Gregory Porter in concert
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
Gregory Porter
in concert
17 may 2025 saturday 20:00
Margareth Island Open Air Theatre
The first concert of the 2025 season is a true sensation! The acclaimed star, the american jazz and soul singer and songwriter Gregory Porter will debut on the stage of the Margareth Island Open Air Theatre.
Porter is a global phenomenon, one of the few performers who can bring contemporary jazz to the masses with her music.
Even his first album Water (2010) received a GRAMMY nomination. He received it in the Best Jazz Vocal Album cathegory in 2014 for his third album called Liquid Spirit. More then one million copies of this album was sold all over the word.
His 2016 follow-up Take Me To The Alley won Porter his second GRAMMY for Best Vocal Jazz Album and firmly established him as his generation’s most soulful jazz singer-songwriter.
In 2016 Gregory Porter was recipient of Jazz FM Awards in Impact Award cathegory.
In addition to his solo concerts in America and Europe, he regularly appears as a guest on the albums of other artists and is considered the most sought-after jazz singer of our time.
In 2019 he launched his own podcast series called The Hang, in which he talks to a number of famous guests about life, art and fashion, among other things.
His 2021 release Still Rising collected new songs, covers, duets, and a selection of his much-loved favorite songs.
In 2023 he launched his own cooking show The PorterHouse, in which the singer shared recipes inspired by his local community, experiences from touring the globe, and family cooking traditions from growing up with his mother and seven siblings.
GREGORY PORTER
Vocals
CHIP CRAWFORD
Piano | Fender Rhodes
EMANUEL HARROLD
Drums
TIVON PENNICOTT
Saxophone
JAHMAL NICHOLS
Upright and Electric Bass
ONDREJ PIVEC
Hammond Organ
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL Film-Music Concert
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
Film-Music Concert
May 24, 2025, Saturday, 8:00 PM (rain date: May 25)
Margareth Island Open-Air Theatre
Duration: 140 minutes (with one intermission)
Featuring:
Danubia Orchestra
Conductor:
Ernst van Tiel
Get ready for a truly unique – one might say otherworldly – experience! Steven Spielberg’s heartwarming masterpiece, E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial, one of the brightest stars in film history, will be presented in the magical setting of an outdoor event. The 10-year-old lead character Elliot and his lonely little alien’s adventure has captivated cinema lovers for generations, but now it will come to life in a new dimension on the stage of the Margaret Island Open-Air Theatre: John Williams’ Oscar-winning film score will be performed live by a full symphonic orchestra, perfectly synchronized with the scenes unfolding on the big screen.
"I grew up with Johnny from the very beginning. What he did for me, I can’t even comprehend," said Spielberg about the legendary composer John Williams. Over the past 50 years, the duo has created world-renowned films together, such as Jaws, Jurassic Park, and E.T.
For this work, John Williams received an Oscar, and rightfully so. His wonderful, soaring music opens new dimensions in the listener's heart, freeing and uplifting them. The music of E.T.’s flying scene is a breathtaking musical creation in itself, one of the most beloved, significant, and iconic works in the film music genre.
Relive the thrills, mystery, and touching moments of friendship on a giant screen under the starry sky! Don’t miss Steven Spielberg's legendary film E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial, as you’ve never seen it before: this time, the magical adventure is accompanied live by the Oscar-winning score by John Williams, performed by a symphonic orchestra! The film will come to life on a massive HD screen in the open air, providing an unforgettable experience for the whole family.
The film screening is not recommended for children under 12.
MALEVO – International Phenomenon Brings High-Energy Drumming & Dance to
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
MALEVO
International Phenomenon Brings High-Energy Drumming & Dance to
Budapest on the 30 may 2025 8pm
Rainday: 31 may 2025 8pm
Passionate Drumming. Explosive Dance. Fiery Theatrics.
Argentina’s answer to Stomp and Riverdance!
Budapest – 30.05.2025 – Direct from Argentina, MALEVO takes the stage at Margareth Island Open Air Theatre on 20 hours Backed by a live band, this all-male group elevates Malambo traditions with urban percussion and dance. Testing strength, dexterity and agility, elements of flamenco, tango and Irish stepdance meet and the result is a performance that not only pushes the Malambo style beyond its limits but gives audiences an extraordinary visual and sensory theatrical experience unlike any other.
After being named an official Cultural Ambassador to the National Identity of Argentina and achieving numerous successes including performances in Las Vegas, New York, Paris, and London, MALEVO has appeared with Latin pop star Ricky Martin, Cirque du Soleil, and on the hit television show America's Got Talent.
MALEVO was created by director, choreographer, and dancer, Matías Jaime. The Company has re-envisioned the Argentine dance of Malambo -- taking what are traditional Argentinian folkloric dance duels performed by Gauchos of the Pampas region and transforming in a modern and visionary way.
While maintaining the great virility and dexterity of Malambo, the Company has elevated this traditional dance by fusing its classic technique with other styles such as Flamenco and incorporating live percussion onstage. Set to a pulsating rhythm of drums, the choreography combines the use of boleadoras, a leather and stone hunting tool used by Gauchos, with fast leg movements, energetic zapateados (stomping), and quick cepillados (brushing/scrubbing).
For more information, visit https://malevogroup.com.ar and follow @malevogroup on Facebook @malevook on Instagram, and @malevoofficialon YouTube.
About Malambo
The Malambo is a traditional dance handed down from older South American Cowboys (Gauchos) to their younger counterparts, and one might imagine these dances taking place around campfires after a long day on horseback. Customarily a solo form, Malambo has long been among the original competitive dances. Argentinian Gauchos perfected their moves to wow, entertain and yes, beat out their fellow dancers.
In watching Malambo, what’s evident is the beauty, fluidity, strength, and sheer bravado of the dancers. Chests are puffed and poised, and feet paw at the ground like those of horses, animals that are said to have inspired this dance. Like manes, long black hair trails behind as the men who comprise of Malambo face-off, preparing for a battle of complex rhythm and footwork. As the performance progresses, one may observe influences from seemingly disparate dance traditions and distant countries. A quick look at Argentina’s history and trade practices reveals that indeed the dance vocabularies that appear in the Malambo are no coincidence.
About Matias Jaime
Matias Jaime, Artistic Director and theFounder and Artistic Director Malevo has taken the traditional folklore dance of themalambo and has staged it in a way that's exciting and engaging for today's contemporary audiences. Through his work with Malevo, Matias is constantly pushing the malambo art form forward, marking the future of this culture and ensuring that it remains relevant and current. The dancers that make up Malevo are the most talented Malambo dancers in the world. In many cases, you will find individuals who are talented with the Boleadoras, or others who excel in the drumming of the Bombos. But to find so many all-around-artists who can do it all; percussive footwork, barefoot percussive footwork, bombos, boleadoras and many who can sing and play the guitars–that is something truly exceptional.
Opening Concert – NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
Opening Concert
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
June 3, 2025, Tuesday, 8:00 PM (rain date: June 4)
Margaret Island Open-Air Theatre
Conductor:
György Vashegyi
Kossuth and Liszt Ferenc award winning conductor,
General Music Director of the National Philharmonic Orchestra
Featuring:
Kristóf Baráti
Kossuth and Liszt Ferenc award winning violinist
The traditional opening concert is one of the highlights of the rich program of the Margaret Island Theatre.
This year, the theatre is once again preparing for this soul-stirring concert together with the over 100-year-old National Philharmonic Orchestra. One of Hungary's most prestigious symphony orchestras is a guarantee of the highest quality classical music.
The special feature of this year's concert is that the orchestra's new general director, the Liszt and Kossuth award winner György Vashegyi, will conduct on our stage for the first time.
The first part will be Beethoven, while the second part will feature melodies by Kodály, Dohnányi and Liszt.
The pieces performed during the evening will commemorate the National Unity Day, as this extraordinary concert is not just a musical event but a cultural celebration that connects the past and present, celebrating diversity, and emphasizes togetherness.
The performance of our country’s most prestigious symphonic orchestra is an important part of the summer’s opening.
Giacomo Puccini MADAMA BUTTERFLY Opera Premiere
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
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Cast
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Cio-Cio-San: Francesca Sassu
Suzuki: Sahakyan Lusine
Pinkerton: Szabolcs Brickner
Sharpless: Csaba Szegedi
Goro: Péter Balczó
Yamadori: Molnár Zsolt
The Bonze: Antal Cseh
Kate: Zsófia Kálnay
Featuring the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kodály Choir Debrecen
Conductor:
Dániel Somogyi-Tóth
Giacomo Puccini MADAMA BUTTERFLY Opera Premiere
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
-
Cast
MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Cio-Cio-San: Francesca Sassu
Suzuki: Sahakyan Lusine
Pinkerton: Szabolcs Brickner
Sharpless: Csaba Szegedi
Goro: Péter Balczó
Yamadori: Molnár Zsolt
The Bonze: Antal Cseh
Kate: Zsófia Kálnay
Featuring the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kodály Choir Debrecen
Conductor:
Dániel Somogyi-Tóth
Coco Chanel – Dance theatre
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
Coco Chanel
-The life of the icon-
Dance theatre
11. July 2025 Friday 8 PM
(Rainday: 12. July 2025 8 PM)
Margareth Island Theatre
A performance of the Ballet of the National Theatre Brno
Duration: 135 mins in two parts
A story of visionary creativity that changed the way women dress. Coco Chanel as fearlessness, daring and risk, as well as taste, philosophy and brand. Mario Radachevsky’s contemporary ballet about a woman who profoundly influenced the world of fashion.
As a choreographer, he has in the past been fond of full-length titles inspired by the lives and works of great figures of human cultural history. We can recall the titles of ballets by Warhol, Beethoven, Michelangelo.
Now his creative attention has been captured by an extraordinary woman who, by changing the wardrobe of the modern woman, has turned the world of fashion upside down. Her journey to the top, as it is with exceptional people, was painful, thorny, but for choreographer Mario Radachevsky the most important word of characterization is that she was real, genuine. In today’s world, we often give up without a fight because it’s easier, more comfortable. Many of our decisions are postponed because they arouse the need for self-denial. But the road to success knows no shortcuts. And the story of Coco Chanel can serve as an example and is proof of the importance of the endurance factor of determination and clear direction to go for your goal and be able to sacrifice and submit almost everything for success.
The choreographer is fascinated by the reach of Coco Chanel’s influence and significance, her ability to transform her field in such a way that we perceive with exaggeration the world of fashion before and after Chanel. As with most of his productions, Mário Radačovský work with his proven Slovak design team. Marek Hollý will be the set designer and Ľudmila Várossová has accepted the tempting challenge of costume designin the spirit of Coco Chanel.
MAKSIM pianist – “SEGMENTI” – crossover concert
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
MAKSIM
pianist
“SEGMENTI”
crossover concert
July 17, 2025, Thursday 20:00 (rain date: July 18)
Margitsziget Open-Air Stage
Maksim Mrvica, a virtuoso pianist, is currently the most concert-performing crossover pianist in the world. He is a winner of several prestigious international music competitions, an MTV Music Awards recipient, and has sold over 5 million albums worldwide. He is coming to our country with his program titled SEGMENTI at the invitation of the Margitsziget Theater. He will be accompanied by his band, with string players, percussionists, and wind instruments also participating in the show. The evening will be made even more exciting with special lights and video effects.
Maksim already showed promise as a talented musician at an early age, completing his studies at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest and the Alexander Scriabin Conservatoire in Paris after winning the first prize at the national competition in Croatia and the first prize at the Rubinstein Piano Competition in France. His artistic versatility extends beyond music to the world of fashion, where his collaborations with leading brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, and Christian Dior earned him recognition as the best-dressed man by Vogue Homme. His charisma and immense talent have also attracted brands like American Express, BMW, Samsung, Star Alliance, and Yamaha.
His musical style breaks down the boundaries between genres, ranging from classical music to film scores, pop, and electronic music. He has collaborated with EMI, Sony, and Universal.
"We need to find a way to introduce classical music to younger audiences, otherwise one day there will be no one to carry on this musical direction." – Maksim Mrvica
The musician is famous for experimenting with the fusion of classical music and pop music, sometimes spicing up famous classical works with electronic beats and sounds. Maksim believes that this kind of experimentation is an integral part of the future survival of classical music.
DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA – Concert
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
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Description
DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA
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Mark Gross – Saxophone
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Jason Marshall – Baritone Saxophone
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Don Block – Tenor Saxophone
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Robert Redd – Piano
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David F. Gibson – Drums and Percussion
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Tyrone Block – Double Bass
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Andre Hayward – Trombone
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Jon Mark McGowan – Trumpet
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Bryan Davis – Trumpet
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Andrae Murchison – Trombone
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James Zollar – Trumpet
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Shelley Paul – Alto Saxophone
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Charlie Young – Musical Director & Alto Saxophone
“As time goes on, I continually realize that I’m part of something bigger than I can fully comprehend. The way this band has influenced not only American society but the world inspires me to become better,” said Paul.
Giuseppe Verdi NABUCCO Opera Premiere
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
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Csilla Boross – Opera Singer
NABUCCO
We welcome our audience this season with grand opera premieres once again! True to our tradition, we have invited outstanding international and Hungarian singers to perform the leading roles in our two opera stars who have sung Verdi’s emotionally charged Nabucco on the world’s greatest opera stages.
Opera Stars in Leading Roles
The title role of Nabucco, King of Babylon, will be performed by Mihály Kálmándy. He made his debut at the beginning of his career as a student at the Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, singing the title role in Verdi's Nabucco.
The excellent Hungarian leading baritone made his international debut with the title role in Verdi's Nabucco. Later, his international career began with the production of Nabucco at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste. Mihály Kálmándy has performed in Rome, Naples, Vienna, Stockholm, London, Warsaw, Seoul, New Zealand and other cities. Meanwhile, he sang major baritone roles at the Hungarian State Opera House.
Nabucco is a real historical figure: the second king of the New Babylonian Empire, the builder of the Istar Gate, the 6th century BC Nabu-kudurri-uzur II, who invaded Judea and settled the Jews in his empire.
Csilla Boross, a Hungarian dramatic coloratura and spinto soprano with an impressive voice, winner of numerous Hungarian and international awards, launched her international reputation with Abigail from Verdi's Nabucco in Rome in 2011, conducted by Riccardo Muti. Since then, she has sung the role more than140 times in the world's most prestigious opera houses and festivals, and wherever she appears, this phenomenon is greeted with ovations and applause.
Her rich repertoire includes iconic female characters from masterpieces of opera, such as Tosca, Aida, Odabella, Minni, Maddalena, Gioergetta, Gioconda, and Venus and Elisabeth from Tannhäuser, ranging from Baroque to contemporary works.
Csilla Boross has sung in performances by world-famous stage directors such as Zeffirelli, La Fura dels Baus, Hugo de Ana, Thaddeus Strassberger, Werner Herzog, and under the baton of great conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Daniel Oren, Nicola Luisotti, Will Humburg, Asher Fisch, Tomaš Hanus, among others.
The role of Fenena, Nabucco’s daughter, will be sung by Azerbaijani mezzo-soprano Elmina Hasan, who performed this role in Paris in 2024 alongside the world-renowned Plácido Domingo. Her enchanting voice has already won acclaim at international venues such as La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, and the Royal Opera House in London.
In the role of Ismaele, the nephew of the King of Jerusalem, we will see the young and charismatic Venetian tenor Riccardo Gatto, considered one of the most talented tenors of his generation.
Nabucco unfolds along two intertwined storylines: one follows the madness and miraculous recovery of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and a personal family drama, while the other depicts the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people.
About Nabucco
At the age of 27, Verdi had decided never to write another opera. He was in the depths of both personal and professional despair. In this seemingly hopeless situation, it was only at the urging of his agent that he agreed to read the libretto—and from that moment came an opera that would change his life and ultimately unite a nation.
The unquenchable love of freedom and loyalty to one’s nation is most memorably expressed in the Hebrew slaves’ chorus—one of the most iconic moments in musical history. Inspired by the plight of the Jewish people, Verdi’s music became a beacon for nations. The golden-winged thought of Psalm 137 journeys through time, traveling from ancient Israel and Babylon to 19th-century Europe and beyond.
By the spring of 1842, all of Milan was humming “Va, pensiero...” The opera was soon performed at the most prominent theaters across the continent and premiered in America as well. The Hungarian premiere took place in January 1847 at the National Theatre in Budapest.
Csilla Boross – Opera Singer
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Csilla Boross first graduated as a piano teacher only after she received her Master of Music degree as a soloist singer from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. From September 2003 onwards she has been a permanent guest artist of the Hungarian State Opera. For several years, starting in August 2008 she was a member of the Brno Janácek Opera, the Janáčkovo Divadlo, where she sang, among others, Tatiana from Tchaikovsky’s Onegin, Venus from Tannhäuser (the latter in Japan -including Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo - as well), the lead roles of La Traviata, Tosca, Macbeth, Madame Butterfly, Nabucco and Aida. In 2009 she was the guest artist of the Prague National Theatre performing the roles of Elettra (Idomeneo), Fiordiligi, Donna Anna, Cio-Cio San,T osca, Aida and Abigaille for the benefit of the music loving audience of Prague. On March 20. in 2010 she was awarded the highest cultural award in the field of opera, the so-called Thalie 2009 Award for her outstanding performance of Madama Butterfly. In the same year she also received the professional award of the Brno Theatre, the Diva 2009 Prize.
Her international career took off in Trieste in 2010 with La Traviata’s Violetta. In the same year she debuted as Abigaille of Nabucco at the Palm Beach Opera House. In 2011 on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Italian national unity she sang the role of Abigaille of Verdi’s Nabucco. The performance was conducted by Riccardo Muti, her partner was Leo Nucci and the event was broadcast live by the Italian Radio and Television and the ARTE TV. In the same year she was hugely successful as Manon in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut on the stage of the Berlioz Opera House in Montpellier; the production was directed by Jean-Paul Scarpitta. She also sang the role of Tosca at the Rome Caracalla with Carlo Guelfi as Scarpia. The latter performance was directed by Arnaud Bernard, the conductor was Ascher Fisch.
In 2012 the audience of the Opera de Lyon could see her as Sister Angelica and Giorgetta in Il Tabarro as part of the Puccini Triptychon performances directed by David Pountney and broadcast live by MEZZO TV as well as shown on ARTE TV at a later date. Her debuts at the Washington National Opera (conductor Philippe Auguine) and at the Philadelphia Opera House as Abigaille of the monumental Nabucco performances of Thaddeus Strassberger were also extremely well-received. In the summer of the very same year, she sang Aida at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, her partner was Johan Botha; in Ravenna she was Sancta Susanna in Hindemith’s opera conducted by Riccardo Muti. In October she debuted as Tosca at the Macao International Music Festival, her partner was Roberto Aronica, the performance was conducted by Lü Jia.
2013 brought her four new Verdi lead roles: in Rome, once again conducted by Riccardo Muti and directed by Werner Herzog, she was Lucrezia Contarini in I due Foscari, then at the Melbourne Opera as Amelia of the Un Ballo in Maschera (conductor: Andrea Molino) directed by La Fura dels Baus – for which she won the prestigious Green Room Award in 2014. In Shanghai she also sang the role of Odabella of Attila (conductor Daniel Oren), and finally she appeared on the stage as Amelia from Simon Boccanegra at the Hungarian State Opera. In the summer she returned to the Savonlinna Opera Festival as Lady Macbeth. The Palm Beach Opera audience could see her in 2014 as Lady Macbeth; in Geneva she was Abigaille in a production conducted by John Fiore and directed by Roland Aeschlimann and broadcast live by the Swiss Radio. These performances were followed by singing the role of Tosca at the Hungarian State Opera where her partner was José Cura. In June she sang the title role of Norma in Palermo at the Teatro Massimo Opera conducted by Will Humburg.
In the summer she saved the first night of Giordano’s opera, Andrea Chénier by learning Maddaléna’s role in a matter of days for the hugely successful performance at the Peralada Opera Festival where the conductor was Marco Armiliato and her partners were Carlos Alvarez and Marcelo Alvarez. In the second half of the season, she was once again triumphant as Lady Macbeth in Henning Brockhaus’s ambitious direction at the Muscat Royal Opera House under the conductor, Donato Renzetti. Returning to her home country, she had a unique achievement singing both female lead roles (Venus and Elisabeth) of Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the Hungarian State Opera. In the second half of the season audiences in Budapest and Rome had the unique experience of seeing her as Aida with Johan Botha and Fabio Sartori as her respective partners.
Her 2015-16 season was launched with Verdi’s Nabucco – as Abigaille she had a roaring success at the first night of Opera Pittsburgh. Returning to Budapest, she had her debut as Elisabetta di Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlos at the Erkel Theatre in November, and in February as Leonora in La Forza del destino in Geneva(broadcast worldwide ). At the end of the season, she made her house debut in Opera de Marseille as Lady Macbeth after which she returned for the fifth time to Rome, this time with her beloved Abigaille of Nabucco. In 2016 November she sang Tosca with Marcello Giordani at the Erkel Theatre in Budapest, where she turned back later as Aida and Suor Angelica. In February 2017 she made her debut as La Gioconda in Brno with outstanding success. In April she made her house debut as Norma in the Teatro Fondazione di Verona. In July she returned to Rome as her beloved Abigaille in Nabucco.
In 2016 she received the prestigious Hungarian Order of Merit Knight's Cross for her outstanding performances abroad and in Hungary. In 2017-18 she started with two house debuts in China , Zeffirelli's Aida with the Teatro alla Scala in Guangzhou under the baton of Maestro Renzetti and Andrea Chenier in Macau with Teatro Regio Torino led by Maestro Guidarini. This season is followed by Tosca in Budapest and her successful debut as Judith in Bartók's Bluebeard's castle at the Opera Limoges.
The season 2018-19 included Macbeth in Mexico,Nabucco in Plzeň, Tosca in Rome , Il Tabarro and Gioconda in Budapest, Brno and Banska Bystrica and Aida cover at the Metropolitan Opera just to mention a few.
2019-20 started with Madama Butterfly at the Hungarian Opera in Cluj , which was followed by Nabucco in teatro Regio Torino under the baton of Maestro Renzetti.
During the”pandemic” summer of 2020 she performed her iconic role of Abigaille at Brno's Open Air Opera Festival. She even made a role debut as Senta on Mr Tomasz Konieczný's side as Holländer in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer in Mikulov.
Sadly, the following performances were cancelled that season due to pandemia : In Brno Aida and Gioconda , at the MET covering Elisabetta in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda and Aida in Verdi's Aida ; Abigaille in Marseille , Lady Macbeth in Plzeň Open Air Opera Festival, Turandot in Szeged . From June she’s been seen as Abigaille in a new production at Janáčkovo Divadlo in Brno. In the season 2021- 2022 she made two role debuts, such as Elisabetta in Maria Stuarda, and Minni in Puccini's masterpiece La fanciulla del west. Besides she's been seen as Aida, Amelia Grimaldi in Simon Boccanegra and her signature role Abigaille in Nabucco. The end of the season was crowned by a jump in as a successful Gioconda at Chorégies d'Orange under the baton of M°Daniele Callegari.
The season 2022-23 started with a very interesting, political Tosca debut in Budapest, which was followed by Abigaille and Tosca in Brno, Cio-Cio-San in Prague, then another Tosca at the Stockholm Royal Operahouse, (Kungliga Operan), Abigaille in Marseille , Butterfly in Budapest.
Season 2023-24 started with Nabucco in Brno, followed by Verdi’s Attila in Marseille, and a role debut as Milada in Smetana’s Dalibor in Brno, the season ended with a new production of Butterfly in Bratislava. Season 2024-25 started with Adriana Lecouvreur in with Pittsburgh Festival Opera under the baton of Christopher Franklin, followed by Nabucco in Brno and Butterfly in Bratislava, in December she performed at the centennial concert of Opera Marseille , after which she had the premiere of Macbeth at the Hungarian Operahouse in Budapest, then comes Dalibor in Brno and in Bydhošť, Aida in Bratislava, Suor Angelica and Giorgetta (Il tabarro) in Mannheim , the season ends with Nabucco in Regensburg and in Budapest on the Margaret Island Openair Theater.
Giuseppe Verdi NABUCCO Opera Premiere
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
-
Description
-
Csilla Boross Opera singer
We welcome our audience this season with grand opera premieres once again! True to our tradition, we have invited outstanding international and Hungarian singers to perform the leading roles in our two opera stars who have sung Verdi’s emotionally charged Nabucco on the world’s greatest opera stages.
Opera Stars in Leading Roles
The title role of Nabucco, King of Babylon, will be performed by Mihály Kálmándy. He made his debut at the beginning of his career as a student at the Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca, singing the title role in Verdi's Nabucco.
The excellent Hungarian leading baritone made his international debut with the title role in Verdi's Nabucco. Later, his international career began with the production of Nabucco at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste. Mihály Kálmándy has performed in Rome, Naples, Vienna, Stockholm, London, Warsaw, Seoul, New Zealand and other cities. Meanwhile, he sang major baritone roles at the Hungarian State Opera House.
Nabucco is a real historical figure: the second king of the New Babylonian Empire, the builder of the Istar Gate, the 6th century BC Nabu-kudurri-uzur II, who invaded Judea and settled the Jews in his empire.
Csilla Boross, a Hungarian dramatic coloratura and spinto soprano with an impressive voice, winner of numerous Hungarian and international awards, launched her international reputation with Abigail from Verdi's Nabucco in Rome in 2011, conducted by Riccardo Muti. Since then, she has sung the role more than140 times in the world's most prestigious opera houses and festivals, and wherever she appears, this phenomenon is greeted with ovations and applause.
Her rich repertoire includes iconic female characters from masterpieces of opera, such as Tosca, Aida, Odabella, Minni, Maddalena, Gioergetta, Gioconda, and Venus and Elisabeth from Tannhäuser, ranging from Baroque to contemporary works.
Csilla Boross has sung in performances by world-famous stage directors such as Zeffirelli, La Fura dels Baus, Hugo de Ana, Thaddeus Strassberger, Werner Herzog, and under the baton of great conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Daniel Oren, Nicola Luisotti, Will Humburg, Asher Fisch, Tomaš Hanus, among others.
The role of Fenena, Nabucco’s daughter, will be sung by Azerbaijani mezzo-soprano Elmina Hasan, who performed this role in Paris in 2024 alongside the world-renowned Plácido Domingo. Her enchanting voice has already won acclaim at international venues such as La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, and the Royal Opera House in London.
In the role of Ismaele, the nephew of the King of Jerusalem, we will see the young and charismatic Venetian tenor Riccardo Gatto, considered one of the most talented tenors of his generation.
Nabucco unfolds along two intertwined storylines: one follows the madness and miraculous recovery of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and a personal family drama, while the other depicts the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people.
About Nabucco
At the age of 27, Verdi had decided never to write another opera. He was in the depths of both personal and professional despair. In this seemingly hopeless situation, it was only at the urging of his agent that he agreed to read the libretto—and from that moment came an opera that would change his life and ultimately unite a nation.
The unquenchable love of freedom and loyalty to one’s nation is most memorably expressed in the Hebrew slaves’ chorus—one of the most iconic moments in musical history. Inspired by the plight of the Jewish people, Verdi’s music became a beacon for nations. The golden-winged thought of Psalm 137 journeys through time, traveling from ancient Israel and Babylon to 19th-century Europe and beyond.
By the spring of 1842, all of Milan was humming “Va, pensiero...” The opera was soon performed at the most prominent theaters across the continent and premiered in America as well. The Hungarian premiere took place in January 1847 at the National Theatre in Budapest.
Csilla Boross – Opera Singer
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Csilla Boross first graduated as a piano teacher only after she received her Master of Music degree as a soloist singer from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. From September 2003 onwards she has been a permanent guest artist of the Hungarian State Opera. For several years, starting in August 2008 she was a member of the Brno Janácek Opera, the Janáčkovo Divadlo, where she sang, among others, Tatiana from Tchaikovsky’s Onegin, Venus from Tannhäuser (the latter in Japan -including Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo - as well), the lead roles of La Traviata, Tosca, Macbeth, Madame Butterfly, Nabucco and Aida. In 2009 she was the guest artist of the Prague National Theatre performing the roles of Elettra (Idomeneo), Fiordiligi, Donna Anna, Cio-Cio San,T osca, Aida and Abigaille for the benefit of the music loving audience of Prague. On March 20. in 2010 she was awarded the highest cultural award in the field of opera, the so-called Thalie 2009 Award for her outstanding performance of Madama Butterfly. In the same year she also received the professional award of the Brno Theatre, the Diva 2009 Prize.
Her international career took off in Trieste in 2010 with La Traviata’s Violetta. In the same year she debuted as Abigaille of Nabucco at the Palm Beach Opera House. In 2011 on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Italian national unity she sang the role of Abigaille of Verdi’s Nabucco. The performance was conducted by Riccardo Muti, her partner was Leo Nucci and the event was broadcast live by the Italian Radio and Television and the ARTE TV. In the same year she was hugely successful as Manon in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut on the stage of the Berlioz Opera House in Montpellier; the production was directed by Jean-Paul Scarpitta. She also sang the role of Tosca at the Rome Caracalla with Carlo Guelfi as Scarpia. The latter performance was directed by Arnaud Bernard, the conductor was Ascher Fisch.
In 2012 the audience of the Opera de Lyon could see her as Sister Angelica and Giorgetta in Il Tabarro as part of the Puccini Triptychon performances directed by David Pountney and broadcast live by MEZZO TV as well as shown on ARTE TV at a later date. Her debuts at the Washington National Opera (conductor Philippe Auguine) and at the Philadelphia Opera House as Abigaille of the monumental Nabucco performances of Thaddeus Strassberger were also extremely well-received. In the summer of the very same year, she sang Aida at the Savonlinna Opera Festival, her partner was Johan Botha; in Ravenna she was Sancta Susanna in Hindemith’s opera conducted by Riccardo Muti. In October she debuted as Tosca at the Macao International Music Festival, her partner was Roberto Aronica, the performance was conducted by Lü Jia.
2013 brought her four new Verdi lead roles: in Rome, once again conducted by Riccardo Muti and directed by Werner Herzog, she was Lucrezia Contarini in I due Foscari, then at the Melbourne Opera as Amelia of the Un Ballo in Maschera (conductor: Andrea Molino) directed by La Fura dels Baus – for which she won the prestigious Green Room Award in 2014. In Shanghai she also sang the role of Odabella of Attila (conductor Daniel Oren), and finally she appeared on the stage as Amelia from Simon Boccanegra at the Hungarian State Opera. In the summer she returned to the Savonlinna Opera Festival as Lady Macbeth. The Palm Beach Opera audience could see her in 2014 as Lady Macbeth; in Geneva she was Abigaille in a production conducted by John Fiore and directed by Roland Aeschlimann and broadcast live by the Swiss Radio. These performances were followed by singing the role of Tosca at the Hungarian State Opera where her partner was José Cura. In June she sang the title role of Norma in Palermo at the Teatro Massimo Opera conducted by Will Humburg.
In the summer she saved the first night of Giordano’s opera, Andrea Chénier by learning Maddaléna’s role in a matter of days for the hugely successful performance at the Peralada Opera Festival where the conductor was Marco Armiliato and her partners were Carlos Alvarez and Marcelo Alvarez. In the second half of the season, she was once again triumphant as Lady Macbeth in Henning Brockhaus’s ambitious direction at the Muscat Royal Opera House under the conductor, Donato Renzetti. Returning to her home country, she had a unique achievement singing both female lead roles (Venus and Elisabeth) of Wagner’s Tannhäuser at the Hungarian State Opera. In the second half of the season audiences in Budapest and Rome had the unique experience of seeing her as Aida with Johan Botha and Fabio Sartori as her respective partners.
Her 2015-16 season was launched with Verdi’s Nabucco – as Abigaille she had a roaring success at the first night of Opera Pittsburgh. Returning to Budapest, she had her debut as Elisabetta di Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlos at the Erkel Theatre in November, and in February as Leonora in La Forza del destino in Geneva(broadcast worldwide ). At the end of the season, she made her house debut in Opera de Marseille as Lady Macbeth after which she returned for the fifth time to Rome, this time with her beloved Abigaille of Nabucco. In 2016 November she sang Tosca with Marcello Giordani at the Erkel Theatre in Budapest, where she turned back later as Aida and Suor Angelica. In February 2017 she made her debut as La Gioconda in Brno with outstanding success. In April she made her house debut as Norma in the Teatro Fondazione di Verona. In July she returned to Rome as her beloved Abigaille in Nabucco.
In 2016 she received the prestigious Hungarian Order of Merit Knight's Cross for her outstanding performances abroad and in Hungary. In 2017-18 she started with two house debuts in China , Zeffirelli's Aida with the Teatro alla Scala in Guangzhou under the baton of Maestro Renzetti and Andrea Chenier in Macau with Teatro Regio Torino led by Maestro Guidarini. This season is followed by Tosca in Budapest and her successful debut as Judith in Bartók's Bluebeard's castle at the Opera Limoges.
The season 2018-19 included Macbeth in Mexico,Nabucco in Plzeň, Tosca in Rome , Il Tabarro and Gioconda in Budapest, Brno and Banska Bystrica and Aida cover at the Metropolitan Opera just to mention a few.
2019-20 started with Madama Butterfly at the Hungarian Opera in Cluj , which was followed by Nabucco in teatro Regio Torino under the baton of Maestro Renzetti.
During the”pandemic” summer of 2020 she performed her iconic role of Abigaille at Brno's Open Air Opera Festival. She even made a role debut as Senta on Mr Tomasz Konieczný's side as Holländer in Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer in Mikulov.
Sadly, the following performances were cancelled that season due to pandemia : In Brno Aida and Gioconda , at the MET covering Elisabetta in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda and Aida in Verdi's Aida ; Abigaille in Marseille , Lady Macbeth in Plzeň Open Air Opera Festival, Turandot in Szeged . From June she’s been seen as Abigaille in a new production at Janáčkovo Divadlo in Brno. In the season 2021- 2022 she made two role debuts, such as Elisabetta in Maria Stuarda, and Minni in Puccini's masterpiece La fanciulla del west. Besides she's been seen as Aida, Amelia Grimaldi in Simon Boccanegra and her signature role Abigaille in Nabucco. The end of the season was crowned by a jump in as a successful Gioconda at Chorégies d'Orange under the baton of M°Daniele Callegari.
The season 2022-23 started with a very interesting, political Tosca debut in Budapest, which was followed by Abigaille and Tosca in Brno, Cio-Cio-San in Prague, then another Tosca at the Stockholm Royal Operahouse, (Kungliga Operan), Abigaille in Marseille , Butterfly in Budapest.
Season 2023-24 started with Nabucco in Brno, followed by Verdi’s Attila in Marseille, and a role debut as Milada in Smetana’s Dalibor in Brno, the season ended with a new production of Butterfly in Bratislava. Season 2024-25 started with Adriana Lecouvreur in with Pittsburgh Festival Opera under the baton of Christopher Franklin, followed by Nabucco in Brno and Butterfly in Bratislava, in December she performed at the centennial concert of Opera Marseille , after which she had the premiere of Macbeth at the Hungarian Operahouse in Budapest, then comes Dalibor in Brno and in Bydhošť, Aida in Bratislava, Suor Angelica and Giorgetta (Il tabarro) in Mannheim , the season ends with Nabucco in Regensburg and in Budapest on the Margaret Island Openair Theater.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND – Reloaded Circus Show
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
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Description
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
“Oh dear! I shall be late!”
Have you ever seen a rabbit in a waistcoat with a watch?
The White Rabbit leapt into the rabbit hole, hoping he’d make it in time.
Shall we follow him?
The magical ball begins, and all eyes turn to Alice—a beautiful girl dancing among the invited guests.
CHICO AND THE GYPSIES Concert
Location
- Margaret Island’s Open-Air Theater
More Info
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Description
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Levon Minassian
CHICO AND THE GYPSIES
“We play songs that alternate between the melancholic and joyful spirit of the gypsy soul,” says Chico Bouchikhi.
“I’ve had the chance to visit Budapest several times—I love the city and its thermal baths, and it's always a joy to perform here. We’re happy to return this year thanks to the Margitsziget Theater, and through our songs, we can personally express our love to the audience,” said the band’s founder.
Lévon Minassian was born in Marseille, in the Saint-Jérôme district, where his grandparents once found refuge. Surrounded by a family living in the cult of music and immersed in a very close-knit Armenian community fond of sounds, he began playing the mandolin at a very young age in a folk group. At the age of 15, with a Duduk brought back from Armenia by his parents, he announced to them that he wanted to learn to play it. Then begins a long apprenticeship.
As a teenager, Lévon Minassian, accompanied by his family, followed Armenian artists on their tours in France. He chases them to their hotels to gather some information. Then, from the end of the 70s, he went to Armenia several times with the aim of working on Duduk with the masters, notably with Djivan Gasparian and Valodia Haroutiounian. Penetrating the world of these artists was not an easy thing, remembers Lévon Minassian, the Duduk players maintain in secret this ancestral tradition which is only transmitted between initiates and with parsimony. It is then with a lot of self-sacrifice and patience, and out of love for this instrument that he will seek by his own means to master all its subtleties.
Since then, this artist has trained constantly. And little by little, the one who never sought fame will be recognized as one of the most talented Duduk players in the world.
His determination and talent made him spotted by professionals. In 1985, the composer Georges Garvarentz asked him for the music for the film “Les memoires tatoués”. A first collaboration for cinema which will be followed by many others, including the soundtracks of Mayrig and 588 rue Paradis by Henri Verneuil, L'Odyssée de l'Espèce by Yvan Cassar, Amen by Costa Gavras, La passion du Christ by Mel Gibson, The Sleeping Child by Yasmine Kassari, The Earth Seen from the Sky and Home by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Go, Live and Become by Radu Mihaileanu, The Girl and the Wolves by Gilles Legrand, Like the 5 Fingers of the main and What the day owes to the night by Alexandre Arcady, The source of women by Radu Mihaileanu, Inch'Allah by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette.
Behind the man, humble and generous, appears an outstanding musician, whom some describe as a genius, whose melancholic melodies are now omnipresent both on the small screen and in the cinema.
But above all, an incredible event changed his life: in 1992, Lévon Minassian was asked by Peter Gabriel to participate in his album Us and then to open solo concerts on his Secret world live tour. A spotlight which will make him a Dudukist very popular with the big names of variety (Charles Aznavour, Patrick Fiori, Hélène Segara, Christophe Maé, Daniel Lavoie) as well as personalities of world music (Sting, I Muvrini, Simon Emerson, Manu Katché).
At the same time, Lévon Minassian undertook more personal work with the composer of dances and film music Armand Amar, noted since for his film soundtracks (Amen, Le Couperet, La terre vue du ciel, Vas vis et deviens, Indigènes…) is with him that in 1998 he recorded his first album, Lévon Minassian and Friends, designed from traditional secular or sacred themes and melodies in which the Duduk energizes its language by meeting other instruments from the world, from the Indian violin to the oud. In 2005, his second opus, Songs from a World Apart, gave the Duduk a new status as a solo instrument and a musical space outside the traditional context. The arrangements reveal new colors to the duduk dialoguing with guest instruments (nickelharpa, viola d'amore, kamantcha, oud, drums) accompanied by a symphony orchestra, the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. Each meeting with musicians from other cultures constitutes for him an enrichment and an unforgettable event.
In 1997, he played at the Elysée, invited as a soloist by the President of the Republic Jacques Chirac during the visit of Armenian President Lévon Ter Pétrossian. In 2003, he was decorated Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by President Chirac.
Levon Minassian contributed to ensuring that the Duduk became part of universal cultural values, mixing with other instruments from around the world its Armenian influences that were both happy and sad at the same time.
The music that Lévon Minassian gives us no longer belongs to what we call folklore, a museum of dead and resurrected souls, nor to a delimited geographical space called a country, but to this sphere outside of time and duration, where the soul needs to extend itself to discover that it still has one.
