Üsztürü Band

The Üsztürü Band was formed in May 1992, in Kolozsvár. The founders are: Levente Major (1973) violin; Csongor Könczei (1974) kontra and also the Szász brothers from Korond, Jozsef Szász (1970) kontra and Lörinc Szász (1968) bass. They learned the folk music basics as the band of the Bogáncs Dance Group, which operated in the Brassai Sámuel High school.  Csongor has left Üsztürü to direct the dance group instead.

 After high school Levente and Csongor earned degrees in Ethnology and the Szász brothers graduated from the Technical University of Budapest. In 1992 while still students, they accepted Artistic Director Ŕrpád Könczei’s invitation to work for the Háromszék Ensemble in Sepsiszentgyörgy.  István Moldován Horváth, violinist from Marosvásárhely and Erika Demeter, singer/dancer from Székelykeresztur, joined the band at that time. As the band of the Háromszék Group, they not only gained experience but also a great reputation in Erdély (Transylvania) for the “Apám tánca – My father’s dance” and “A Menyasszony szép virág – The bride is a beautiful flower” shows.

Üsztürü not only plays for dance groups but also at dance parties, dance camps, and at festivals. Despite the fact that the number of folk movement followers is shrinking, in Transylvania these traditions are very much alive even at the beginning of the 21^st Century. Therefore, the band is able to work mainly with Transylvanian folk musicians from Szék, Kalotaszeg, Mezöség, Küküllömente and Székelyföld. Since their mission is to preserve and present authentic music, it is essential to keep personal contact with Transylvanian musicians.

The visits to little villages are also educational trips where they have learned from the best musicians, such as István Ŕdám “Icsán” from Szék, the old “Ŕrus” of Méra, the virtuous Sándor Fodor “Netti” or the famous Kodobas from Palatka and the musicians in Szászcsávás, István Jámbor “Dumnezu” and Ferenc Mezei “Csángáló.”   These musicians can now be heard only in recordings.

The mission of the band can be best explained with their own words: “During our career we have often met people whose influence really made our love and respect for folk culture deeper. This motivated us to visit these people in their own surroundings and learn their lifestyle and outlook on life. We would like to bring the thoughts and emotions caused by these experiences to life through our music.”