Hearing a recording of a flute melody from Gyimes, it took Juhász Zoltán but a moment to decided his mission in life. An electrical engineer by training, Zoltán specializes in the field of algorithms and artificial intelligence. The computer analysis method he developed for matching distant melodies from all corners of the world has a potential to make him famous, yet his true passion lies in researching, performing and teaching the instrumental and vocal traditions of the Hungarian shepherds.
It was in 1976 that Zoltán met his first masters, Moldavian flutists Csobán György and Gusa Pál, in person. Since then, his collection has expanded to include hundreds of hours of folk music recordings. He plays with the band Egyszólam (Monophonic), but he also collaborates on performances and publications of other renowned folk music ensembles. His flute playing has been heard by audiences in London’s Royal Festival Hall, at the Lincoln Center in New York City, and in the concert hall of Bosphorus University, Istanbul, among many others.
