Magyar Herald, 1988 (1-4. szám)
1988 / 2. szám
2nd QUARTER, 1988 MAGYAR HERALD NEWS ABOUT OURSELVES Musicians in Our Magyar Club INTRODUCTION If one visits one of the original halls enywhere in an American Hungarian historical community (that is one settled by pre World War I Hungarian immigrants) one will notice a stage. The stage was there for a purpose and it was used. The theater was loved by the Hungarians and much talent went into their usage, both professional and amature. The first performances took place shortly before the turn of the century. In later years in the thirties the Moreland theaterujn Buckeye had daily Hungarian plays. The demand for singers and actors for all ages was ever present. For generations gifted people entertained the audience from these stages. So along side the typical American stage which deminished with the advent of the movies, the Hungarian stage continued to flouish as long as the old timers were with us. Several Magyar Chtb members have performed on these stages as well as on stages for the American audience. LESLIE KONDOROSSY Studied Music at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Music Education at Case-Western Reserve University and Japanese Theater and Music at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. He has composed 176 opus which include 10 one act operas, The Kossuth Cantata, the Oratorio, David the Son of Jesse, Oratorio Sacred Fire, a jazz mass; music for instruments and voice, religious and art songs, numerous commissions, Honors include Decoration Medal, Hungarian World Federation, Budapest, Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, The Magyar Club of Cleveland. Listed in Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, International Who’s Who in Music. When asked to explain his music style, Kondorossy answered, “Bartok liberated music from musical dogma; he showed the way to a music that is completely unfettered; and he also showed me the way.” JÁNOS KISS Music educator, conductor-music director, cofounder of The West Suburban Philharmonic Orchestra; and composer, whose works are being performed throughout the world as well as in this country, the year of 1987 has been a musically varied and gratifying one indeed! On March 22, at the Beck Center for the Cultural Arts, in Lakewood, Ohio, The West Suburban Philharmonic Orchestra performed in a concert during which INVOCATION, a musical prayer for World Peace, by composer-conductor János Kiss, received its World Premiere Performance. Written for Solo Violin and Chamber Orchestra with Harp. He had been commissioned in 1983 to write “the official hymn of Fatima” by Father Louis Kondor, S.D.V. of Fatima. This film has already been translated into several languages. On September 27, János and Josephine flew to Hungary to hear his work, Ballet for Harps, performed by harpists Susan Tóth and Ágnes Sashegyi (of the Debrecen MÁV Philharmonic) in the new Kölcsey Cultural Center in the City of Debrecen, at the opening concert of the 1987—1988 concert season on October 1, which was designated as “World of Music Day”. He had sent the harp work to his “hometown” of Debrecen, in 1986, as a good will gesture, when Debrecen was celebrating its 625-years anniversary. János Kiss continues to receive many requests for compositions from individual artists and from various ensembles, both here and abroad. ELIZABETH DAVIS KONDOROSSY Mrs. Kondorossy started piano study at age 7. By the time she was 10 she was pianist at the Mt. Tabor Methodist Church in East Canton, Ohio. She graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, majoring in piano and organ. Has been music teacher, privately and music educator at Sunbeam School for Crippled Children and organist at First Hungarian Reformed Church starting in 1950. Wrote lyrics for husband’s operas, oratorios, religious and art songs. Performed her husband’s music at Severance Chamber Music Hall, Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and in churches in Cleveland and Budapest. Chairman of the Northeast District Ohio Music Teachers Association and the Advisory Council of the Cleveland Orchestra. Listed in the International Who’s Who in Music. ILONA MAJOROS PALASICS Ilona was one of those gifted children who could play the piano at the age of three without having been taught. Later she studied the piano as a child at the Liszt Conservatory (Buckeye Rd.). Her teachers were Mr. Csáktornyái and Mr. Rudnyánszki. The depression put an end to her private music studies. After graduation from high school she started her music studies again. She studied under John H. Tucker. She became a soloist at the Church of the Master and sang with the Cleveland Light Opera Co. After her marriage to John Plasics she continued her studies at the Cleveland Music school Settlement under Maurice Gondman who by the way was also the teacher for Frank Sinatra. In the meanwhile she sang at many Hungarian affairs and took leading roles in Hungarian operettas. In 1957 she became a member of the Robert Shaw Cleveland Symphony Chorus of Severance Hall. In 1967 she received the Joe Pasternak Award for serving the Hungarian Community of Cleveland with her vocal talents. She has sung opereta arias in Hungarian at Severance Hall, and was soloist for the Marguerite Duncan Balét Group. Her Hungarian itinerary included the Hungarian communities of Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Akron, Lorain, and Cleveland. She performed many times for the radio and on occasion for television. She is one of those unusual singers who could act, sing opera or folk songs with the same enthusiasm and skill. When she wasn’t performing she was teaching children to sing, helping the Hungarian Page 3 NOSTALGIC MONOLOGUE — 50 years later... (Continuedfrom Page2) on the shore. Once a year a little bird alights on it, rubs its beak on the marble surface first on the left, then on the right and flies away to return a year later. When the entire slab has corroded as a result of the rubbing, and if I could live that long, that is when I would forget the Magyar Club of Cleveland. Editorial note: Dr. Andor C. Klay is one of the most distinguished former members of our Magyar Club of Cleveland. Th Magyar Herald endears itself in portraying our own great ones and bring to our members delightful incidents from the history of our Club. Dr. Andor C. Klay is a highly esteemed American diplomat, author, scholar, lecturer. In World War I! he served in North Africa, Italy, and Germany. Received combat medals, In 1945 he was appointed to the Department of State as Western Europian specialist. Later became section chief in the Soviet Bloc Division. In 1956 career officer in the U. S. Foreign Service. He held high diplomatic positions in Belgrade, Frankfurt, and Berlin. In 1972 he retired at the second highest service level. He is still professorial lecturer of U.S. Foreign Service Institute and several universities and colleges. In 1985 he received the Abraham Lincoln Award from the American Hungarian Foundation.
