Debrecen4U July 23, 2025

The Zoltán Kodály World Youth Orchestra was founded in Debrecen

The 24th International Summer Academy of Young Musicians has come to an end, and as the highlight of the event, the Kodály Zoltán World Youth Orchestra was founded under the baton of conductor Zoltán Bolyky.

The organisers announced in their announcement. The young artists gave an unforgettable concert in Debrecen, Budapest, and Vienna on their international, three-stop tour.

More than two hundred students from twenty-four countries applied for the International Summer Academy of Young Musicians this year, where 38 professors taught the students in 22 different instrumental and vocal master classes.

In addition to the lecturers of the Faculty of Music of the University of Debrecen, artists also arrived from Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, and Denmark. There were students from many European countries, but also from China, the United States, and even Malaysia.

The number of participants broke a record, and the two-week series of events has never had as many people as this year.

This year, more than eighty young people participated in the work of the Kodály Zoltán World Youth Orchestra, who mastered and then performed the musical works under the baton of Zoltán Bolyky.

Huge ovations, full houses, and enthusiastic reception accompanied the performances of the Kodály Zoltán World Youth Orchestra at the Kölcsey Center in Debrecen, the Pesti Vigadó, and the Das Muth stage in Vienna. Deputy Mayor of Debrecen István Puskás praised the event at the opening concert of the tour:

“Year after year, young musical talents come to the Faculty of Music to get acquainted with Hungarian musical culture at the master classes, thanks to the excellent Hungarian and invited guest professors. Wonderful talents and wonderful young artists came to our city to show their talent,” he explained.

Conductor of the World Orchestra, Zoltán Bolyky emphasised in connection with the concerts, “It was not easy to put down the conductor’s baton in Vienna after the last chord, knowing that this excellently formed orchestra would probably never play together again in this lineup.”

The intellectual and professional director and artistic director of the International Summer Academy of Young Musicians, Judit Váradi, highlighted that the event tries to give something new to young people every year.

This is the only summer academy that entices young artists who want to learn with additional courses.

“The summer academy has grown into one of the most significant events not only of the faculty but also of classical music education in Hungary. The high number of applicants clearly shows how great the need is for this summer masterclass. For our students, the greatest experience is playing in a symphony orchestra, which they have relatively few opportunities to do during their studies. The success of this year’s event contributed to increasing the prestige of the Summer Academy of Young Musicians and to the series’ growing prestige both domestically and internationally,” she said.

The artistic director also highlighted that the Vienna concert was honored with a report by the Hungarian Ambassador to Vienna, Edit Szilágyiné Bátorfi.

The announcement concludes that the work of the Kodály Zoltán World Youth Orchestra was supported by many people, from the rehearsal process to the realisation of the concerts. The concertmaster of the World Orchestra, Orsolya Bogáti-Bokor, assisted the string players; percussionist István Szabó coordinated the work of the percussionists, while conductor Andrea Daru assisted in the preparation of the wind players.

Source and photo credit:dehir.hu