Debrecen4U
June 8, 2026
Tomorrow’s Guitar Heroes and Pop Divas Perform for Their Degrees in Debrecen
On 4 June, the first graduating class of the Contemporary Popular Music Bachelor’s programme at the University of Debrecen’s Institute of Popular Music concluded their studies with a large-scale final examination concert, as reported by to unideb.hu.
At the first graduation concert in the history of this nationally significant programme, the seventeen students performed for their degrees at the oDEon University Theatre, showcasing exceptional instrumental and vocal talent.
In his opening address before the concert, Rector Zoltán Bács described the launch of the programme and its integration into the university’s academic portfolio as a unique success story. He thanked all lecturers and university leaders whose work laid the foundations that enabled the students to sit their final examination at the oDEon. “In 2017, the leadership of the University of Debrecen developed the vision that, alongside our traditionally strong music education programmes, popular music should also find its place within higher education. The programme has become a model project on a national scale, and we can therefore rightly refer to ourselves as the first Hungarian higher education institution to offer a university-level degree programme in popular music,” he said.
Péter Lakatos, Dean of the Faculty of Music at the University of Debrecen, stated that this was a long-awaited moment, as the university had spent many years planning the launch of the programme and the time had now come for the first cohort to perform for the award of their degrees.
In his welcome address, Kálmán Kapusi, Director of the University of Debrecen’s Institute of Popular Music, explained that the programme had exceeded all expectations in achieving its goal of producing a greater number of professional musicians. He added that the graduation concert was both a celebration and an important historic milestone in the life of the university.
A photo gallery from the examination concert can be viewed at unideb.hu.
Source: dehir.hu | Photo credit: Pixabay
