The MediChoir Students’ Choir of the University of Debrecen will celebrate its 15th anniversary in November with a special concert on Friday, November 21. The program will feature works by Zoltán Kodály, Tamás Daróci-Bárdos, Karl Jenkins, John Williams, and Leonard Cohen, among others. Individual performances will also be presented, including pieces by Chopin and Bach.
“The history of the MediChoir Students’ Choir dates back to 2010, when a few music-loving medical students decided to expand their informal music sessions in the dormitories and establish a choir,” recalled Máté Nagy-Pénzes, president of the MediChoir Cultural Association.
The ensemble, founded by Ágnes Lipécz, is led artistically by Bernadett Bettina Kovács-Bodó. The choir’s first performance took place on November 30, 2010, at the AIDS World Day Charity Concert organized by the Association of Medical Students in Debrecen, with a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Since that first performance, the choir has celebrated its anniversary each year at this charity concert, which will mark its 15th edition this year. The self-organized, student-led choir’s artistic direction has been under Anett Fógel-Veres since 2013, who received recognition from KÓTA in 2016 for her choral development work. Organizational tasks have always been carried out by students preparing for medical and healthcare careers.
The choir, which started with just eight members, has gradually grown, and more than 300 students have joined over the years. On average, 50–60 active members participate each semester. The ensemble welcomes singers from all faculties of the university, although the core remains students and alumni of the medical and health sciences faculties, which is why it has kept the “medikus” name. Across more than 100 performances, the choir has consistently delivered high-quality presentations. MediChoir expresses sincere gratitude to the Association of Medical Students in Debrecen, the Kálmán Sántha College, the University of Debrecen Student Union, and the Professors’ Club for their support over the past fifteen years. Special thanks go to Professor Éva Oláh, founding president of the Professors’ Club, who supported the choir from the very beginning.
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To celebrate the anniversary, the choir will hold an independent concert on Friday, November 21, at 18:30 in the Main Building Aula of the University of Debrecen. The program includes Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah; James MacMillan – O Radiant Dawn; Zoltán Kodály – János köszöntő; Zoltán Gárdonyi – Sárgul már a fügefa levele; Tamás Daróci-Bárdos – Üszküdara; and Ferenc Farkas – Pataki diákdalok. Several students will also perform solo pieces, including works by Bach, Handel, and Chopin.
The concert is free to attend, and the organizers warmly welcome all music lovers. More details can be read here.
