³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ùé³¾
³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ùé³¾ is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary.Today, with 60,000 inhabitants, the city serves as the Hungry’s administrative centre. As well as offering a number of interesting attractions such as its renovated main Baroque pedestrian street, the city is also well-known for its classical music, especially its choral scene. With its long tradition of choirs and choir festivals, it boasts a multitude of amateur and professional vocal groups, including the ³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ùé³¾ City Choir and the Gizella Women’s Choir. Many children and youth orchestras exist, and given the importance music entails within local culture, every primary school in the city has its own choir that engages children in regular choral events and the musical life of the city.
What also distinguishes ³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ùé³¾ is its entrepreneurial character, highlighted through the variety of leading events, festivals and venues held in the city. As part of the annual musical itinerary, the street music festival - ³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ùé³¾Fest, is a popular event, with 100,000 visitors over the course of 3 days. This international celebration of local music fills the streets with song and promotes social participation and inclusion. The city also hosts The Vivace International Choir Festival, attracting participants from Japan to Finland to partake in a global singing competition. This event not only elevates local choirs to a global stage, but also builds international friendships that enables future musical collaborations.
Today, the city expresses its support for and commitment to investing in arts, especially music, and develop ³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ù鳾’s brand with a strong emphasis on the city’s musical heritage and creative future. By creating the Music Roundtable and allocating funds within the framework of the city’s European Capital of Culture application, the city provides a comprehensive training programme for professionals in the cultural field, ensuring the possibility of lifelong learning and professional development, keeping ³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ù鳾’s cultural sector competitive. To further support this ambition, the city also funds initiatives which explore the role of digital technology, modern methodological innovations and research.
As a Creative City of Music, ³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ùé³¾ envisages:
- developing a varied musical programme comprising international talent development platforms, cross-sectoral projects, as well as world music expos, residency programmes and artist exchanges;
- improving the access to and strengthening the dissemination of music, as well as increasing participation in cultural life, with the aim of strengthening social integration; and
- opening ³Õ±ð²õ³ú±è°ù鳾’s first centre for music as a creative incubator, studio, innovation hub and music educational facility.
