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If it's Saturday, then it's zither music!
In January 2025, the Ethnographic Museum opened an exhibition about the zither, the most beloved folk instrument. Since it is an instrument that can be relatively easily made and played, the curators of the exhibition sought to share this experience with visitors at the exhibition, alongside the nearly 90 instruments, 20 recordings and 3 films on display. Not only interactive applications and playable instruments were included in the exhibition, but contemporary zither players bear witness to the fact that the zither-music tradition is alive today.
In connection with the "Vígan zengjetek, citerák!" (Sound Forth, Zithers!) instrument exhibition, the Ethnographic Museum issued a call to amateur and professional musicians, ensembles, students and teachers who love the zither, so that zither players and orchestras currently active in the Hungarian-speaking region can become visible and heard in the exhibition through a digital map and live zither music. From 15 February to 28 June 2025, every Saturday from 3 p.m., the exhibition's own stage hosts concerts, featuring performances by orchestras participating in the collection campaign. Below you can read their presentations!
Sitkei Zither Orchestra
The zither orchestra was formed on 28 October 1966 with five members, led by Zoltán Lábodi, among the first in Vas County, and has been operating continuously since then. On the occasion of the orchestra's tenth anniversary, the ensemble received ministerial commendation. On the occasion of its fifteenth anniversary, in 1981, the orchestra became the second group in the county among amateur groups to receive the prestigious award for "Vas County Culture," and has earned numerous county and national silver and gold ratings. In 2006, Sitke Municipality awarded the ensemble the "For Sitke Municipality" medal. In 2009, the group received the Sárvári Microregion Cultural Award named after their founder-conductor Zoltán Lábodi. On the occasion of their anniversaries, they received recognition from the Vas County Assembly for the outstanding cultivation and promotion of Hungarian folk songs and folk music. Over the past nearly sixty years, they have promoted Hungarian folk music not only in our country but also abroad, performing multiple times in Austria and Transylvania, Croatia and Slovenia.
Today, the sons and grandsons of the founding members play in the orchestra, with a current membership of ten. They play a significant role in the cultural life of Sitke. There is hardly any event or activity in the village that takes place without the orchestra's performance, and they can also be counted on for community work.
Their first instruments were made by the village's carpenter at the time, Zoltán Fóth. There were no semitones on these, and they were played with a goose quill. In the nineteen-seventies, Zsigmond Tuka made their zithers, and by then they played on semitone instruments with their fingers. They purchased their current zithers in 2005 from master instrument maker Tibor Gáts; the bass zither was made by László Gróf, the current conductor. Today they already play song collections in multiple parts, which János Földesi and János Földesi's wife Rózsa taught them. The ensemble has 2 CD recordings.
This event is part of the Easter programme day, for which a single, unified admission ticket is required.
In January 2025, the Ethnographic Museum opened an exhibition about the zither, the most beloved folk instrument. Since it is an instrument that can be relatively easily made and played, the curators of the exhibition sought to share this experience with visitors at the exhibition, alongside the nearly 90 instruments, 20 recordings and 3 films on display. Not only interactive applications and playable instruments were included in the exhibition, but contemporary zither players bear witness to the fact that the zither-music tradition is alive today.
In connection with the "Vígan zengjetek, citerák!" (Sound Forth, Zithers!) instrument exhibition, the Ethnographic Museum issued a call to amateur and professional musicians, ensembles, students and teachers who love the zither, so that zither players and orchestras currently active in the Hungarian-speaking region can become visible and heard in the exhibition through a digital map and live zither music. From 15 February to 28 June 2025, every Saturday from 3 p.m., the exhibition's own stage hosts concerts, featuring performances by orchestras participating in the collection campaign. Below you can read their presentations!
Sitkei Zither Orchestra
The zither orchestra was formed on 28 October 1966 with five members, led by Zoltán Lábodi, among the first in Vas County, and has been operating continuously since then. On the occasion of the orchestra's tenth anniversary, the ensemble received ministerial commendation. On the occasion of its fifteenth anniversary, in 1981, the orchestra became the second group in the county among amateur groups to receive the prestigious award for "Vas County Culture," and has earned numerous county and national silver and gold ratings. In 2006, Sitke Municipality awarded the ensemble the "For Sitke Municipality" medal. In 2009, the group received the Sárvári Microregion Cultural Award named after their founder-conductor Zoltán Lábodi. On the occasion of their anniversaries, they received recognition from the Vas County Assembly for the outstanding cultivation and promotion of Hungarian folk songs and folk music. Over the past nearly sixty years, they have promoted Hungarian folk music not only in our country but also abroad, performing multiple times in Austria and Transylvania, Croatia and Slovenia.
Today, the sons and grandsons of the founding members play in the orchestra, with a current membership of ten. They play a significant role in the cultural life of Sitke. There is hardly any event or activity in the village that takes place without the orchestra's performance, and they can also be counted on for community work.
Their first instruments were made by the village's carpenter at the time, Zoltán Fóth. There were no semitones on these, and they were played with a goose quill. In the nineteen-seventies, Zsigmond Tuka made their zithers, and by then they played on semitone instruments with their fingers. They purchased their current zithers in 2005 from master instrument maker Tibor Gáts; the bass zither was made by László Gróf, the current conductor. Today they already play song collections in multiple parts, which János Földesi and János Földesi's wife Rózsa taught them. The ensemble has 2 CD recordings.
This event is part of the Easter programme day, for which a single, unified admission ticket is required.
As with other events or in other places, photographs and audio recordings may be made at this event. By entering the event, participants give their prior and explicit consent – without further question – to the recording and publication of their face and appearance as they may be recognizable in these recordings, for example for the purpose of promoting similar future events.
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