The Forum for Folk Arts Foundation is a partner nonprofit organization of Hangvető, organizing international training programs on the field of folk music and folk art, involving regions from the Balkans to Visegrad countries, and beyond.
We are leaders of and partners in several international projects: among others we set up World Pitch in Hungary, a music educational pilot project (Music Moves Europe) with the support of European Union Creative Europe Program; we have been organizing a new training course, the Music as Heritage summer university course in cooperation with Central European University, which saw its 6th edition in 2024.
The Forum for Folk Arts Foundation was founded by artists and music professionals with the aim of actively supporting a wide range of initiatives in the field of folk music. In its first decade the Forum Foundation mainly organized educational summer courses where participants learned about folk dance and music, and practiced folk arts and crafts. Later the scope of activities grew to include the promotion, organization, and assistance of cultural cooperation in the CEE region.
In 2011 Forum planned and organized the Opening Concert at the biggest international world music event: WOMEX. The ‘Hungarian HeartBeats’ Opening Concert fostered a close professional partnership among Hungarian institutions and organizations, among others, Müpa Budapest and Hangvető. This proved essential in laying the groundworks for hosting WOMEX15 in Budapest – realized in a hybrid format due to the worldwide travel restrictions.
In the past years the main objective for Forum has been to establish an extended professional cooperation within both Hungary and Eastern Europe to promote world music. The first steps towards this goal were made in Copenhagen in 2011, four years later leaders of institutions and regional platforms from Bratislava, Warszawa, Poznań and Budapest officially joined to create Central European Music Square, completing Forum’s mission.
In 2016 Forum has launched a new exchange program with the support of EEA Grants. Cultural cooperation between Sami and Roma artists takes centre stage in the project.