Lídia Draskóczy	fiddle
Bercel Nagy	flute, kaval, tilinkó
László Németh	koboz (related to the lute)
Ágoston Benke FÉlix	drums

Concerts and dance-house

Zurgo is keen on having dance-houses for Hungarians and foreigners, children and adults alike. The traditional Csango ring, chain, row and couple dances consist of simple steps that can be learnt by anybody. The members of the group can also teach songs or tell folk tales to audiences.

Zurgo has participated in numerous prestigious festivals and events in the past years:

in 2007 participated among others in the following festivals:       Juan Miró Cultur Centrum (Madrid, Espana)       'III. CulturFest in Dolné Saliby' (Slovakia)       'Budapest Spring Festival' (Hungary)       'Znojemské hrozno' - celebration of wine (Znojmo, Czech Republic)       'Tradition Festival' (Pécs, Hungary)       'Folk Holidays, Highlands' About hard life and about traditional music Festival           - Námest nad Oslavou (Czech Republic)       'XXVIII. Kaláka International Folk Festival' - Diósgyőr (Hungary)       'Valley of Arts' (Kapolcs, Hungary)       'Song of Our Roots' Early Music Festival - Jaroslaw (Poland),       'XI. Festival of Csángós' (Budapest, Hungary)

in 2006 participated among others in the following festivals:       Pamplona, Sestao, Guernica, Peralta, Estella           - Concert tour with the Xarnege Band in Spain       'Festival Atlantis of the North' - Ketrzyn (Poland)       'Budapest Spring Festival' (Hungary)       'Summerfest 2006' - Százhalombatta (Hungary)       'VIII. Rozstaje Festival' (Kraków - Polonia)       'X. Festival of Csángós' (Budapest, Hungary)       'Sziget Festival 2006' - Budapest (Hungary)       'XVI. Folklore Festival of Minorities' (Jászberény, Hungary)       'Colours Fest - Sala' (Slovakia) in 2005 the Zurgó Band presented his new CD in several festivals and owns concerts:       Valladolid, Astigarraga, Burgos - owns concerts in Spain       'Artes y Eventos'           - cultural week in Lisboa and Cascais (Portugal)       'Budapest Spring Festival' (Hungary)       'Celebration of Saint Kinga' - Kroscienko (Poland)       'Festival of Folk Arts 2005' (Budapest, Hungary)       'IX. Festival of Csángós' (Budapest, Hungary)       'Új Nemzedék Találkozó' (Kőszeg, Hungary)       'XV. Folklore Festival of Minorities' (Jászberény, Hungary)       'Szejke - 39. Festival of Foklmusic and Folkdance' (Rumania)       'Egerszeg Fesztivál' 2005 (Zalaegerszeg, Hungary)       'Múzeumok Majálisa' 2005 (Budapest, Hungary) in 2004 participated among others in the following festivals:       'XXI. Festival Folk Segovia, Zamora, Palencia' (Spain)       'XX. Udazkenean Folk Festival' - San Sebastian (Spain)       'XXV. Kaláka Folkfesztivál' - (Diósgyőr, Hungary)       'III. WORLD FOLKLORIADA           - The Olympics of Folklore (Budapest, Hungary)       'XIV. Folklore Festival of Minorities' (Jászberény, Hungary)       VIII. Festival Csángó (Budapest, Hungary)       Sziget 2004 Fesztivál (Budapest, Hungary)       Nikosia - fiestas de la ampliación de Unión Europea (Cyprus)       Kiev - fiestas de la ampliación de Unión Europea (Ukraine) in 2003 the group was invited by several well-known Spanish festivals, and had a two-week tour in Spain including       'El món en el poble' (Cataluna)       'Bidasoafolk Festival' (País Vasco)       'Festival Folk de Plasencia' (Extremadura)  (Pictures) in 2003, 1999 and 1995 we played at the largest youth festival of Central Europe, the 'Island' ("Sziget",Budapest) in 2002 the group gave concerts at the 'Seven Towers Festival' in Budapest in 2001-2002 it had successful concerts at the 'Budapest Autumn Festival' since 1998 Zurgo has been a regular performer at the 'Folklore Festival of Minorities' in Jászbereny and the 'Festival on the Border' in Kőszeg, Hungary in 1998 the Finnish Peoples' Colleges invited us for a three-week tour in Finland, with concerts given at Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Ruokolahti, Savonlinna from 1997 the group has been playing at the Budapest 'Csango Festival'(Pictures) in 1996 and 1994 it held concerts at the 'Kalaka International Folk Festival' in 1996 Zurgo set up its own dance house and club in Budapest since 1994 we have been participating in the 'Annual Dance-House Meeting & Festival and Folk Craft Market' during the 'Budapest Spring Festival'

Discography The group's first own album was released in 1997 - Moldavian Csango Folk Music. Albums featuring Zurgo as a performer: 1994 - 1999 - Compilations of the Hungarian Dance-House Meeting, 1997 - Living Village Music, 1998 - My Sweetheart is dancing. 1994 - Hungarian Dance-House Meeting (as a performer) 1995 - Hungarian Dance-House Meeting (as a performer) 1996 - Hungarian Dance-House Meeting (as a performer) 1997 - Moldavian Csango Folk Music (group's own album) 1997 - Living Village Music (as a performer) 1998 - Hungarian Dance-House Meeting (as a performer) 1998 - My Sweetheart is dancing (as a performer) 1999 - Hungarian Dance-House Meeting (as a performer) 2003 - Living Village Music (as a performer) 2004 - Living Village Music (as a performer) 2004 - You can hear the heartbeat of time (group's own album) 2005 - Save as (as a performer) 2005 - Second Round (as a performer) 2007 - 'Hungry for Hungary?' (as a performer) 2007 - 'I sowed pearls' (as a performer)

The 'csango'-s

Moldavia is the territory, beyond the East Carpathian mountains, belonging to Romania today, where there were Hungarians arrived in several waves. From the 13th to the 18th centuries there were several migrations of Hungarian settlers to Moldavia. Their descendants are the people we call 'Csango' today.

They established their own settlements in Moldavia and have preserved their independence from the Orthodox Moldavian Romanians. Thus their culture has medieval European and Asian elements as well as Romanian, Balkanian, Slav and Turkish ones due to living close to those peoples. This is true for the music, as well as the dances, that are diverse even in their forms: beside round and pair dances, the so - called chain or line dances are also characteristic. Gregorian melodies, laments, ballads and new-style folk songs can be found in their culture as well as chain and line dances of ancient origin, the renaissance 'kettos'- a walking and fast couple dance-and the 19th-century Hungarian csardas.

On 23rd May 2001, the Permanent Committee of the General Assembly of the European Council accepted the Finnish Tytti Isohookana Asunmaa's report which stated that the Csangos of Moldavia speak a former version of Hungarian and have archaic traditions, colourful folk art and culture which are of special importance for Europe.

National Geographic - 2005     (further information>>)