My name is Adrián Szajkó, I studied at the Ján Albrecht Music School and at the Academy of Arts in Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia. I was a REF beneficiary for two years during my bachelor studies, and also for one year during my masters program. I currently work as a music teacher at the Rožňava School of Music.
I come from a Roma family which was always devoted to music, but interestingly I did not study music professionally until the age of 15. My professional training began at the School of Music in Rožňava, a secondary school specializing in music. It was during this time that I applied to study at a Hungarian Jazz Camp and my love for Jazz music was discovered.
As a musician, I like all music genres but if I was asked to choose a favorite, I would pick Hungarian folk music which I grew up with. Some of my favorites include: Jároka Sándor, Lendvai Csócsi and many other outstanding soloists (prímás) and groups. As a contrabass player, I would also like to mention my favorites: The Bill Evans Trio, The Keith Jarett Trio and The Oscar Peterson Trio.
My advice to young Roma who want to dedicate themselves to music, is to be patient, work hard and study a lot. Most importantly, I want them to know that it is possible. Unfortunately, nowadays people are not well-intentioned with others, they envy everything, and most of the time everything is about money. Money is important in life; however music must be done with love and not with the intention of making money.
