Szilárd S. Albert (violin)
I’ve started my music studies at the age of six, in my hometown, Cluj-Napoca, at the Sigismund Toduță Music School.
As a teenager, I formed a band with my classmate and several musician friends from the school and as an accompanying band of the Bogáncs Folk Dance Ensemble in Cluj, we deepened our knowledge of Transylvanian folk music under the direction of Csongor Könczei.
Later I became the first violinist of the Zurbolo Dance Ensemble’s band. With this band we visited the settlements of Kalotaszeg, the Transylvanian Mezőség, Aranyosszék and he area of Kis-Küküllő, where we were lucky enough to learn from traditionalist folk musicians who were still alive at that time.
As a classical and folk musician, I have been collaborated with and been a member of several bands and formations. Currently I am active as an artist as well as a teacher in both styles. I have been a member of the Naszály Band since the summer of 2019.
Balázs Horváth (first violin)
My folk music studies started at a young age. My dad introduced me to the violin before I started music school. This was decisive for my later professional career.
During my elementary school years, I studied classical violin, which helped me to know and handle my instrument a lot, but folk music was always closer to my heart.
From 2011 I continued my studies at the Tibor Pikéthy Secondary School of Music in Vác. In 2013, I founded my first band here, the Naszály Band. During this period, I got even closer to folk music, me and my groupmates encouraged each other to move forward.
During my four-year conservatory studies, I’ve participated twice in the National Secondary Schools’ Folk Music Competition. I achieved second place in 2012 and first place in 2015. I owe this success to my teachers at the time, Beáta Salamon, Csaba Blaskó, Zoltán Bobár and András Szabó.
In 2015, I was admitted to the Department of Folk Music at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where I study folk violin and folk viola. My teachers are Péter Árendás, Zsolt Nagy, András Jánosi, Balázs Vizeli, Tamás Gombai and Csaba Ökrös.
In the summer of 2019, I achieved third place on the 2nd First Violinist Competition of Kalotaszeg, and first place on the 7th First Violinist Competition of Kecskemét.
Until this time, I have been involved in several bands’ publications and have been active member of several other bands (e.g.: Bajkó Band, Folkkvartett). I regularly play in “Táncház” parties in Budapest, both with my own band and as a guest musician with other bands. I think these occasions are helping me to develop professionally as a musician.
I have plans for the Naszály Band to release its’ own record soon.
Eszter Somogyi (vocal)
I have been involved with music since my childhood. At the age of 7, I started learning piano at the Aladár Tóth Music School in Budapest, where I was a student for 12 years.
At the same time as my piano studies, I started dancing at the Prima Primissima Award-winning Art School of János Bihari Dance Ensemble. Since 2013 I have been a member of the adult dance group.
Following my secondary school studies, I was admitted to the Faculty of Humanities at Loránd Eötvös University to the Solfege and Choral-conducting Department, where I graduated in 2015.
In the last year of my studies at Loránd Eötvös University, I became a student of the Folk Singing Department of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where in 2018, I obtained my Folk Singer – Performer degree.
Gergely Sulák (violas)
I’ve started my music studies in my first years of primary school in Szandaszőlős, under the supervision of Gabriella Juhászné Antal. Not only did she introduce me to Hungarian folk music,but she also made me love it.
It was thanks to this love and enthusiasm that I applied to Tibor Pikéthy Secondary School of Music in Vác and I was very pleased when I could have started my studies there. There I was able to progress professionally as a student of Zoltán Bobár, András Szabó and Márton Fekete. As a result, in 2015, on the 4th László Lajtha National Folk Music Competition I was awarded first place.
In 2016, I was admitted to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where I study folk viola and folk double bass. My teachers here are Péter Árendás, Róbert Doór and Zsolt Nagy. Since 2013 I have been playing viola in the Naszály Band, of which I am a co-founding member. It has been a defining point in my life ever since.
Péter Czaier (double bass)
“Always give” – along this value I began to learn folk music, in order to pass this tradition on to anyone who has an ‘ear’ to it.
At the age of 9 I was learning on hurdy-gurdy and then, under the influence of my teacher, Pál Havasréti, I started to learn on double bass, which is my main instrument ever since. My masters besides Pál Havasréti are Albert Mohácsy and Csaba Fervágner. My university studies are also related to folk music, here, at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, I am studying folk double bass from István Bíró.
As members of the Naszály Band, not only music connects us, but our everyday relationships, our friendships too. That is how we can grow and be better musicians, better humans and that’s how we can give value to each other and to the audience.
Márton Gólya (hammered dulcimer)
I was born on April 28, 1993 in Budapest. I got to know music through my father. I started learning cimbalom from Balázs Unger in Tura in 2002.
I continued my studies in music at Vác at Tibor Pikéthy Secondary School of Music under the supervision of Kálmán Balogh. In parallel, I also took private lessons from Tódor Vaskó, Kálmán Balogh’s cousin.
In 2013 I was admitted to the Folk Cimbalom department of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, where I received my Ba degree. I gained many experiences with my excellent teachers (Kálmán Balogh, Dániel Szabó) during my studies at the Music Academy.
On several occasions I was lucky enough to perform on stage with the Harghita National Szekler Folk Ensemble. I attended twice the Transylvanian First Violinist’s Meeting and the Transylvanian Professional Folk Dance Ensemble’s Meeting.
It was a great experience for me so far, that on the summer of 2016 I could stand and play on the same stage with Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra.
In 2017, I’ve got awarded with a prize in the “Felszállott a Páva” Hungarian Folk Music TV Talent show in the “Instrumental Soloists and Orchestras” category and shortly thereafter, in 2018, I received the Trnava County’s Individuality and Pro Traditione Awards from the local Council.
I am currently studying at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music’s “folk cimbalom and tambourine teacher” department and I also teach folk cimbalom for beginners at the Music School of Martonvásár.