Biography of Agnes Zsigmondi McCraven

"She is one of the Valley's most outstanding musicians, versatile in both traditional folk idioms and in her unique interpretation of North American Jazz music."
- The Valley Advocate, Springfield, MA 

"This is your golden opportunity to see the Hungarian Flash locally following her debut at the latest Peoples Music Network Weekend."
- Peoples Music Network, Cambridge,MA 

"Agnes Zsigmondi who has the most beautiful voice among Hungarian singers"
-Valosag, Budapest, Hungary

"…a voice, extraordinarily pure and magnetic. She sings with restrained lyricism…her improvisation resembles a kind of jazz with Hungarian flavor…She makes you laugh and cry."
-Liberation, Paris, France

AGNES ZSIGMONDI was born in Budapest, Hungary. In 1972, she joined a renewed folk dancing group called Bihari as a lead singer and flutist. In 1974 she made her first international tour as the solo singer of the famous Hungarian gypsy group, Rajko. At the same time she began her studies at the Bela Bartok Conservatory in Budapest.

In 1975, Agnes and four other musicians formed the group Kolinda. They composed their own music, drawing from the rhythms and melodies of central European music. They were popular in Hungary and in the West, where they were received enthusiastically. They played concerts at the Theatre de la Ville and Olympia in Paris and festivals in St. Florent, Nyon and Bern. During this time they recorded three albums in France.

In 1978 Agnes resumed her solo career. In 1980 she left Budapest for Paris. As a solo artist she performed successfully at the Palais des Glaces and the at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Agnes decided to move to the U.S.A. in 1985. She performed her first concert in the U.S.A. at the Speak Easy Club in New York and has performed in many New England Clubs and Universities. Agnes appeared on local cable TV with recordings of her live performances and ACTV frequently plays her shows recorded for the Amherst channel.

Since her last CD release and international tour with the group Kolinda in 1996, she returned to Budapest to perform with the group again at the International Sziget Festival in the summer of 2004.

AGNES ZSIGMONDI has also recorded two CD's of her original arrangements and compositions. Her unique style is based on East European traditional rhythms and melodies, creatively incorporating folk, jazz, hip-hop and Latin elements.

Contact: amccraven@hotmail.com

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