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The cimbalom is an instrument at the crossroads of various traditions. It is a cousin of the Persian santur and a descendant of the mediaeval psaltery, an instrument in the zither family. The cimbalom, which is played with two sticks, is emblematic of Roma cultures. The Hungarian Áron Horváth is one of the young, virtuoso cimbalom players. He is determined to hoist the instrument over the threshold into the 21st century. Áron began by studying traditional music. He went on to train at the Liszt Academy in Budapest, and he came into contact with jazz through the renowned saxophonist Mihály Dresch. Áron set himself the goal of promoting these diverse musical universes and bringing them together. He is one of the ECHO Rising Stars of the ’25-’26 season and will come at Bozar with his trio Intergeese (Lorinc Ágoston Mohácsy, double bass, and Zoltán Fekete, drums) to perform arrangements of works by the great Hungarian composers (Bartók, Ligeti, Kurtág). They will also present the first performance of a work by the British composer Charlotte Bray.
Áron Horváth has been named ‘Rising Star’ for the ’25-’26 season by Müpa Budapest and Konzerthaus Wien as part of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) network. During her European tour, the artist has been invited to perform at Bozar and to give a private concert for the residents of Petit-Château (refugee arrival centre), in collaboration with the Fedasil and Orfeo associations.