The Hungarian Radio Choir celebrated its 75th anniversary with a large-scale jubilee concert at Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in the evening of 24th September 2025. Prior to the performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Paulus”, the Artist of the Season Awards were presented: this year horn player Dávid Fretyán and tenor section leader Lajos Sándor Fodré received this artistic recognition.
The Choir of the Hungarian National Radio celebrated its 75th anniversary with one of the most significant Romantic oratorios enriched with lyrical arias, chorales, and grand choral movements: Felix Mendelssohn’s “Paulus”. The concert, held in the evening of 24th September 2025 in Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music’s Grand Hall, featured the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Hungarian Radio Children’s Choir, with the Children’s Choir conducted by János Kovács.
In addition to the audience’s appreciation of the performance, the solemnity of the anniversary was further enhanced by an award ceremony, where the Artist of the Season Awards were presented in recognition of high-quality artistic work of music. In line with the tradition, these awards are presented each year to one choir member and one orchestra member from among the musical artists of the Hungarian Radio Art Groups.
At the beginning of the concert, horn player Dávid Fretyán and tenor section leader Lajos Sándor Fodré received their awards from Hungarian Radio Art Groups’ CEO Barbara Dr. Molnarne Szunyi. Dávid Fretyán began his musical studies in Békéscsaba, and completed his studies at the Conservatory in Debrecen (Hungary), where he was a student of Péter Győrfi. In 2016 he graduated from Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music as a student of Zoltán Varga, and has been a much-valued horn player with the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra since January 2015. He has won several competitions and is now also the winner of the Orchestral Artist of the Season Award. Having majored in choir conducting Lajos Sándor Fodré graduated in Debrecen (Hungary) in 2001. Then he joined the Hungarian Radio Choir in 2002, when Kálmán Strausz was the conductor of the Choir. From 2006 to the present day, Lajos Sándor Fodré has been the leader of the tenor section and has now also won the Orchestral Artist of the Season Award.
“An award that you receive from your colleagues, the people you work with every day, is one of the greatest recognitions an artist can receive,” Musical Director of Hungarian Radio Art Groups Domonkos Héja explained in Hungarian national Kossuth Radio’s programme entitled “Kalendárium” prior to the jubilee concert.
Recently, the life of Hungarian Radio Art Groups has been enriched by several anniversary events: the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra celebrated its 80th birthday in 2023, the Hungarian Radio Children’s Choir turned 70 last year, and this season the Hungarian Radio Choir is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a series of anniversary concerts performed by the Art Groups.