The Music of Gypsy Migration from India to Europe

Antal Máté Kovács and Zsolt Noé Balogh tell the story of the migration of the Gypsy people in this interactive and educational musical presentation. They present the history, music, and musical instruments of the peoples and cultures affected by the gypsy migration that began in present-day India, and they also teach songs and demonstrate the basics of playing the mouth organ. They will also reveal the differences and similarities between Hungarian Gypsy music and that of other areas. They will also teach us about the instruments they use.

One of Hungary’s most prominent percussionists, Antal Máté Kovács is a member of numerous bands, with whom he sometimes also plays guitar. Born into a Oláh Gypsy family, his grandfather Gojma was one of the most famous singers and dancers of his time. His father, Antal Kovács, is a superb guitarist and singer/songwriter. He started in the Ando Drom band with his father and then formed his own band, Romano Drom, which Máté joined on percussion at the age of 14.  

Zsolt Noé Balogh is a guitarist and singer/songwriter. He too grew up surrounded by music and dance, an environment fostered by his Gypsy dance teacher father, Zsolt Balogh. With his primary focus on preserving traditions, he has been playing music since the age of 15 as a member or guest musician of numerous bands. After starting out with Gitana, he later joined the Szilvási Gipsy Folk Band and, subsquently, Le rom. Also a member of Speranta and Baxtale, he keeps active as a soloist, while also playing as a guest with Mónika Lakatos and the Gypsy Voices, Kalyi Jag, the Khamoro Budapest Band, Kálmán Balogh and Romano Kokalo, Parno Graszt and Romano Drom, among many others.

This program is held in Hungarian.