“Music, Dance, Image – Experience, Knowledge, Joy!”

A family concert series jointly organized by the Szent István Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hungarian Academy of Arts, held in the Ceremonial Hall of the Pesti Vigadó.

Editor and host of the series: Emőke Solymosi Tari

“Music, Dance, Image – Experience, Knowledge, Joy!”—this is the motto of the Pastorale Series, created for the entire family, from school-age children to grandparents. With its unique structure and inventive concepts, the series achieved remarkable success from its very beginning, bringing a fresh perspective to Budapest’s concert life.

The visual identity, editorial concept, and hosting have been shaped from the outset by Emőke Solymosi Tari, Széchenyi Prize–winning music historian. The initiator and co-curator of the series is Kálmán Záborszky, Kossuth Prize–winning conductor and artistic director of the Szent István Philharmonic Orchestra.

Audiences are introduced to a wide variety of musical genres. Alongside music, dance plays an important role, and—special thanks to visual projections—other related art forms are also integrated. In addition to carefully crafted narration, the programs are often enriched by conversations with the performing artists.

The goal of the series is to enable relaxed encounters with great masterpieces and high artistic values, to provide keys to understanding and experiencing works of art, and—most importantly—to offer audiences uplifting shared experiences that touch their inner world and strengthen family bonds.

Since 1997, nearly 300 performances have taken place within the series, attended by approximately 100,000 audience members of all ages, with several productions also broadcast on television. For many years, the programs were held at the Zugló Music House; since 2016, they have been hosted by one of Hungary’s most prestigious cultural venues, the Ceremonial Hall of the Pesti Vigadó.

Each season features four new productions (performed on weekends), always including an opera (often with a narrator), thematic concerts, spectacular dance productions, and frequently energizing folk music and folk dance performances.

A permanent participant in the series is the Szent István Philharmonic Orchestra, recipient of the Hungarian Heritage Award, conducted primarily by the orchestra’s two outstanding conductors, Gábor Horváth and Gergely Ménesi—both associate professors at the Liszt Academy in addition to their diverse artistic careers. Renowned guest conductors also appear regularly.

Among the recurring guest performers are the young artists of the Hungarian Dance University.