September 15, 2008

Hungarian Minister of Education and Culture István Hiller Visits New York and Washington

The delegation of the Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture, led by Minister István Hiller, paid an official visit to the United States, stopping at the venues of the official program of the 2009 Hungarian Cultural Year in New York City and Washington, DC between September 9-13.

Minister Hiller came to view the preparations of the cultural festival in New York at venues like the Times Building, the Pen World Voice Festival building, the International Center of Photography, and the 92Y Club.

On the evening of September 11, Ambassador Ferenc Somogyi hosted a dinner in honor of the delegation at his Residence.

 

Minister István Hiller, Mrs. Julianna H. Farkas, Ambassador Ferenc Somogyi, Counselor Edit Pápai, Director of Hungarian Cultural Center László Jakab Orsós

On Friday, September 12, Minister Hiller met with Ms. Alina Romanowski, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Affairs of the State Department. They discussed matters of bilateral educational cooperation, such as the Fulbright program, and Minister Hiller gave an short overview of the program of the 2009 Hungarian Cultural Year.

 

State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs Affairs Alina Romanowski, Ministerial Advisor Borbála Botár Kajtárné, Interpreter André Balog, and Minister István Hiller

The delegation visited the Coolidge Auditorium and the Members Room of the Library of Congress, which will host the György Kurtág Concert and the post-performance reception, respectively, on February 7, 2009.

 

Minister István Hiller in the Members Room with Library of Congress Music Division Chief Susan Vita, Development Specialist Elsa Keshishian-Roth and Senior Concert Producer Anne McLean

Minister Hiller met with the Chief Curator of the National Gallery of Art, Dodge Thompson. The Gallery will host a special exhibition and film screenings in 2009. The Hungarian Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest will lend some of the Masterpieces from its collections (El Greco, Bronzino, da Vinci), and several new and contemporary Hungarian films will be presented in the Auditorium of the Gallery, including the new film of Péter Forgács, titled 'Ellis Island', about the life of the Hungarian emigrés in the first part of the 20th century.

 

Minister István Hiller, Interpreter André Balog, and Chief Curator Dodge Thompson in the Picasso Room of the National Gallery

The delegation visited the Newseum, the youngest museum in Washington about the history of American and international journalism and the freedom of speech.

 

Newseum Vice President and Deputy Director Susan Bennett, Hungarian Cultural Center Director László Jakab Orsós, Bálint Balassi Institute Director Éva Lauter, Minister István Hiller, Interpreter André Balog