Holy Trinity Church Hall, London NW3

Two reports (Ilona Kovács, Brian Hurwitz) and the full programme

The first workshop of this academic year didn't begin with a good omen: the entire Jubilee Line was shut down on that Saturday. A lot of people were missing at the time of the announced beginning and the audience was able to hear the first piece, the last movement of a Piano Trio by Beethoven, almost one hour later.

After this introduction began the real workshop feature. At first, two choral works by Béla Bartók were conducted by Ágnes Kõry, the founder and teacher of the BBCM. It was a real little miracle to hear these choruses sung in Hungarian by mostly English pupils. They aren't easy to perform: not only are the single notes very difficult but also the musical meaning. I have to praise the members of the adult and teenage classes because they were faithful to the school's motto ("only from the clear spring"): they sang clearly, their intonation was perfect.

It is impossible to list all of the pieces we heard on that Saturday but I have to mention at least two other ones, which caught my attention. One of them is from Bicinia Hungarica (no. 3) by Zoltán Kodály. This work is a much slighter piece than Bartók's but in this performance the 7-10 year-old pupils created fine effects: the inner voices of the accompaniment were distributed between the younger participants and the rest sang the melody while they also attempted to play the lower part on their respective instruments (violin, cello, piano).

The other nice piece was a nine-part canon (three German songs were simultaneously performed). In this latter piece the BBCM students were able to display great confidence both in singing together and hearing each other. It seemed to me they could show a sort of imaginative improvisation as well, that gave the workshop a very special flavour and it was the highlight of the afternoon.

After that, the BBCM students entertained the audience with their instrumental skills. At the end of the day, everybody enjoyed the little party prepared by the parents where we tasted delicious treats. Among them was one of the famous Hungarian cookies, the so-called "Rákóczi-túrós". It was so tasty that by the time Ágnes (in honour of whom it was baked) arrived at the table, there was not even one little piece left.

Ilona Kovács
visiting music historian, Budapest

We all assembled excitedly on a rather dull day after difficult journeys, especially for those who used public transport (problems with Jubilee and Piccadily Lines). For Joshua, myself, and my mother it was the first BBCM workshop we had attended, and we were not sure what to expect. The programme looked ambitious - it was pleasing to see Agnes so busy and expectant of performance and pleasure, and we were immediately struck by the combined sense of fun and seriousness.

The beginning of the workshop was marked by a performance of a Beethoven piano trio movement, with Sui Ming and her colleagues offering a wonderful professional 'warm up' for themselves (prior to a concert that evening) and for everyone else, too. This was followed by 2 Bartók choruses, performed in sol-fa and in Hungarian by a combination of the adult and teenage classes who studied these pieces with a great deal of guidance from Agnes, and then performed them 'on the spot'.

Various contingents were a little late arriving but this did not stop first year children (4-6 years olds) performing two Kodály Nursery songs as mini-operas, and then a Kodály Nursery song (about a pony), in sol-fa and English, followed by individual renderings in Hungarian, Italian and Japanese.

The BBCM kindergarden class (2-4 years olds) sang a charming short Hungarian song about the bird and the beetle, and a Hungarian song about a duckling (in an English rendering as a lullaby). There followed the Mosquito, a Hungarian folk song - a communal item, with kindergarden children pretending to be bitten by mosquitos (in musical time) and five 7-10 years olds turning into one note each for the song.

Then Pease Pudding (English) and Ram Sam Sam (apparently Swedish) were performed by all BBCM students (partly vocally, partly instrumentally), ranging from aged 2 up to the adult class. German songs followed (minus kindergarden) in 9 parts: each song having been learnt by the classes before the workshop. It was wonderful to see - and to hear - all the children from the age of four experience 9-part singing.

Unscheduled individual and family contributions followed. The atmosphere was warming up and Agnes seemed pleased with these contributions. For example, adult class student Yumi, her daughters, May age 7 and Kay age 5 with Miteko, aged 4, and mother Miho, all sung a Japanese song called Hinamatsuri which was for Girls' Day (3 March). There were many other performances and contributions, too numerous to name.

The workshop continued for three hours and amply demonstrated Agnes' extraordinary capacity to encourage and tease out impressive musical performances by children of very different ages, backgrounds, preparedness and levels of attainment. A marvellous mix of abilities and talents enjoyed each other's music. It was memorable - so also were the magnificent hampers of food which were then unwrapped for everyone to help themselves to after the music.

Brian Hurwitz
father of BBCM newcomer Joshua, 3rd year class

Full workshop programme:

Beethoven: movement from the C Minor piano trio - adult class member pianist Sui Ming and her colleagues (prior to their evening concert).

Bartók: 2 choruses (Senkim a világon, Van egy gyűrüm karika) - first meeting of all involved (adult class and teenage class), performance in sol-fa and in Hungarian.

Kodály Nursery songs 12 and 15, performed by 1st year children (4-6 years olds) as mini-operas.

Short Hungarian song (about the bird and the beetle) attempted as a mini-opera by the BBCM kindergarden class (2-4 years olds).

Kodály Nursery song 26 (about a pony), performed by gradually arriving 1st year (4-6 years olds) in sol-fa and English, followed by individual renderings in Hungarian, Italian and Japanese.

Hungarian song about a duckling (in an English rendering as a lullaby): melody with kindergarden and first year, counter melody (composed by Lajos Bárdos) sung by 9-11 years old children from sol-fa hand-signs shown by Agnes.

Mosquito Song (Hungarian folk song): communal item, with kindergarden children pretending to be bitten by mosquitos (on musical time), five 7-10 years olds turning into one note (each) for the song, followed by communal round.

Bicinia Hungarica, No. 3: the inner voices of the accompaniment are distributed among 7-10 years old instrumentalists, others sing the melody while playing the lower part (accompaniment)

2 children songs: Pease Pudding (English) and Ram Sam Sam (possibly Swedish) put together and performed by all BBCM students (partly vocally, partly instrumentally) from age 2 to adult class.

3 German songs performed by all BBCM students (minus kindergarden) in 9 parts: each song was learnt by a class before the workshop, at the workshop each song was sung by respective classes in a three-part round.

Unscheduled individual and family contributions:

6 years old (Italian) Anna Medeossi sings 2 Kodály Nursery songs in Italian.

4 years old half-Hungarian Kata Oldland sings a Hungarian song which her mother learnt as a child in Hungary.

3 years old Joshua Leonce volunteers 'Elsie, the elephant' which is part of the BBCM kindergarden repertoire.

Otto Saner, age 7, on the trumpet with mother Emily on the piano: Elegy by Robert Ramskill; Minerva Saner, age 9, on the violin with mother Emily on the piano: 1) German folk song about a fox stealing a goose but re-titled in Minerva's Suzuki book as Song of the Wind, 2) Go and tell Aunt Rhody (American or traditional song).

Adult class student Yumi Shigeno, her daughters (BBCM students) May age 7 and Kay age 5 with Miteko age 4 and mother Miho sing a Japanese song called Hinamatsuri which, in Japan, is for the girls's day on 3 March.

9 years old Clotilde Yap sings Life for Rent, a song by Dido, accompanied by 7 years old brother Thibaut on the drum.

Hannah Harley, age 10, (a pianist and violinist) presents her new guitar and performs Edelweiss with her father Rob.

Salome Auberge, age 9 and mother Sarah (who took up the recorder for this occasion) play a two-part round of the Tallis' Canon on violin and recorder (Agnes gets all at present to sing the piece in 4 parts with sol-fa from Agnes' hand)

Hollie Gold, age 5 (plucking on the cello) and brother Matthew, age 15 (on the violin), both BBCM students, play a duet.

Mira Lazarus, age 11, accompanied by brother Ilan (both BBCM students) sings 'Whistle a Happy Tune' from The King and I by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Maya Coles, age 16, brings along her self-produced CD track and raps to it.

Sophia Dignam, age 13, accompanied on the piano by fellow teenage class member Ilan Lazarus, age 17, plays a movement from a Telemann viola concerto.

Adult class member Lívia Farkas, a newcomer to the BBCM and to music studies in general, sings a Pergolesi song. John Lazarus, father of BBCM students Ilan and Mira Lazarus, kindly sight-reads the piano accompaniment with instant musical interpretation.

Hannah Clark, age 20, BBCM newcomer sings an aria from Rossini's An Italian in Algier, accompanied by fellow adult class member Fabienne Lassagane on the piano.