I'm Helga 'Helka' Debreczeni-Kis:
musician, music teacher, introvert, sometimes shy, creative, trying her wings as an illustrator, learning life and wanting to constantly improve.
I found a zither on the shelf at my grandfather's place: it was old and dusty. I put it on the ground and started playing. The flow of the world congealed in a friendly way, surrounding me in a homely envelope: I set out on the path of eternal discovery. In 2017, I was a finalist in the "Fölszállott a páva" television competition. I performed in many countries, from Ireland to Kazakhstan, to Australia. In 2022, I graduated from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music majoring in zither/kobza/hurdy-gurdy/folk violin. Since then, I have been working as a music teacher.
Új Gereben
The Új Gereben ensemble has a repertoire based on Hungarian folk music, playing drifting, improvisational songs. The band was re-formed in 2018, following in the footsteps of the Gereben ensemble, which operated for more than three decades from the '70s. The special beauty of the band is the interaction, cooperation and the mutual effect of the musicians on each other, due to the generational differences. The ensemble's style is characterized by the search for the wide possibilities of playing the zither. This partners up with the koboz playing melody and chords, as well as the drum and gardon accompaniment, providing the rhythmic basis. In the concert program, Hungarian folk dance provides a special visual delicacy.
Dongo - Helka
Balázs Szokolay Dongó and Helga 'Helka' Debreczeni-Kis created a musical project, rich in improvisation, drawing on traditional, authentic folk music experiences and creating their own compositions. The essence of their music is freedom and creativity, which has a refreshing effect on their concerts again and again, just like a fresh breeze. Based on melodies from old folk music, they are also characterized by a kind of rusticity. In addition to Békés County melodies collected by Béla Bartók, who receives focused attention in the project, their program also includes melodies collected from many areas of the Carpathian Basin: from Slavonia to Ördöngösfüzes, to Moldva's bagpipe, flute, zither and vocal heritage.
ZitheRandom
Folk music melodies, ancient shamanistic rites, as well as blues and atonal rei's, which seem alien to the zither, are heard in their performances. Helga Debreczeni-Kis and Krisztián Dömény's zither improvisations - a spontaneous mixing of jazz, folk music, contemporary composition and pop music styles, in which the moment creates the fusions, the meeting of inner worlds creates dialogue, play, harmony.
Vertigo Collective
The band's basic line-up fuses the sounds of contemporary jazz and Eastern European folk music in its own compositions. The aim of the orchestra is to nurture and keep alive the tradition of Hungarian and Eastern European folk music in a creative and personal musical environment that respects the past and is not forced to make compromises at the expense of the present.
Gergely - Helka
The formation of folk musician and songwriter Helga Debreczeni-Kis and jazz saxophonist and composer Gergely Pázmándi brings to life the folk texts and melodies of our country by embedding them in modern harmonies and soundscapes, thus creating a musical world that respects traditions, but is also viable in today's musical market. Helga's expertise ensures the correct and tasteful use of Bartók's folk songs, while Gergely brings the quality and functionality of the arrangements and their adequate integration with authentic folk music colors.