Armel Opera Festival Presents Réka Kristóf, Soprano

The Armel Opera Festival presents RÉKA KRISTÓF, soprano the winner of Virtuosos 2017, Hungary with Äneas HUMM, baritone and Gergely BOGÁNYI, piano. This special concert is on Wednesday, May 16 at 8:00 pm at Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall). Peter Klein is the executive Producer. The program will include some concert classics by some of Hungary's famous composers, and those of other world renowned composers. Tickets will soon be available.

Réka Kristóf was born in Slovakia and grew up in Hungary. She began her music studies at the Conservatory of János Richter. In 2012, Réka was admitted to the University of the Arts Breme. Réka is a regular participant in major master classes in Europe. In 2011, at the 7th International József Simándy Competition in Szeged, the young soprano won the special prize. In 2015, she has won another special prize at Timmendorfer Strand. She became one of the few students to receive a Deutsche Bühnenvereinen scholarship. During her studies in Germany, she performed many roles such as Gretel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. In addition to school projects, she also performed at Bremerhaven portraying Liset in Puccini's opera, La Rondine. Réka has performed at Bremen's Die Glocke and Munich's Prinzregententheatre Gartensaal. Last year, she won the Virtuosos Classical Music Talent Show.

Swiss baritone Äneas Humm is a guest artist at concert halls and opera houses around Europe and is one of today's most promising young singers. A program dedicated to him appeared on Swiss Television that has been broadcast several times across Europe. At 18, he made his opera debut at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven followed by concerts across Europe and America. As a child, he studied viola and singing and continue studies at the University of the Arts Bremen. He also works with the Liechtenstein Sinfonie Orchester, Arp Schnitger Ensemble, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Winterthurer Symphoniker and Bremer Philharmoniker. As a lied singer, Äneas works together with pianists, Babette Hierholzer and Judit Polgar, and gives recitals at renowned chamber music series and festivals. His first CD is, Awakening,

Gergely Bogányi began to play the piano at the age of four, studying at the Liszt Academy of Music, Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and finished his studies at Indiana University. He has won numerous competitions including the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Budapest in 1996. He is a regular guest in Europe and worldwide, as well as an orchestra soloist. He received the Liszt Prize; and was awarded the 'Cross of Merit of the Order of the White Rose' by the President of the Republic of Finland. He has also been awarded the Kossuth Prize, the Junior Prima Award, and the Prima Primissima Award, which are the top cultural awards in Hungary. Also, just over a week ago he was given the Stockholm Culture Award in Sweden.

The Armel Opera Festival is a unique operatic event that has presented opera rarities and, in particular, contemporary works since 2008. The international jury of the Armel Opera Competition assesses the singers' vocal qualities their acting skills. The singers selected in two rounds of the competition are offered the main roles in the festival productions, and in the final stage of the challenge, they can prove their talent in the Armel Opera Festival performances and win the Award for Best Performer. The Armel Opera Festival shows are broadcast live on the French-German Arte Concert channel annually, and the recorded performances can be accessed by opera-loving audiences on the channel's website for another six months.