Péter Árendás

Born: 1969, Dorog

Academic degree, university position: senior lecturer

Subjects: folk viola (main subject), folk string chamber music

Studies:

1992: diploma – Teacher Training College of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) – Singing-music-choir conducting major

2003: diploma – Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music – Singing and music teacher complementary degree with honors

Teaching activities:

1992-1998: teacher at Novus Secondary School in Ferencváros

1997-2007: teacher of musicology, music history and folk music in the children’s dance instructor training program of ELTE Teacher Training College

1997-2000: teacher at the Bratislava Faculty of the Hungarian Dance Academy

Since the 2007/2008 academic year: lecturer and program leader at the Folk Strings Program of Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

He has given lectures at various folk music courses: Jászberény Folk Dance Camp, C-category courses in Szeged and Budafok, folk dance instructor training courses of the Hungarian Institute for Culture; furthermore, he has taught for many years in Upper Hungary and Vojvodina.

Major concerts, orchestral membership, recordings:

In 1986 he founded the Tükrös Folk Music Ensemble, which has published several solo albums since its establishment. In addition to numerous performances through Hungary and Europe, the Tükrös folk band also made three successful tours in Australia and two in the USA. Their regular summer program is the Tükrös Folk Music and Dance Camp held annually. Their album “Our Mezőség” won the Fonogram Award for best Authentic Hungarian Folk Music in 2010.

From 1993 to 2012 he was a member, and from 2011 the music director of the Budapest Dance Ensemble, later to be merged into the Honvéd Dance Theatre. The company has been touring in various European countries, as well as in Japan, North-America, Mexico and China. He is associated with the musical arrangement and choreography of several performances (Magyar Rapszódia - 2001; Kalotaszeg - 2002; Szatmár - 2003; Csárdás! A Kelet Tangója - 2005; Monarchia - 2007; Mezőség - 2008, A Tenkes kapitánya - 2009; Táncoló tavasz - 2012).

He is also a member of the Gázsa Band, made up of musicians from the Budapest Dance Ensemble, which released several CDs and has been featured in the incidental music of theatre plays and films. Besides their albums “Budapesttől Kommandóig” (From Budapest to Commando) and “Örkőiek Budapesten” (The People from Örkő in Budapest), they also recorded the audio material of their highly successful concert held in the Voice of America Auditorium in Washington DC during their 2004 North American tour.

Professional activities, major publications:

Since 1986 he has regularly made folk music research and collecting primarily in Transylvania and Szabolcs-Szatmár county.

1997-2001: as a staff member of the “Last Hour” folk music collecting program at the Fonó Buda Music House, he not only participated in the collection but was also responsible for the systematization, categorization and follow-up listing of the nearly 1200 CDs of recorded material. He was also one of the series editors of the Új Pátria publications made from the collected material. He has been the musical director of a dozen folk music albums. He is a regular contributor at Folkmagazin, and he has a permanent show in Bartók Radio titled “Folk Music from Home”.

Since 1998 he has been the musical director of the National Dance House Festival and Fair, and the Dance House-Folk Music CD series.

Folk Music Publications:

1991: Folk Music from Bonchida

1992: Folk Music from Vajdaszentivány

1993: Legényes from Kalotaszeg

2004: Collection of Hungarian Folk Melodies – Viola section (2004)

2013: Folk Music from Magyarpalatka

2014: Wedding Song from Szék

He regularly gives lectures at continuation courses offered by the Hungarian Heritage House. He has revised several books, compiled the intermediate-level folk viola curriculum at the request of the Ministry of Culture and Public Education, and he is a member of the examination board of the Office of Education responsible for the preparation of high school graduation topics. He is a member of the board granting the "Young Master of Folk Art" and the “Master of Folk Art” state awards.

Furthermore, he is a regular jury member at national folk music and folk dance competitions.

Awards and honors:

2000: Gold certificate of the Hungarian Academy of Arts for the album “Folk Music of Szatmár from the 1900s” released with the Tükrös Ensemble

2001:  "Young Master of Folk Art"

2010: Fonogram Award with the Tükrös Ensemble

2012: Silver Cross of Merit of Hungary

Contact:

arendasp@freemail.hu