Remember her name. Andor Ilona was a remarkable woman. This Andor Ilona Plaque commemorates her life. It honors her contributions to music education in Hungary.
Andor Ilona was born in Pécsvárad in 1904. She died in Budapest in 1977. She dedicated her life to music. She became a renowned choir leader conductor and teacher.
Initially Andor Ilona trained as a concert pianist. In the late 1920s she taught piano at the Pécs City Music School. Then in 1929 she moved to Budapest. She began working at the Ranolder Teacher Training Institute. This later became the Vendel Street Institute. Finally it was named the Leővey Klára Gymnasium.
At the Institute Andor Ilona worked with Sister Romána Csorda. Csorda encouraged her to study at the Academy of Music. There she studied to become a secondary school singing teacher. Her teachers included Lajos Bárdos and Artúr Harmat. In 1937 she earned diplomas in both choir leading and piano.
By 1948 Andor Ilona had become the lead choir director at the Ranolder Institute. She taught singing to students in the school’s twelve grades. The greatest recognition for her came from Zoltán Kodály. He showed great interest in the school and choir.
In 1949 Andor Ilona’s choir was the first to take Kodály’s name. Her ensemble premiered many of his choral works. Kodály himself recommended his choir piece “I am an Orphan” to “Andor Ilona’s hands.”
Likely due to Kodály’s suggestion the choir traveled abroad. In 1955 they won first prize at the Warsaw World Youth Festival. In 1965 Benjamin Britten invited them to the Aldeburgh Festival. There Columbia Records recorded the choir with Kodály present. This recording later received an Edison Prize.
International recognition slowly brought accolades at home. The choir achieved success at the Linz Choir Festival in 1968. They also shone at the ISME conference in Moscow in 1970.
Andor Ilona received several awards during her lifetime. She was awarded the Ferenc Liszt Prize in 1954. In 1955 she received the “Socialist Labor” Merit. She became an Honored Artist in 1963. In 1972 she was named an Excellent Artist. Posthumously she received the Hungarian Heritage Award in 2004. The Andor Ilona Plaque is a testament to her enduring legacy. It is a symbol of her passion for music and education. It stands as a reminder of her profound impact on Hungarian cultural life.