As part of its annual series of Community Week events, the Budapest Festival Orchestra performed chamber music concerts entitled Golden Years in nine nursing homes in Budapest. The live performance was an uplifting experience both for the elderly residents and the musicians, who had not been able to play in front of an audience for a long time.
Over the course of April, the Budapest Festival Orchestra gave chamber music concerts in nine nursing homes, the majority of them operated by the Municipality of Budapest. Forming a part of the BFO’s annual Community Week event series, the Golden Years performances were held in courtyards or gardens, adhering to strict epidemiological safety measures. Most of the concerts featured string quartets, receiving enthusiastic praise from nursing home residents, caregivers and doctors. The musicians found special joy not only in the feeling of helping, but also in finally being able to perform in front of an audience after many long months of online concerts. As violinist Ágnes Biró put it at the concert at the Kútvölgyi út Nursing Home: “For over a year now, we have been unable to perform for our audiences. These Community Week concerts are the first ones we are performing before an audience, which is certainly energizing for any musician.”
Bringing music to nursing homes, the Golden Years concerts drew a total audience of more than 350 people. Click the following link to view the short film of the program: https://youtu.be/-TyV6HVjxCY.
Through its community programs, the Budapest Festival Orchestra has been fulfilling a social mission for many years, sharing the joy of listening to music and playing music with those who otherwise would not have the means to access classical music, or for whom it would be difficult to do so.
