Infrastructural development of the Institute
The Kodály anniversary event in Kecskemét was organized at the Kodály Institute on 16 December.
Dr Andrea Vigh, rector of the Liszt Ferenc University of Music and Klaudia Szemerey-Pataki, mayor of the town, announced the launch of the Institute's infrastructural development and expansion project.
On the occasion of the 135th anniversary of the birth of Zoltán Kodály, Andrea Vigh said: at the Kecskemét Institute, as a result of the development, it will be possible to increase the number of students, also by providing the standard of education that meets international expectations.
The investment involves three properties in Kecskemét: the old monastery building of the Institute in the property management of the Liszt Academy, the expansion of the building that is now used jointly by the Kodály Institute and the Kada Elek Secondary School, and the adjacent Kada Elek Secondary School building.
At the first stage of the investment, plans include the modernization of the monastery building under the protection of the monuments and the expansion and development of education and research facilities. After the construction of a new building in the former secondary vocational school building, the complete renovation of the wing and the 'Kodály Garden' surrounded by the buildings will be realized with a concert hall suitable for 250-300 people. There will be a new dormitory to accommodate 100 students, as well as the storage facilities for the library and the archive.
The rector emphasized the importance of the special attention given to the Kodály Institute, at the time of the double Kodály anniversary. With the help of the 4.2 billion forints development the Institute can become "the citadel of music education based on the Kodály method". Thanks to the modernization, the Institute becomes suitable for organizing internationally prestigious workshops, summer courses, and preserving the composer and musician's intellectual heritage, safeguarding and researching his oeuvre.
László Nemes, director of the Kodály Institute, emphasized: the Institute has been the theoretical and practical training center for international music pedagogy hallmarked by Zoltán Kodály for decades. As he said, the uninterrupted interest in their programmes is reflected in the number of their students, as more and more people have been entering their institution for ten years. This justifies the infrastructural development of the Institute.
The director also pointed out that one of the most important events of the coming months of the Kodály memorial year is the creation of the National Youth Choir in Kecskemét. The special ensemble will be called together in July as part of a choir camp and a tour of five concerts. The closing concert of the tour will be the closing event of the Kodály Art Festival in Kecskemét.
Klaudia Szemerey-Pataki, mayor of Kecskemét, said in the ceremony that the greatest and most valuable act of Zoltán Kodály, who was born in Kecskemét, was that he raised Hungarian music education and, consequently, Kecskemét, to an international level. His legacy is preserved, nurtured and cared for by many art workshops today, spread beyond our borders.
At the ceremony, Zsolt Jámbor, conductor and music pedagogue, was awarded the Zoltán Kodály Prize in Kecskemét for his decades of music tutoring. It was followed by a concert given by the Kodály Zoltán Daloskör from Galánta and the students of the Kodály Institute. At the end of the anniversary event, there was a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument of Psalmus Hungaricus near the Institute. (Source: MTI)