The Kölcsey Choir (Debrecen, Hungary) was founded in the spring of 1979 from secondary school students. Since then the choir has been conducted by László Tamási. Their main purpose is to interpret contemporary music as well as that of the bygone ages at high level, while establishing a close connection among the members of the choir. Since the foundation of the choir several university students, teachers and other professionals have joined them. The choir regularly have concerts home and abroad. Their competition results, tours and records make them known all overEurope.
1st– 3rd prizes in Debrecen, Pécs, Budapest, Celje, Llangollen, Neuruppin, Gorizia, Neuchatel, Csáb, Slovakia. Numerous festivals and concert tours: Hungary,Slovakia (Galánta, Kolony, Komárom, Csáb, Pozsony), Romania (Székelyudvarhely, Kolozsvár), Spain (Barcelona), France (Marseilles, St.Maximin, Flayosc, St.Julien le Montagnier, La Bouilladisse, Nans les Pins, Cuges, Chateaudouble,), Italy (Atri, Loreto,Arezzo), Bulgaria , Finnland (Helsinki, Loppi), Greece (Preveza), USA (Arizona).
Their repertoire consists of pieces from the Gregorian music till contemporary music. They have undertaken the premiers of several Hungarian as well as foreign composers (Sándor Balassa, Péter Tóth, Miklós Mohai, Péter Durkó, Zoltán Kovács, Máté Hollós, Gábor Kósa, Miklós Sugár, Imre Csenki, Lajos Czövek, R. Tsalauris, Lajos Szűcs, András Zádor etc.). Significant pieces of contemporary choral music are always present in their concert programmes.
The Hungarian radio nearly every year makes recordings with them or provides the possibility of live studio concerts for the choir. The ensemble has recorded a common CD with organ artist István Ruppert. They have also published two CDs of their own, one of them is a collection of romantic choral pieces, the other contains pieces by the Hungarian contemporary composer, Péter Tóth. In 2007, Hungaroton Records have prepared the author’s record of Péter Tóth with the collaboration of the choir.
The choir has been awarded with Nivo and Eminent prizes several times. In 2000 and 2007 the choir was awarded Artisjus Prize for the interpretation of contemporary pieces. In 2000 László Tamási and the choir was awarded Pro Urbe Prize. Their qualification is Concert Choir “summa cum laude” (1999).
László Tamási – founded Kölcsey Choir in 1979. He was the official conductor of the professional Debrecen Kodály choir for five years. Since 1990 he has been employed by the Nyíregyháza Teachers’ Training College, where he teaches choir conducting choir literature. He also held sessions in the mentioned subjects as well as score reading at the Conservatoire of the DebrecenUniversity. He has had concerts all over Europe, and gave lectures as a conductor and professor in Japan and the USA
In recent years he has been awarded several prizes:
- the scholarship of the Debrecen Cultural Foundation – 2002
- the scholarship of the Foundation of the MusicAcademy – 2003
- Kölcsey Ferenc Prize – 2004
- Artisjus Prize – 2004
- KÓTA-prize – 2008
- Lajos Vass plaque – 2009
- Ferenc Liszt prize – 2010