Meet the Participants of the Pajta [Barn] Programme - Crumbs of Culture in Balatongyörök
This is the first in a series of reports introducing settlements participating in the Pajta [Barn] Programme. Balatongyörök is a town where classical music and jazz lovers, literature addicts and fine arts enthusiasts are sure to find something unique and suited to their taste. Moreover, they will be able to do so throughout the year. We talked to Éva Villányi about the ‘Györök Crumbs of Culture’ events.
The permanent population of Balatongyörök is around 1,000 souls. This number grows to around 1,500 with the holiday homeowners during the high season. No wonder, therefore, that there is a particular focus on the events from May to October. Still, because of the interest of permanent residents, we thought we would extend the cultural offer to cover the entire year.
- says Éva, who is responsible for running the programmes. The first step in the ‘Györök Crumbs of Culture’ effort was to form a local choir. Instrumental music programmes for children with the title' Caress an Instrument' have been held since March and will be available to locals throughout the year. As the audience is split between high season visitors and permanent residents, events need to be organised along two separate lines.
For permanent residents, we focus mainly on community-building activities, such as the choir or children's activities. We want to keep these going in the long term, winter, and summer. Events of broader interest, such as the ArtPicnic, where we talk with artists, will start in May and run through October.
In selecting the leaders and performers, an important principle is that they should have a link, one way or another, to Lake Balaton.
For example, the graphic artist Győző Somogyi, was invited to lead a discussion about the conflicts that develop between old-time Balaton residents and those who moved here in recent years. Győző has experiences in this area from the Káli Basin.
This issue has had a significant influence on the makeup of the programmes because, around the lake, a simple village day is no longer enough to attract the interest of residents and visitors.
Many intellectuals, lovers of music, literature and art, live or regularly come here. It is important that they receive the right cultural impulses. These days, we need something extra to make people want to go to an event and participate in community life. We have well-known names that bring the audiences in, such as Lajos Parti Nagy, the writer or Armand Kautzky, the actor. We also pay careful attention to include artists who are, perhaps, less mainstream but are of interest to some groups. One of them is Kornél Fekete-Kovács, a name familiar to jazz connoisseurs.
Naturally, the ‘Györök Crumbs of Culture’ not only caters to adults but to children, with exciting and educational programmes such the 'Caress an Instrument', a demonstration of instrumental music. Another, the 'FAQ Programme' introduces them to the basics of the arts.
Education programmes also reach out to adults through an 'Easy-to-Understand Jazz' lecture series and a contemporary art talk entitled "Do You Know What You Are Looking At?". These elements culminate in the Györök Summer Art Show, which, for years now, has featured works of well-known artists.
Asked what new insights and opportunities the Barn Programme adds to the town’s life, Éva says that the most evident result is strengthening the local community.
I already mentioned that we've been thinking about starting a local choir for a long time. It was the Pajta Programme that gave us the impetus to take action. We didn’t think there would be much interest, but it quickly became clear that the locals had a true desire to be involved in this type of community programme. Another issue is that before the Pajta Programme, we never had talks or arts-related performances. It is a learning process for us, too, and we are curious about how they will be received. As concerns the long term, we are keen to increase the number of those, who come regularly to the programmes and cultural events we organise.
