Our friends at the Hungarian-Missouri Educational Partnership asked us if we would let you all know about the following event. It features a great gypsy jazz violinist named Roby Lakatos. Check it out!

ST. LOUIS GETS READY TO GO GYPSY

Roby Lakatos Ensemble Concert and Gypsy Jazz Gala to Benefit the Hungarian-Missouri Educational Partnership
WHAT: Roby Lakatos Ensemble and Gypsy Jazz Gala, a benefit for the Hungarian-Missouri Educational Partnership
WHEN: One night only -- Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Gypsy Jazz Gala begins at 6:30 p.m.
Roby Lakatos Performance starts at 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center
TICKETS: • Gypsy Jazz Gala Patron pricing levels begin at $250 this includes a cocktail dinner, tickets to the Roby Lakatos Ensemble Performance and a dessert reception. To become a Gypsy Jazz Gala Patron contact, Kim Heasley at 314.725.7270 or hmep@hungary-mo.org.
• General Admission Tickets to the Roby Lakatos Ensemble performance are only $25. To purchase tickets call the Touhill Ticket Office at 314.516.4949 or toll free at 866.516.4949. Go online at www.touhill.org.

ST. LOUIS, MO – (February 2008) The Hungarian-Missouri Educational Partnership (HMEP), a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to building global relationships through education, is inviting St. Louis to Go Gypsy on April 2, 2008. This Gypsy evening hosted at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center will include a public performance by one of Europe’s premier Gypsy Musicians – Roby Lakatos – as well as a Gypsy Jazz Gala. Attendees are promised a night full of cultural panache and a guest list complete with a host of noted diplomatic officials.

“Gypsy is such an integral part of the Hungarian cultural landscape,” commented Joe Adorjan, co-founder of HMEP. “HMEP is opening a dialogue between Missouri and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Sharing our cultural traditions is an important part of developing this relationship, and a wonderful way to share our global goal with the entire St. Louis community. We hope everyone will join us as we go Gypsy!”

This is the first time the Roby Lakatos Ensemble has performed in St. Louis. However, the group has earned a strong reputation around the globe. In the past two decades, the Roby Lakatos Ensemble has awed audiences with performances in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.

Headlining the group is Roby Lakatos known as a scorching violin virtuoso and jazz extraordinaire. Born into a legendary family of gypsy violinists descended from Janos Bihari, Roby Lakatos was introduced to music as a child and made his public debut as first violinist in a gypsy band at the age of nine. Honing his craft within his family and at the Béla Bartók Conservatory of Budapest, Lakatos defies classification: his work together with his ensemble is a unique vision of gypsy jazz music. By combining his talent for jazz improvisation, musical curiosity and skill as a composer, Lakatos has become one of the most intriguing and accomplished musical talents in the world today.

The Gypsy Jazz Gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail dinner full of Hungarian flair. Then gala guests will move to the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall to join the general admission audience for the Lakatos performance. Immediately following the performance, gala attendees will enjoy delectable desserts in one of the Touhill’s premier spaces.

General admission tickets for the Roby Lakatos performance are $25. To purchase tickets call the Touhill Box Office at 314.516.4949 or toll free at 866.516.4949. Gypsy Jazz Gala Patron pricing begins at $250. This includes a cocktail dinner, complimentary valet parking, tickets to the Roby Lakatos Ensemble performance and a dessert reception immediately following the performance. To become a Gypsy Jazz Gala Patron contact, Kim Heasley at 314.725.7270 or hmep@hungary-mo.org.

Proceeds from the Roby Lakatos Ensemble Performance Gypsy Jazz Gala will benefit the Hungarian-Missouri Education Partnership (HMEP) and its member Universities – Saint Louis University, University of Missouri – St. Louis, Washington University and Webster University. HMEP is dedicated to providing need based and academic scholarships for students from Hungary seeking their MBA degrees. The partnership was created to provide life changing opportunities for the student scholars who seek to fully understand the free-enterprise system while promoting an international focus on entrepreneurship, industry, and commerce. The end result is to shape emerging leaders who will facilitate a lasting bond between the U.S. and Central Europe. For more information, visit www.hungary-mo.org.

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