenting with different genres, including classical, folk, blues and pop music. Judit is available for booking at judit.fischer@live.ca or at 408-705-7326.
DIANA PRAY
San Francisco Bay Area
Soprano Diana Pray specializes in early, Baroque, and modern music, making her Bay Area singing career with companies including the American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Francisco Opera, Volti, and sfSound.
She is happy to perform at the Hungarian Heritage Festival for a third year and thanks its organizers, and all Bay Area Hungarian groups and performers, for countless opportunities to live her heritage through music.
CROSSROADS BAND
San Francisco Bay Area
Crossroads Band is a cover band based in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in Hungarian pop-rock music from the 1980s and 1990s, with a special love for contemporary hits from the past decade. Their repertoire ranges from high-energy pop and rock performances to more intimate interpretations of sung poetry and creative arrangements of traditional Hungarian folk songs, reflecting both their cultural roots and their desire to connect cultures through music.
The band has performed at Hungarian cultural events throughout the Bay Area, as well as in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and on the island of Oʻahu — including a special performance at Waikīkī Beach — bringing Hungarian music and atmosphere to diverse audiences across the United States.
ESZTERLÁNC HUNGARIAN FOLK ENSEMBLE
San Francisco Bay Area
The Eszterlanc Hungarian Folk Ensemble is a performing group based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our mission is to promote and present traditional Hungarian folk dances and to preserve the history of Hungarian folk culture in all its forms.
The dance group has been celebrating and showcasing Hungarian folk culture in the Bay Area since 1977 through presentations to the Hungarian community and the general public.
The Ensemble consists of twenty to forty adults ranging from age 14 and up. Most are of Hungarian heritage, although membership has never been limited to those with Hungarian backgrounds. The dancers receive their training in the Ensemble as well as from guest teachers and at workshops statewide.
The community served by Eszterlanc is vast, as appearances include international festivals, social events, patriotic holidays, and ethnic events. The Hungarian community alone, the group's most supportive audience, numbers in the tens of thousands in California.
FIRST CALIFORNIA HUSSAR REGIMENT
San Francisco, Bay Area
This equestrian organization was established in 2000 in Los Gatos, CA.
Educate the public about the interwoven history of the US and Hungary:
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In 1776, a Hungarian Hussar officer established and trained the US Cavalry for George Washington.
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Hungarian soldiers participated in the American Revolution for Independence and the Civil War.
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Americans helped to preserve Hungarian National Treasures during WWII.
Enjoy by providing colorful entertainment for the public and providing lessons to young people who learn about the equestrian heritage and all the associated skills.
Anyone can become a Hussar (riding or none riding) by joining the First California Hussar Regiment by following the information below: www.californiahussars.com
FORRÁS HUNGARIAN FOLK BAND
Vancouver, Canada
Forrás Banda (pronounced: FOUR-rahsh BUN-duh) was formed in 1997. Since then it has grown to become a driving force in the Hungarian folk scene in North America. The ensemble plays traditional village music from Central Europe and its members have regularly studied with master musicians in Hungary and Transylvania.
Forrás Banda’s performances are both entertaining and educational as the players present the traditional lifestyle and work of the peasant musician. They have a broad repertoire accompanying dance troops, presenting musical concerts and the traditional Táncház (Hungarian folk dance parties).
Forrás Banda prides itself in the authenticity of its music. Their work focuses on the acquisition, preservation and presentation of their Hungarian musical heritage. Their repertoire also includes music of Romanian and Romani origin but particularly focuses on music from Transylvania. They play stringed instruments such as violin, a modified viola called the kontra and double bass.
Forrás Banda also plays more unique instruments such as the cimbalom (hammered dulcimer), furulya (shepherd’s flutes), duda (bagpipes), ütőgardon (percussive cello), tapán (moldavian drum), koboz (moldavian lute) and tambura (tamburica).
Residing in Vancouver and Seattle the band performs regularly entertaining audiences across Canada and the US.
Harangvirág Playhouse
San Francisco, Bay Area
A group of enthusiastic and energetic Hungarians established Harangvirág Játszóház to bring together Hungarian children and their families living in the San Francisco Bay area and enrich their cultural experience by bringing to life Hungarian folk stories in our puppet shows, learning more about our rich Hungarian folk world through stories, songs and children plays, getting created at our crafting table, learning Hungarian crafts.
HRÚZ BROTHERS OF DŰVŐ BAND
Hungary
Dénes Hrúz and Szabolcs Hrúz, founding members of the renowned Hungarian folk band Dűvő, will perform at the festival in a special guest appearance. The ensemble was founded in 1979 and has been performing as an independent group since 1981. Its repertoire reflects the rich folk music traditions of the various ethnic communities of the Carpathian Basin.
Alongside their concert activity, the musicians have been actively involved in collecting, preserving, and teaching traditional folk music. Over the decades, Dűvő has been a regular participant at prestigious festivals in Hungary and has introduced international audiences to the musical heritage of the region through performances and workshops across Europe, in the United States and in Canada.
The ensemble received one of Hungary’s most distinguished recognitions, the Young Master of Folk Art title, in 1983, and has twice been awarded the distinction Outstanding Ensemble. Their artistic work has also been honored with the Imre Madách Prize by the Municipality of Nógrád County, as well as the Pro Arte and Pro Urbe awards from the city of Salgótarján.
At this festival, audiences will have the opportunity to hear the Hrúz brothers in a special performance that highlights their decades-long dedication to authentic folk traditions.
KÁRPÁTOK HUNGARIAN FOLK ENSEMBLE
Los Angeles
Kárpátok Hungarian Folk Ensemble of Los Angeles was founded in 1965 by a group of young Hungarian immigrants wishing to preserve their heritage. The ensemble is a lasting legacy of the 1956 generation in LA. The name “Kárpátok”, after the Carpathian Mountains, was chosen as a symbol of greater Hungary and the ensemble’s repertoire includes examples from all three dance dialects: Transdanubia, the Great Hungarian Plains and Transylvania. Through the years, more than 500 members have participated in Kárpátok. This figure becomes even more significant when one realizes that no member receives any monetary benefits.
Kárpátok Hungarian Folk Ensemble was celebrating its 55thAnniversary in 2020, days before the start of the shut-down. After a 400 day break caused by the pandemic the group started rehearsing and performing again a year ago. Their artistic work and mission were made possible by the financial support of the Hungarian Government through the Bethlen Gábor and the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Programs.
Kennedy Middle School Symphonic Band
San Francisco Bay Area
The Kennedy Middle School music program is a multi-award-winning program.
It has received unanimous superior and first-place ratings from the California Music Education Association (CMEA) and at various music festivals, including the Sequoia Music Festival.
In recent years, advanced Kennedy musicians have been invited to perform at the Caltrain electric vehicle ceremony in Redwood City and have opened the Veterans Day Parade for the past three years.
MAZSOLA HUNGARIAN CHILDREN’S FOLKDANCE ENSEMBLE
San Francisco Bay Area
Mazsola Hungarian Children’s Folkdance Ensemble was founded in 2007 in Hayward, CA.
The ensemble’s mission is to enrich the lives of children from all ethnic backgrounds by introducing them to Hungarian folk culture through dance, music, and folklore with the goal of preserving and passing on the Hungarian heritage.
Mazsola
Kennedy
Endre Balogh
István Berecz
Ilka Dajka
Krisztián Dömény
Judit Fischer
Diana Pray
Crossroads
Eszterlánc
Hussars
Forrás
Harangvirág
Hrúz Brothers
Kárpátok
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