Chorus

No other chorus in Hungary performs work comparable to that of the Hungarian State Opera Chorus. The lives of its 160 artists revolve around learning and memorising pieces, performing them under ever-changing conductors, with varying tempos and dynamics, amidst the most diverse stage conditions and directorial styles. Their repertoire extends beyond Hungarian to include Italian, German, French, Russian, English, Czech, Finnish, Hebrew, and Latin. Most members join with a soloist diploma from the Music Academy. This chorus is far from the sharp and undefined vocal style heard on recordings from the 1950s. They are highly trained vocalists, a group of accomplished artists without whom a successful opera performance would be unthinkable. In 2017, the OPERA Chorus, the oldest and largest professional chorus in Hungary won the title of Best Opera Chorus in the World in a major online poll (bachtrack.com – London) and were also awarded the Budapest Prize that same year.