News and Events
New Canadian Ambassador to Hungary
August 30, 2010
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced the following diplomatic appointment: Tamara Guttman becomes Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary, with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Slovenia and to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ms. Guttman succeeds Mr. Pierre Guimond. Ms. Guttman's biographical note can be found HERE.
L’honorable Lawrence Cannon, le ministre des Affaires étrangères du Canada, annonça la nomination diplomatiques suivante. Mme Tamara Guttman fut nommée ambassadrice auprès de la République de Hongrie avec accréditation simultanée auprès de la République de Slovénie et de la Bosnie-Herzégovine. Elle succède au poste à M. Pierre Guimond. Vous trouverez ci-jointe la biographie de Mme Guttman.
Hungarian Scholar Visits British Columbia
August 24th 2010
In early August 2010 a Hungarian scholar was an a study tour of British Columbia. Dr Gertrud Szamosi, Professor of English literatures and cultures at the University of Pécs in Hungary was on a two week study tour to enrich her knowledge of Canadian studies and meet with Canadian writers and academics in her field. In addition to meeting with a number of writers (some of Hungarian origin), she also gave a talk to the Victoria Hungarian Society on August 7th. John Miska, editorial adviser and regional correspondent of the Hungarian Presence website has sent us the following report on Dr Szamosi’s talk. We have also contacted Dr Szamosi herself to ask how she views her experience in Canada and she kindly sent us a few lines which is also included here. We hope to be able to maintain contact with Dr Szamosi as with other Hungarian scholars who are working in the ever growing field of Canadian studies in Hungary and Central Europe. Read more...
Peter Czink gets recognition from Hungary
August 3rd, 2010
Founder and editor of the New Hungarian Voice (and regional correspondent for the Hungarian Presence website), Peter Czink of Vancouver, has been recognized for his many years of volunteer work in the field of Hungarian military history by a special award from the Hungarian Military History Institute and Museum. Peter has published much of his own research and that of others in this field and has also made donations to the Museum’s collection. Read Lorraine Weideman’s article about this award and see the medal and certificate Peter has received.
Government of Canada recognizes 1956 Hungarian refugees as part of Canada's national history
July 27, 2010
The Hon Jim Prentice, Minister of Environment and minister responsible for Parks Canada announced in a press release of July 26th 2010 that the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Parks Canada agreed to the designation of the arrival of the Hungarian Refugees of 1956 as an event of national historic significance. Thus the government recognizes the generosity of Canadians and the contributions of the 1956 refugees to Canada. At the same time this designation acknowledges the important role the events of 1956/57 played in the subsequent development of Canadian immigration and refugee policies.
In early 2006 Dr Les Jozsa, on behalf of the Sopron/UBC Forestry Faculty’s graduates, (see their story on our site: Sopron Forestry School) had first recommended to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Parks Canada that the arrival and integration of the Sopron forestry school (some 450 professors and students) after the 1956 Hungarian Revolution into the UBC Faculty of Forestry be considered an event of national historic significance and be commemorated. This recommendation must have planted the idea with the Board and the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation, without knowing of this original proposal, made similar representations to Parks Canada in 2007-8. We are sure that many of the 1956 Hungarian Refugees in Canada will applaud the government for this recognition.
Since its establishment in 2005, the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation is proud to have played a part in creating awareness not only for the reception of the 1956 refugees but also for the benefits in general of living in a culturally diverse society; one which is open to refugees and immigrants. We were pleased to support the Historic Sites and Monuments Board's initiative. Read more...
Gabor Csepregi’s New Challenge: St Boniface
July 22, 2010
The Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation would like to congratulate its Vice-President, Dr Gabor Csepregi on his appointment as Vice-President (Teaching and Research) at the Collège Universitaire St Boniface. Gabor has made significant contributions to the development of the Dominican University College as an educational institution during his tenure there as President and Regent of Studies. Read more...
Janos Buda at The Bluffs Gallery: Rediscovering an artist’s legacy
July 12, 2010
Toronto – A life in art will be revisited at Scarborough’s Bluffs Gallery this month. Drawings, paintings and prints from the estate of Hungarian-born artist Janos Buda will be shown in the Scarborough Arts Council’s gallery from July 17 – 27.
Buda’s life was consumed with art-making, and his early years as an artist included numerous exhibitions in European galleries. From his arrival in Toronto in 1955, Buda was involved in this city’s art community, and was a well-recognized visitor to concerts and exhibitions. He was an active member of many groups, including Scarborough Arts Council, where he remained a faithful volunteer until shortly before his death. Read more...
Invitation to the launch of Outcasts –the Hungarian version
May 26th 2010
Susan Papp Aykler’s Outcasts – A Love Story (published by Dundurn Press in May 2009) has been translated into Hungarian and is being published by Aposztroph Press in Hungary in time for the annual national Book Week which takes place June3-7th 2010. After the successful film version of the book which premiered on Omni in November 2009, the story of the two lovers separated by war and peace is now available for Hungarian readers. For more information on the story, see our webpage HERE and the Hungarian invitation to the launch and autograph session with the author on June 5th at 17.00 at the Publisher’s booth on Vorosmarty Ter (Square). Aposztrof publishers can be found at pavilion 129 on Vorosmarty Ter. The new Hungarian version of Outcasts (Megtagadva) is also being launched at Toronto in June. We congratulate Susan on this new success!
Exhibition of Hungarian visual artists in Hamilton
May 20th 2010
An exhibition of Hungarian visual artists in Canada is taking place at the Pearl Company, a theatre and arts facility in Hamilton from April 30th to June 1st 2010. The group exhibits together to help promote each other’s work and to share experiences as contemporary visual artists. For information visit the website of the Perl Company here:
http://thepearlcompany.ca/?p=1215
Annual concert of Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Montreal
April 16th 2010
The annual concert of the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM) of Montreal on April 21st 2010 will be devoted to the music of three composers, including Hungarian György Kurtág. The highlight of the concert will be a performance of Kurtág’s Four Songs on Poems by Anna Akhmatova, Opus 41, composed in 1997 and first performed in New York in 2009. The performance on April 21st will be the work’s Canadian première and will feature Russian soprano Natalya Zagorinskaya, for whom the work was composed. The program also includes works by Canadian composer Serge Garant and Karlheinz Stockhasuen.
The concert takes place at the Salle Claude Champagne, 200 Avenue Vincent d’Indy, Montreal on Wednesday April 21st at 8 pm. For details and tickets click on the press release or visit NEM’s website at www.lenem.ca
Hungarian Ambassador Receives Order of Merit
We would like to congratulate His Excellency, Dr Pal Vastagh, ambassador of the Republic of Hungary to Canada on receiving a high state honour. On March 15th, 2010 the President of Hungary, His Excellency, Laszlo Solyom, awarded Mr Vastagh the Commander’s Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend Középkeresztje) for his many years of “successful educational and diplomatic contributions”. We are happy to see Mr Vastagh’s work thus acknowledged by the President and wish him much continued success in his position as Ambassador to Canada as well as his future endeavours. Bilateral relations between Canada and Hungary have seen positive developments during his tenure, including the visit to Hungary of Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada. Our Foundation has also been able to progress with furthering educational opportunities between our two countries with Mr Vastagh’s assistance.
Here is the citation for Mr Vastagh’s honour in Hungarian: “A Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend Középkeresztje: eredményes oktatói és diplomáciai tevékenysége elismeréseként dr Vastagh Pálnak, az állam és jogtudomány kandidátusának, a Magyar Köztársaság ottawai rendkívüli és meghatalmazott nagykövetének.”
March 21th 2010
Beatrix Finta receives "Pro Cultura Hungarica" Award
Beatrix Finta, well-known Ottawa music teacher and choir director received the PRO CULTURA HUNGARICA award on March 12th 2010 in recognition of her lifetime ahcievements in the field of musical education in Canada. She was presented with the award by His Excellency, Dr Pal Vastagh, ambassador of the Republic of Hungary. Bea, as she is known, had taught and promoted the Kodaly method over a twenty year period to music students and teachers across Canada. Subsequently, after settling in Ottawa, where she continued to teach music, she also provided professional guidance to the Ottawa Hungarian Choir for the last 15 years developing the choir from an informal group into a regular and sought after institution of the local music scene. The Choir frequently performs at Hungarian cultural events but also participates with other Canadian choirs in festivals and concerts. The next performance of the Choir will take place on April 17th 2010 at 7pm at the First Unitarian Church, Cleary Avenue, Ottawa where they will perform together with the Kanata Choral Society and the Chalice Choir of the First Unitarian Congregation.
March 21th 2010
Hungarian Studies conference in Montreal, May 29-30th, 2010
March 19th 2010
The 2010 annual conference of the Hungarian Studies Association of Canada (HSAC) is taking place at Concordia University, Montreal on May 29-30th . As usual, the conference is taking place under the aegis of the Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences of Canada http://www.congress2010.ca/ whose overall theme this year is “Connected Understanding/ le savoir branché.” Once again, there is a good diversity of presentations from literature and language to history and politics, and a number of papers will be given by graduate students as well as visitors from Hungary. Read more...
Refugee Rights Day – April 4th 2010
Guaranteeing Life, Liberty, Security and Humanity for Refugees in Canada for 25 years
April 4, 1985 was a milestone for refugee rights in Canada. On that day, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the right of refugee claimants in Canada to life, liberty and security of the person, and that claimants are therefore entitled to an oral hearing, in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. This ruling is known as the ‘Singh decision’.
In honour of this decision, April 4th is recognized as Refugee Rights Day in Canada. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Singh decision.
Canadians can be proud of many accomplishments to protect refugees, but there is still a lot to do to protect refugee rights in Canada.
Check the CCR’s Refugee Rights Day webpage shortly at: http://www.ccrweb.ca/RRDay.htm for a brief history of accomplishments and for action ideas.
We encourage you to use the ideas to promote refugee rights in your local area on or around April 4th.
For a brochure on Refugee Rights Day and what the Singh decision means for refugees in Canada, see: http://www.ccrweb.ca/documents/RRDAYpamphletEN.pdf
March 10th 2010
Diefenbunker screens Freedom’s Fury March 16th 2010
Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum, is screening the hugely successful feature-length documentary Freedom’s Fury, directed by Canadian brother-sister team of Colin Gray and Meagan Reaney. This historical film produced in 2006 in time for the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, had its gala premiere at the National Gallery of Canada in September 2006 - organized by the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation as one of its major educational activities in commemoration of the Hungarian refugee movement to Canada in 1956-57. Read more...
March 5th 2010
Krisztina Szabó in concert March 28, 2010 in Ottawa
Krisztina Szabó, described as "simply one of the most exciting singers in the country right now,” is a Canadian-Hungarian mezzo-soprano who made her NAC debut in January 2005. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, Szabó finished her postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, England. She was awarded an Emerging Artist grant from the Canada Council and was a winner of the 1997 Mozart Competition, held under the auspices of the Canadian Opera Company. In 1998 she joined the Canadian Opera's Ensemble Studio. Read more...
March 5th 2010
In memoriam George Miok
February 2nd 2010
Sergeant George Miok, a 28 year old reservist in the Canadian forces, died in Afghanistan on December 28th 2009 when the armoured vehicle he was in was blown up by a roadside bomb. Three other Canadian soldiers and a journalist from the Calgary Herald died with him. This was Sgt Miok’s second tour of duty in Afghanistan and all obituaries about him mention his strong belief in the value of what he was doing for his country and for world peace.
In memory of Kati Rekai
We regret to announce the death on February 1st 2010 of Catherine (Kati) Rekai C.M., writer and advisory board member of the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation. Kati had been a friend and supporter of the work of our Foundation as of many Canadian literary and publishing projects. She is well-known in the Canadian writing world for her series of children’s travel books with animal characters: The Adventures of Mickey, Taggy, Puppo and Cica and how they discover …Toronto, Budapest, Vienna or the Thousand Islands – and other places. She started writing these books for her first grandchild Christopher. Read more...
February 19th 2010
Professor Diosady receives Order of Ontario
On January 28th 2010 Professor Levente Diosady of the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Toronto was named to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest official honour. The Order recognizes Ontarians who have made an outstanding contribution to society in Ontario and around the world and is awarded for excellence and achievement in any field. Past recipients have contributed to education, the arts, community and public service, science and medicine, citizenship and multiculturalism, business, sports, and many other fields. Read more...
February 19th 2010
Montreal concert in honour of György Kurtág
On Wednesday February 10th at 8 PM in the 'Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur' in Montreal, a concert will be held in honour of György Kurtág.
For more information and to view the poster, please click HERE.
February 5th 2010
Anna Porter on Eastern Europe at St Thomas’s Church, Toronto February 10th 2010
On February 10th 2010 at 8 pm Anna Porter is giving this year’s Gene Stewart Lecture (“Repairing the World”) at St Thomas’s Anglican Church in Toronto. She is talking about Eastern Europe since the fall of the Berlin wall. The previous two lecturers have been General Romeo Dallaire and Dr Roberta Bondar. Anna’s new book tentatively titled “The Ghosts of Europe” will be published later this year.
For more information view the poster.
February 3rd 2010
Andrea Blanar receives Pro Cultura Hungarica Award
Ms Andrea Blanár, President of the Canadian Hungarian Artists’ Collective in Montreal, Quebec was awarded the Pro Cultura Hungarica medal by István Hiller, Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Hungary for her continuous and dedicated work to preserve, promote and enrich Hungarian cultural values in Canada as well as in Hungary. Read more...
January 25th 2010
Canada's Marie Chouinard in Pecs 2010 dance program
Pecs in southern Hungary is the 2010 European Capital of Culture. The Hungarian News Agency MTI has just announced that Compagnie Marie Chouinard will participate in one of several dance programs Pecs is hosting during the year. Other dance events in Pecs are also mentioned in the January 17th 2010 news item. Read more...
January 18th 2010
Peter Munk Named Ivey Business Leader of the Year
TORONTO, Jan. 15 /CNW/ - Peter Munk, Founder and Chairman of Barrick Gold Corporation, will receive this year's Ivey Business Leader Award at a gala dinner on October 20, 2010.
For more information click here.
January 15th 2010
Anna Porter at the Munk Centre, January 28th 2010
Anna Porter, writer, publisher and advisory board member of the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation, is giving a lecture entitled “The Ghosts of Europe” at the Munk Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto on January 28th, 2010 from 2-4 pm. For information on this event, click here.
January 13th 2010
Employment Opportunity - Internment Recognition Fund
The Shevchenko Foundation received funds from the Federal Government that established the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund. Interest earned on the fund supports projects that commemorate and recognize the experience of ethno-cultural communities affected by Canada's first national internment operations of 1914 - 1920. To read more in English and Hungarian click here.
December 8th 2009
Hungarian film at the EU Film Festival, Ottawa, Vancouver
As in previous years, the Canadian Film Institute in cooperation with the
Embassy of Hungary has included a recent Hungarian film in the annual EU
Film Festival. The Ottawa screening of Overnight takes place on December 2nd but the film
is also being screened in Vancouver a few days later. For more information
about the film, click here. To find out more about the Festival Program and
the Canadian Film Institute, see the festival's home page.
November 30th 2009
Premiere of Susan Papp’s Outcasts on OMNI 1, Nov 15th 2009
Susan Papp’s successful Outcasts - A Love Story, published by Dundurn Press in May 2009 has been turned into a documentary film, produced and directed by Susan with the screen version written by Allen Abel. The film will be premiered on OMNI 1 on November 15th at 9pm. For more information about this project, see the media backgrounder HERE and for more information on the book, see our web page.
November 3rd, 2009
Gabor Szilasi exhibition at National Gallery of Canada
Well-known Montreal photographer Gabor Szilasi who came to Canada after the 1956 uprising is being recognized with a one-man show at the National Gallery of Canada which opens on October 8th and runs till January 17th. On October 9th at 12.15 pm David Harris, the exhibition’s curator and Associate Professor of at the School of Image Arts, Ryerson University, Toronto is doing a talk about why and how he came to put the exhibit together. This will be followed at 1.30 pm by a presentation by Mr Szilasi himself about his work. Mr Szilasi was one of the fifty Canadians of Hungarian origin whose portrait by V Tony Hauser was included in the National Arts Centre’s Hungary 50th anniversary project “ New Lives” in 2006. See our webpage: New Lives Exhibit
For more information on the exhibit click here.
October 1, 2009
Hungarian historian to lecture in Toronto, Ottawa on 1989 regime changes in Europe
Professor Ignac Romsics, one of Hungary’s best know historians, and a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, is to give a series of lectures about the political changes in Hungary and Central Europe in 1989. After a lecture at the Munk Centre in Toronto on September 15th, sponsored by the Hungarian Studies Program of the University, Professor Romsics will give a public lecture at the Ottawa Public Library on Thursday September 17th at 7 pm. The title of his lecture is “The Birth of the 3rd Hungarian Republic: the 1989 Regime Change and its International Implications.” The lecture will be followed by a question and answer period and refreshments will be provided by the Embassy of Hungary which is sponsoring the Ottawa event with the Canada-Hungary Educational Foundation. Carleton University’s Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies has alco invited Professor Romsics to give the lecture on campus, on September 18th at 10 am.
For information on the September 17th lecture at the Ottawa Public Library click here.
To see the flyer for the the September 18th lecture at Carleton University click here.
September 12, 2009
Molnar’s “The Guardsman” in Toronto
Well-known Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnar’s “The Guardsman” is playing in Canada once again, this time in Toronto’s Soulpepper theatre, opening on August 31st and running till October 24th. The play is directed by internationally acclaimed director, Laszlo Marton who is Director General of the Comedy Theatre (Vigszinhaz) in Budapest and has a stellar Canadian cast of actors. The Guardsman was one of the first plays produced at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa after it opened its doors in 1969.
For details of the Soulpepper performances, see http://www.soulpepper.ca/performances
And for more on Molnar, see our own site: click here.
September 2, 2009
News and Events from January to June 2009
- Famous Hungarian Lace Exhibited in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa
- World Refugee Day 2009 – Journée mondiale du réfugié
- Elizabeth Merei’s 25 years in Canada
- Hungarian writers at the Montreal Blue Metropolis Festival
April 23-25 - Accredited Hungarian language exams in Toronto and Vancouver
- Weininger Exhibition in Oshawa
- Four film Jancso retrospective in Vancouver
- Nato 60th Anniversary
- Pablo Urbanyi’s book launch March 17th 2009
- Canada welcomes a record number of immigrants in 2008
- Hungarian Studies Association of Canada annual conference,
May 22-24 2009 - Hungarian government scholarships for Canadian students
- Canada Hungary Educational Foundation’s 2008 AGM
- Canadian Hungarian Artists’ Exhibitions in Hungary and Canada
- Three Hungarians among 2008 Order of Canada nominations
- Vancouver Première of Freedom’s Fury and Touched by Water
- Government speeds up front end of refugee arrival system
- Governor General's State Visit to Hungary and Central Europe
- CHEF's Activities Report
News and events June to December 2008
News and events January to June 2008
News and events July to December 2007
News and Events January to June 2007
Home * About Us * Contact Us * News Archives * Site Index
