EtnoRom

Etnorom Ensemble was founded in 2005 by Jozsef Balog and Agnes Kunstler, the world- famous ex-soloists of 'Kalyi Jag' Hungarian Gypsy folk group. The members are the virtuosos of Gypsy music, who grew up singing and playing music and toured the world from Japan to the United States. Their music broke borders: it was celebrated world-wide as the 'first authentic Romany voice' from Middle-Eastern Europe. After twenty years of wanderings around the world, the foundation of EtnoRom is a sign- post at the musical crossroads of József Balog’s and Ágnes Künstler’s life, where traditional, rough Gypsy tunes and rhythms run into magical Gypsy jazz and swing, with exploding energy. Besides being the founder, song-writer, and solo singer of EtnoRom, József Balog is considered to be the ’King of Roma Ballads’ in Hungary, since he transmits emotions, passion and pain of the Gypsy heart with special sensitivity, in a unique voice, and musical style. For his musical achievements, József Balog was nominated to be the ’Ambassador of Gypsy Music’ by the Blissful Ceferino Order. EtnoRom’s co-founder, Ágnes Künstler (song-writer, solo singer) unites in herself the ancient power, pride, and tenderness of a Gypsy woman, as she tells her stories in her mesmerizing ’dancing voice’, taking people far away from reality, into a world full with extreme emotions. With its first album ‘Rományi Luma – Gipsy World’ (produced by Fonó Records, Budapest in 2006). EtnoRom’s second album ’Diri, Diri’ (produced by Gryllus Records, Budapest in 2011) Since its foundation in 2005, EtnoRom has won the ’Price for Best Professional Performance’ of the Budapest Fringe Festival (out of more than 400 concerts and performances) two times, performed at the prestigious Budapest Spring Festival, and burnt the stage of many music festivals throughout Hungary, Austria, Italy, Germany, Finland, Norway, Polland, The Czech Republic, Estonia, Ukrain, France, Holland, Spain, and The United States. EtnoRom’s concerts take the audience into the world of true feelings with a constant emotional pulsation, which ends up with cleansed soul, and the discovery of no matter, where we are from or what language we speak, we all have the same rhythm – the rhythm of the heart.