Symphonia Foundation has been established in 2012 by Hungarian piano artist György Oravecz. After a successful pilot program and an EU project, in September 2015 we established (and have been operating successfully ever since) the Symphonia Elementary School of Music (Symphonia AMI), the flagship of the domestic version of El Sistema. Our program, the „Szimfónia Program” incorporates the best Hungarian traditions of music education, including of course the Kodály method.
As of 2021, we work with nearly 1800 children at 22 locations all over Hungary, with the help of nearly 100 well-qualified music teachers. Our pupils or their families do not have to pay us any tuition fee. We teach children aged 6-18. Our work is not limited to musical education only: our teachers provide mental, social, emotional support as well.
A big percentage of our pupils live in extreme poverty, in segregated Roma settlements.
Our children learn to play brass, woodwind, percussion or string instruments.
At the end of the school year, we take our children to summer camps, which is sometimes their only holiday, and a further chance to make music together and to get new experiences.
Some of our children are already pursuing higher musical education, some have won awards at various musical competitions; attended festivals - and performed for high-ranking diplomats.