The Suttyom Band was formed in 1993 in Békés County by young people who are fond of folk music. Additional members joined the group later, while some of the founding members left. In its current form, the band has been active since 1996.
The current permanent members of the Suttyom Band are:
The name of the band usually brings a smile to the audience, but for more than 25 years, we have embraced this peculiar title, which actually reveals a lot about us. Those who know us already know that we are a cheerful, open, and approachable group. The name itself is actually a product of a pub scene, which later became familiar and even beloved for our dancing friends and the audience.
In our band's repertoire, you can find folk music from every region of historical Hungary, and the beloved melodies for us are showcased on our double album "20 Years of Suttyom". We have a long list of solo concerts, folk music performances, showcases, and dance houses behind us, which would be too lengthy to list here; instead, let our photos on our website tell the story. Over the years, the band has become more cohesive, and with new members, the music has become even richer in sound. Often, we invited our folk musician friends to our concerts and performances to make our productions more diverse and unique in sound. We've always enjoyed the polished, unified sound of a large ensemble. This aspiration is well reflected in the "20 Years of Suttyom" album, as we've invited numerous musician and singer friends to join us for some great collaborative music-making.
Our members pay special attention to preserving the archaic instrumental sound and the authenticity of folk music. We take particular care to accurately reproduce the style and techniques of each source band. Of course, in many cases, we shape the music according to our own taste, which manifests in the unique instrumentation and harmonization of certain pieces. At other times, we boldly approach melodies and hits that were not originally created in a folk music style and sound.
In 2002, we established a foundation with the aim of collecting and passing on the remaining, processable folk music or other folk art traditions of Békés County to the younger generation. In the same year, we launched the Suttyom Folk Music Festival, followed by the Folk Art Competition, as well as other family dance-house and heritage preservation events, which we continue to organize year after year. These activities demonstrate our commitment as dedicated supporters of Hungarian folk art, and we will remain so for as long as we have the strength and energy.
It is important for us to make folk music popular among emerging young musicians. In 2019, we had the opportunity to meet young people living in Temesvár during a festival, and since then, we have been trying to pass on and teach them the folk music material collected over many years on a monthly basis. As Hungarian expatriates living abroad, it is crucial for them to preserve this part of their folk culture and pass it on to the younger generation.
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Copyright © 2019 Suttyomba Zenekar
5540. Szarvas Jókai utca 32.