SACRED VOICES

0. Világfa/ antient Hungarian folksongs with oriental influences

1. Jelenti magát…        /Announces himself
(introductory song about the Christian sacred year. Hungarian folksong.)
(bevezető ének a keresztény évkörről, Zoborvidéki magyar népdal)

2. Aranyból is, ezüstből is…/ Of gold and Silver
(Christmas epic song . Hung. Folk)

3. Mennynek, földnek királya… /King of earth and Heaven
(Christmas caroll, Hung. Folk)
(Karácsonyi ének, Mezőség, erdélyi magyar népdal)

4. Csucsujj el…/Hush you babe
(Lullaby of Mary to the Child), Hung. Folk)
(Máraia altatója, karácsonyi ének, Szatmári népdal)

5. Éles, köves utak…./Roads of cobblestones
(Mary searching for Christ, GodFriday song, Hung. Folk)
(Nagyheti ének, Moldva csángó népdal)

6. Omnes amici
(Antiphonaium Ambrosianum 12.c.)

7. Dove vai
(Italian lauda, 14.c)

8. Világnak világa………/Flower of all mortal flowers…
(Antient Lament of Mary. The first Hungarian Poem, 13c.)
(Ómagyar Máriasiralom)

9. Tüzes nyelveknek szólása/Speech of tongues of fire
(Pentcost song, Hung folk)
(Pünkösdi ének, magyar népszokásköltészet)

1o. Laudemus Virginem/
(Catalonian Hymn, Llibre Vermell de Monserat, 14cc)

11. Ó Szent István/ Saint Stephen Hymn
(Hymn for the first Hungarain king, Hung. Folk)
(Moldvai csángó népének)

12. Mariam Matrem Virginem
(Catalonian Hymn, Llibre Vermell de Monsetat, 14.c.)

13. Szűzeknek virága  /Flower of all virgins
(Hymn for Holy Virgin, as Patrona Hungariae, 15c.)
(Angyaloknak Nagyságos Asszonya, 15.sz)

14. Boldogasszony    /Holy Virgin Mother
(Hymn for Virgin Mary as Patrona Hungariae, 17c.)

15. Psalmus CXLVIII…
(Kájoni: Cantionale Catholicum 1676, Hungary)

Irén Lovász is not only one of the most respected Hungarian folk singers in the world, she is also an academic scholar in Human Sciences. She has her doctorate (PhD) in Ethnography. She brilliantly combines her scientific knowledge and her musical talent in her solo concerts, lectures and performances.
Irén grew up in the central region of Hungary. In her family folk songs were sung on a daily basis, and she learned her first folk songs from her parents and grandparents. As a university student of Linguistics and Literary Sciences she went on singing and began to collect and study ancient Hungarian folk songs in different regions of Hungary and in the Carpathian Basin: Romania, Slovakia, Croatia among ethnic Hungarians.
From 1987 - 1995 she worked as an ethnomusicologist at the Hungarian Museum of Ethnography, Department of Ethnomusicology overseeing the famous collection of Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály and László Lajtha.
Between 1986 and 1995 she was also a university lecturer in Cultural Anthropology. In 1995 she was awarded her PhD in Ethnography.(She wrote her thesis on Sacred Communication: An Anthropological Study of Folk Prayers.)
In the 1980's she belonged to the Hungarian folk music revival, the so-called dance house movement, and she was one of the best traditional folk singers, including in learning, studying, performing and teaching the authentic, pure folk songs. She won competitions in Hungary and abroad at international folk festivals from Wales to Finland.
Her first solo cd, Világfa (1995, and 1999. Fonó Records) appeared at the request of the Hungarian National Museum to be used as backround music for the exclusive archeological exhibition of the Millecentenarium of the Hungarian conquest. The music was created by László Hortobágyi.
Her first solo cd in Germany, Rosebuds in a Stoneyard (Erdenklang 1996) received the German Critics' Award in the genre folk/world music.
She was also the soloist in Early Music groups, and even sang contemporary music, and worked with jazz musicians. She toured in Europe with the Berlin-based jazz guitarist, Ferenc Snétberger.(see. Obsession, Enja records 1998). She is also a member of the Gayan Uttejak Orchestra directed by László Hortobágyi.
An Estonian contemporary composer, Peeter Vähi wrote new music for her voice in which she sings early medieval Tibetan and Sanskrit language texts: Supreme Silence (CC'nC Records 2000).
From 1998 until 2003 she worked with the Makám group. Their project is based on ancient Hungarian folk songs, and the authentic performance of these with Irén's voice. However, it also conceives a new musical world by the composer, Zoltán Krulik, using the language of contemporary music, employing the style of-ethno-jazz , and adopting different ethnic sounds and instruments of traditional cultures. Their collaborative cds are: Skanzen 1999, 9 Colinda 2001, and Sindbad 2002. (Fonó Records)
In 2000 she was invited as a vocal soloist for the Hungarian World Music orchestra.
Since 1999 she has been working with the Czech-Moravian-Slovak eclectic folk music group TEAGRASS. Their CD is titled: Wide is the Danube ( CC'nC Records 2000).
Since 2001 she has been a member of the so-called e-jam project, which is a mobile formation consisting on different European musicians and performing mainly in Austria.
In 2001 she performed a nice and sussessful concert repertoire of  Hungarian Renaissance music, songs and poems with the classical lute player, István Kónya.
In 2001 she began her next project, an acoustic duo with a contrabass player, Attila Lőrinszky.
In 2003 she received The SINGER OF THE YEAR eMeRton AWARD in Hungary.
In 2005 she founded a new band, and with them she made a new cd: Cloud doors (Hungaroton Classic 2005). The new music is based on archaic Hungarian folk songs, sacred songs and medieval Gregorian chants. The style is ethno-jazz, worldmusic, crossover.
In 2006 on her own new label she started to publish a new cd series on Healing Voices, which was also recommended by the Hungarian Association of Music Therapists: Sacred Voice, (SIRENVOICES 2006), Inner Voice, (SIRENVOICES 2007).
In 2008 she made a crossover project with renown musicians of varied musical backgrounds, like  Kornél Horváth (jazz), Béla Ágoston (folk, ethno-jazz) and István Győri, Zsolt Szabó (early music).  The music is based on Hungarian Renaissance love poetry, folksongs and dance tunes of the 16-18th centuries. The cd is titled: Flower in love, (SIRENVOICES 2008.)
In 2009 she made a third, revised, remixed edition of her famous Világfa cd with László Hortobágyi : Világfa (SIRENVOICES 2009.)