Guest Speakers
Ildikó Antal-Ferencz was born and raised in Transylvania and has lived in Budapest since the age of 18. She holds a degree in economics but has been working as a freelance journalist (and blogger) for the past ten years, a career she continued in the North American diaspora as well, where she moved with her family of five in the summer of 2022 for three years due to her husband’s job. (They will soon return home.)
Since arriving to New Jersey, they have been active participants in the local Hungarian communities (Passaic/Garfield, New Brunswick), and they regularly attend Hungarian events in New York and other states. During this time, she has written more than 300 diaspora-related articles, including over 115 interviews, about North American Hungarians dedicated to preserving their language, culture, traditions, and local communities. These articles were published in Hungarian newspapers (and later republished by the Bocskai Radio in Cleveland). She has also published the interviews in book form (a total of five volumes), titled Magyarnak lenni Amerikában I, II, and III (Being Hungarian in America I and II), issued by Bocskai Radio in Cleveland. In addition, she worked as a creative editor on the recently released biographical book by Hungarian-American economics professor Zoltán Ács, published by MCC Press, titled On the Road Less Traveled.
László Aradvári is the Hungarian Community Diplomat at the Consulate General of Hungary in Chicago. He was born in Keszthely, Hungary, where he completed his studies and earned university degrees in Agricultural Economics and French Translation. He continued his education at the Budapest Business School, specializing in Diplomacy. He has worked as a project engineer, marketing and communications specialist, and foreign relations advisor. He participated three times in the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Program, supporting Hungarian organizations in Texas and Chicago. He also earned a degree in Sports Diplomacy from Széchenyi István University in Győr. For six years, he was the manager of the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble. Since January 2024, he has been serving as community diplomat and consul at the Consulate General of Hungary in Chicago. He has attended the ITT-OTT Conference three times. Thanks to his parents, he has been involved in folk dance since birth and served for 18 years as the director-choreographer of the Tündérrózsa Children’s Folk Dance Group.
Zsuzsanna Fekete is a Hungarian Community Diplomat and historian. Since 2023, she has served as the Hungarian Community Diplomat at the Embassy of Hungary in Washington, D.C. Previously, she headed the secretariat of Dr. Katalin Szili, former Speaker of the National Assembly, in her role as the Prime Minister’s Commissioner responsible for coordinating Hungarian autonomy efforts in the Carpathian Basin. Before that, she worked at the State Secretariat for National Policy within the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as at the Rákóczi Association in Budapest. In 2018, she began her research at the Doctoral School of History at Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, where she obtained her absolutorium in 2022. Her academic publications have appeared in journals such as Századok, Kisebbségi Szemle, and Rendszerváltó Szemle.
Eszter Kiss, actress, is a member of the Katona József Theater in Budapest, and also performs as a guest in other Budapest theaters. She taught theater and drama history for two academic years at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest, where she earned her DLA (Doctor of Liberal Arts) degree in 2021. Her dissertation focused on American and Hungarian actor training methods. She has been actively engaged in Hungarian literature for 25 years and runs her own film channel, where she creates short films about Hungarian writers from her own unique perspective. Her active role in community life was recognized with an Arts Award by the village of Páty.
András Ludányi (Budapest and Ada, Ohio) is one of the founding members of the MBK (Hungarian Communion of Friends) and co-editor of the ITT-OTT Almanac. He has served the Hungarian community for decades, including through our organization. He is a political scientist and Emeritus Professor at Ohio Northern University. In Budapest, he works with the Institute for National Policy Research and serves on the Advisory Board of the VERITAS Institute for Historical Research and Archives.
Gyula Szarka (Nádszeg, Slovakia) is a Kossuth Prize-winning performer and composer, and a prominent figure of Hungarian musical culture. In 1984, under his leadership, the internationally renowned band Ghymes was founded. The group’s albums represent a completely unique sound on the world music scene. Built on folk music foundations, their songs blend several centuries of vibrant musical heritage—from the Renaissance to rock—with a distinctly recognizable "Ghymes" style. In his solo albums and performances with his own band, Szarka showcases both the lyrical and bohemian sides of the sound his fans have come to love. He weaves deep philosophical reflections into an affirmation of life's joys in such a way that his audience, while enjoying carefree entertainment and atmosphere, also receives—almost without realizing it—rich cultural value and nourishing life wisdom. The wide variety of his programs offers a lasting experience for audiences of all ages.
Zsuzsanna Szarka (Nádszeg, Slovakia) has felt a strong attraction to beautifully crafted textiles and fashion design since childhood. She has been creating her own wardrobe since she was young and later began sewing garments for others on request. She creates elegant, feminine clothing that incorporates traditional Hungarian styles and decorative motifs. In addition to high-quality fabrics, her favorite embellishments include ribbons and cords. This aesthetic led to the creation of her clothing brand: Szalag-Zsinór Design ("Ribbon-Cord Design"). Her work has been showcased at exhibitions and fashion shows ranging from Budapest Fashion Week all the way to Brussels. As the principal of the Petőfi Sándor Elementary School and Kindergarten in Nádszeg, she considers it important to introduce students to traditional Hungarian clothing culture and folk art techniques, while also encouraging them to develop their own style and preserve their heritage.
Tilla Török (Budapest) is a Junior Prima Award-winning multi-instrumentalist folk musician, singer, and songwriter, and one of the most prominent representatives of Hungarian folk and world music. With her band, Tilla Török Folk Experience, she finds her place on music festival stages both in the East and the West. They have toured multiple times in Kazakhstan, Turkey, and the United States. Her songs are inspired by the ancient spiritual imagery of Hungarian folk music, brought to life through modern arrangements. This year, Tilla was also cast in the lead female role in the dramatized documentary film In the Footsteps of Bartók.