Veronika Harcsa On Stage Of Gaume Jazz Festival, Belgium
From 11 to 13 August 2023, the famous Gaume Jazz Festival was held for the 39th time in Rossignol, a town about 150 kilometres from Brussels. The closing concert of the festival, which boasted 120 international artists, featured a concert by Veronika Harcsa, singer and member of the Belgian-Luxembourg-Hungarian Next.Ape formation, in collaboration with the Liszt Institute Brussels.
Founded by the band's drummer Antoine Pierre, Next.Ape has since 2019 presented their music, which pushes the boundaries of experimental pop and alternative trip-hop, all over the world, touring Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary, Morocco and even the Canary Islands. Veronika Harcsa's ties with Belgium are known to be strong. She studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels and has been a member of many Belgian and international groups. She has given concerts in Brussels' most prestigious concert halls, such as the Flagey Cultural Centre and the Ancienne Belgique, one of Brussels' most prestigious concert venues, where Jacques Brel performed.
Singer Veronika Harcsa started her studies at the Budapest University Of Technology And Economics, majoring in technical informatics. In 2008 she graduated from the Liszt Academy, majoring in jazz singing. Her current main band is the duo with guitarist Bálint Gyémánt. In this line-up they have recorded two albums and tour regularly throughout Europe. Veronika Harcsa's former band, the self-titled quartet founded in 2005, has recorded four albums and received numerous awards. In addition to her jazz career, she has also achieved success in the Hungarian alternative pop scene as lead singer of the Erik Sumo Band. He has also released two albums with the experimental electronic trio Bin-Jip and an avant-garde project album of poems by Lajos Kassák. He writes his own songs in English, but has also dedicated two albums to poems by twentieth-century Hungarian poets. With her enchanting voice, she is one of the most important representatives of contemporary jazz.
Veronika Harcsa was also voted Jazz Singer of the Year and Electronic Jazz Media Artist of the Year by the jazz.hu audience.