Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Associate Vice President, Marketing Communications, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

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1/04/07
Story by Peggy Graham

This Gypsy Is King

For centuries, gypsies have lived by their traditions, wits and skills – including a fascinating blend of music influenced by travels through many cultures. Roby Lakatos, “King of the Gypsy Violin,” mirrors that musical mix. He is as much at home in classical music and jazz as he is at home in the Hungarian folk idiom.

Roby Lakatos and his exotic five-piece ensemble make their Midwest debut, performing high and fast with string music at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College. The ensemble features a cimbalom (the national instrument of Hungary), guitar, upright bass, violin, piano and the amazing, blazing violin of Lakatos.

Like the gypsies he represents, Lakatos fits no single definition. He is gypsy violinist, classical virtuoso, devil fiddler, jazz musician and composer – a universal musician. Born in 1965 into the legendary family of gypsy violinists descended from Janos Bihari, Lakatos was introduced to music as a child and made his public debut as first violinist in a gypsy band at age 9. He learned his craft not only from his family but also at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Budapest. Between 1986 and 1996, he and his ensemble delighted audiences in Brussels, their musical home. He collaborated with Vadim Repin and Stéphane Grappelli, and Sir Yehudi Menuhin was a frequent visitor to their club.

In March 2004, Lakatos appeared to great acclaim with the London Symphony Orchestra in its “Genius of the Violin” festival. The Roby Lakatos Ensemble makes its North American debut tour this season.

Other members of the Roby Lakatos ensemble are Kálman Cséki, pianist; Lászlo Bóni, second violinist; Ernest Bangó, cimbalom (related to the hammered dulcimer); Oszkár Németh, violin; and Attila Rontó, guitarist. In 1998, the ensemble’s first CD, Lakatos was released by Deutsche Grammophon, with whom they have an exclusive contract. The CD includes works of Brahms, as well as music from John William’s score for Schindler’s List and Charles Aznavour’s La BohemeThree other CDs follow with the same diversity – jazz to gypsy rhythms to masterpiece scores from great films like Fiddler on the Roof or Once Upon a Time in America.

The Times of London purports that Lakatos plays “about 100 notes a second,” a quality sure to stir the gypsy soul and the ears of the well-studied musician. Tickets are $30 and $20, available by calling the Carlsen Center box office, 913-469-4445, or online at www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter.