Two special events of the festival Klassiek op het Amstelveld, supported by the Embassy of Hungary, took place on 17 September in Amsterdam. In the framework of the Embassy’s Zoltán Kodály-season - dedicated to the the Hungarian composer and music ethnologist who is internationally acknowledged for his outstanding music education method, a workshop and a closing concert was carried out, both conducted by Mr. László Norbert Nemes, choral conductor and director of the Kodály Institute of the Hungarian Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.
Klassiek op het Amstelveld is an annual Amsterdam based music festival that has been held every year since 2013. It celebrated its fifth jubilee this year, with a three-day event focused on young people and classical music. On the third day of the festival, on Sunday 17 September, music education received special attention. In the program entitled "Hand in Hand with the Maestro" László Norbert Nemes held a workshop. In the afternoon, young people aged 9 to 15 could attend and experience how to sing with the greatest youth choirs in the Netherlands. Next to children who signed up for the workshop, the Netherlands Childrens Choir participated. On the spot, the "newly formed" choir amazed the audience, consisting mainly of music teachers, musicians and parents of young people, with polyphonic songs.
The closing concert of the festival took place in the evening at which Krisztina Varga, Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Hungary welcomed the audience. During the one hour concert, conducted by Mr. László Norbert Nemes, Swedish, Estonian, Lithuanian and Hungarian songs were sung by the Netherlands Female Youth Choir and the Netherlands Mixed Youth Choir. The pieces by Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók were performed in Hungarian, and especially the closing song by Zoltán Kodály, "Esti dal" was a great success. The organizer of the festival, Ms. Tatiana Chevtchouk, thanked the Embassy for the support at the end of the closing concert and expressed her sincere thanks for the excellent cooperation.
