SöndörgőXXX - 30 Year Anniversary - 18. Kultur im Kursaal 2026/27 - 26. AKKORDE

26. AKKORDE - Guitar Festival on the Upper Rhine

The archaic character of traditional music, the sophistication of classical composition, the energy of rock, and the clarity of Bartók's thinking - these are the forces that shape the Hungarian band Söndörgő, one of the most exciting, innovative, and acclaimed acts on the international world music scene.

When Söndörgő was founded 30 years ago, its members were still children, growing up alongside the band. Four of the five musicians come from the same family: three brothers (Aaron, Benjamin, and Salamon Eredics) and a cousin (David Eredics). Their spiritual backbone is the legendary Vujicsics Ensemble, which has been playing authentic South Slavic folk music for nearly fifty years - fathers, uncles, and other musicians from the Eredics family. In the spirit of Zoltán Kodály's ideals, the musical education of Söndörgő's members began nine months before they were born. They know the roots of their musical world intimately - and when needed, on a scholarly level too (all four Eredics members teach in the folk music department of the Budapest Music Academy). What drives them is what traditional music once meant, and above all, what it can mean today and tomorrow.

2024 marked a turning point in Söndörgő's artistic journey. The band released the landmark album Gyezz with internationally celebrated jazz saxophonist Chris Potter. It received widespread critical acclaim, including four-star reviews from Jazzwise and Songlines, and reached No. 1 in both the World Music Charts Europe and the Songlines Top of the World. This momentum culminated in Söndörgő's 30th anniversary in 2025, crowned by their appointment as Ensemble of the Season at Müpa Budapest. That same year the band released the album XXX and toured extensively across Europe and Japan.