A powerhouse on the Southern Great Plain, the Szeged Symphony Orchestra anchors the city’s concert life and opera scene while popping up at festivals and civic celebrations. Their Korzó Music House base hosts full-orchestra rehearsals and intimate chamber sets, plus Saturday matinees that give kids a rich musical start.
Saturday matinees: jazz brushes up against classics
January 10, Saturday, 9:30 and 11:00 – Saturday Matinee Concerts Subscription/2: On the border of jazz and classical. Darius Milhaud’s La création du monde and other works headline, with conductor and host Gergely Dubóczky. Venue: Korzó Music House.
Chocolate Matinee: Tchaikovsky for kids
January 17, Saturday, 9:30 and 11:00 – Chocolate Matinee for Children/2: The Nutcracker. Highlights from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet, with artists from the Kövér Béla Puppet Theatre (Kövér Béla Bábszínház). Conductor and host: Tamás Pál. Venue: Korzó Music House.
Esterházy series: the Bach family spotlight
January 20, Tuesday, 16:30 – Esterházy/1: The Bach Family. Soloist: Dóra Pétery, harpsichord. Concertmaster: Zsolt Kalló. Venue: Szeged National Theatre, Small Stage.
New Year’s Concert: America 250
January 5, Monday, 19:00 – Szeged National Theatre. After a long hiatus, the orchestra returns with a New Year’s bash that salutes the 250th anniversary of American independence. On the bill: concert gems by Bernstein (West Side Story), Gershwin (An American in Paris), Copland, and other American hits. Guests: Kata Csorba, Szilveszter Szélpál, Ádám Fülöp, Panna Fülöp-Farkas, Anita Hajdu. Conductor: Gergely Dubóczky.
Puccini Opera Gala in Kecskemét
February 2, Monday, 19:00 – Hírös Agóra, Hírös Cultural Center (Hírös Agóra Kulturális Központ), Kecskemét. Plush melodies, sweeping emotions, romance with a realist edge: Puccini’s operas hold a singular place in music history. Born in Italy around 1600 with Claudio Monteverdi, opera quickly dominated Italian music, while elsewhere composers split their focus across symphonies, quartets, sonatas, concertos, and sacred works. For centuries, Italian opera set the standard; non-Italians struggled to carve their own voice onto the operatic map. Puccini stands at the center of Italy’s fin de siècle. Even as the 20th century’s chill entered the theater, he knew: without grand melodic arcs there is no Italian opera—even while Strauss, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky tested atonality to the north. If you crave beauty, soaring lines, and irresistible feeling, this concert delivers. For instance: Puccini: La bohème.
Program includes The Swallow (La rondine): Parigi! È la città dei desideri; Chi il bel sogno di Doretta; Ma come puoi lasciarmi; Capriccio sinfonico – excerpt. La bohème: Che gelida manina; Sì, mi chiamano Mimì; O soave fanciulla; Quando m’en vo’. Preludio sinfonico. Madama Butterfly: Vogliatemi bene. Manon Lescaut: Tu? Tu, amore? Tu?; Intermezzo; Sola, perduta, abbandonata. Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro. Tosca: E lucevan le stelle. Performers: Szeged Symphony Orchestra; Kinga Kriszta, soprano; Adorján Pataki, tenor. Conductor: Ádám Cser.
Dates and venues: 2026.01.05., 6720 Szeged, Vaszy Viktor tér 1. • 2026.01.10.–2026.01.20., 6700 Szeged • 2026.02.02., 6000 Kecskemét, Deák Ferenc tér 1.
