Ági Szalóki

Ági Szalóki (born October 17, 1978) is a Hungarian folk singer. She has toured worldwide with world music and folk revival bands such as Besh o droM and Ökrös.

Biography
Szalóki started singing as a toddler, considering Márta Sebestyén a role model. Her musical background is in traditional folk music. She first won recognition for singing with Ökrös in a traditional folk style, and Besh o droM, a Balkan gypsy brass band. She toured around the world from the Montreal Jazz Festival, through Glastonbury Festival to the Théatre de la Ville in Paris, from New York to Beijing.

In 2005, she began to pursue her solo career and explore various genres, such as jazz, thirties ballads, and children's songs.

She is trained in the Kodály method. Many of her projects are inspired by poetry, from "Sunset of Rust, It is Dusk" on Lament (2005), to the Karády album of ballads (A Vágy Muzsikál, 2008).

She has also performed at numerous children's concerts.

In 2015 she had hypothyroidism, but recovered.

Solo albums

 * Téli-nyári laboda / Winter-Summer Orache FolkEurópa, 2004
 * Szalóki's first solo album was written for preschool children. The record contains nursery rhymes, tales, children's games and other songs. The musical accompaniment was composed by folk-inspired classical musicians.
 * Ági Szalóki – voice, Dávid Lamm – guitar, Vera Berán – cello, András Dés – kanna, drums, Kati Lázár – tale telling, Róbert 'Szigony' Kerényi – flute, Péter Bede – flute, István Berán – bombard, Zoltán Kovács – double bass, Judit Ábrahám – gardon.


 * Hallgató / Lament FolkEurópa, 2005, Award "Fonogram", 2006 – Best Jazz Album of the year
 * These folk songs originate from Moldva and Gyimes.
 * Ági Szalóki – voice, József Balázs – piano, Dávid Lamm – guitar, Kristóf Bacsó – tenor saxophone, András Dés – percussion, József Barcza Horváth – double bass, bass.


 * Cipity Lőrinc FolkEurópa, 2006, Award "Fonogram", 2007 – Best Album for Children
 * The CD largely consists of folk songs from Transylvania and the Uplands arranged by the band, together with poems by Ágnes Nagy Nemes and Sándor Weöres set to music. The poems are also narrated by two noted performers from the theatre, Mari Kiss and János Kulka.
 * Ági Szalóki – voice, Dávid Lamm – guitar, Judit Nagy – cello, András Dés – percussion Zoltán Kovács – double bass
 * Featuring: József Balázs – piano, Balázs Szokolay Dongó – flute, bagpipe, Attila Jakab – violin, József Barcza Horváth – double bass, poems and tale telling: Mari Kiss and János Kulka


 * A vágy muzsikál FolkEurópa, 2008
 * These songs speak about the happiness and the sadness of love.
 * Ági Szalóki – voice, Kristóf Bacsó – tenor saxophone, Ferenc Schrek – pozan, Gábor Juhász – guitar, Dávid Lamm – guitar, Zoltán Kovács – double bass, András Mohay – drums, Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos – piano, Richárd Szaniszló – vibrafon, Tcha Limberger – violin


 * Gingalló FolkEurópa, 2009
 * The record includes renewed folksongs and sung poems from Attila József, Károly Tamkó Sirató, Sándor Weöres and from Anna Szabó T., who is a young Transylvanian-born poet. The narrator of the record who is telling the tales is the actor György Cserhalmi.
 * Ági Szalóki – voice, whistle; Dávid Lamm – guitar, voice; Zoltán Kovács – double bass, voice; András Dés – percussion, voice.
 * Featuring: Kornél Fekete-Kovács – horn, Gábor Juhász – guitar, Péter Szalai– tabla, Balázs Szokolay Dongó – flute, tárogató; tale telling György Cserhalmi


 *  Kishúg/ "Little Sister" FolkEurópa, 2010
 * This album combines Hungarian, Roma, and Turkish songs with contemporary Hungarian poetry.
 * Band members: Ági Szalóki – voice, Gergő Borlai – drums, Zsolt Csókás – guitar, Zoltán Kovács – double bass.
 * Featuring: Peta Lukács – guitar, Zoltán Sipeki – guitar, György Orbán – bass violin

Contribution

 * Korom Attila – Hajnali, PolyGram, 1997
 * Ökrös – Bonchida, háromszor, ABT, 1998
 * Kalotaszegi népzene – Neti Sanyi és Kicsi Aladár, ABT, 1999
 * Besh o droM – Macsó hímzés, Fonó Records, 2000
 * Triton – Indulj el, Bahia, 2001
 * Karácsonynak éjszakáján, Tom-Tom Records, 2001
 * Balkan Syndicate – Nikola, Tom-Tom Records, 2003
 * Makám – Anzix, FolkEurópa, 2003
 * Besh o droM – Gyí!, private release, 2004
 * Balázs Elemér Group – Hungarian Folksongs, X-Produkció, 2005
 * Balogh Kálmán – Karácsonyi örömzene, Gryllus, 2005
 * Amikor én még kissrác voltam – Tisztelgés az Illés zenekar előtt, Universal Music, 2005
 * Besh o droM – Once I Catch The Devil, private release, 2005
 * Tony Lakatos – Gipsy Colours, Skip Records, 2005
 * Kiss Feri – Love's Doors, Etnofon, 2005
 * V/A – Stars, Stars..., FolkEurópa, 2006
 * Ajándék – Roma művészek a gyerekekért, suliNova közoktatás-fejlesztési és Pedagógus-továbbképzési Kht./ suliNova Public Education Development and Teacher Training Company, 2006
 * Balogh Kálmán és a Gipsy Cimbalom Band – Aven Shavale, FolkEurópa, 2007
 * Oi Va Voi V2 Records International Ltd., 2007
 * Szabó Dániel – Egetverő TIM produkció Bt., 2007
 * Budapest Bár, EMI Zenei Kft., 2007
 * Szájról szájra / Mouth to mouth, FolkEurópa, 2007
 * Bognár Szilvia – Semmicske énekek, Gryllus Kiadó, 2008
 * Sárkány apó, Helikon Kiadó – Gryllus Kiadó, 2008
 * "volt egyszer volt egy kis zsidó", Gryllus Kiadó, 2008
 * Kozma Orsi Quartet – Hide And Seek, Magneoton, 2008
 * Hespèrion XXI - Bal·Kan: Honey and Blood, Alia Vox, 2013

Awards

 * Fonogram Prize (2006 – for Hallgató / Lament, 2007 – for Cipity Lőrinc, 2010 – for Gingalló)
 * 2006 – Artisjus Artistic Prize
 * 2006 – Andás Bozóki culture minister lauded Szalóki for her excellence artistic activities of children's songs and world music genres
 * 2007 – Zoltán Kodály Memorial Prize
 * 2009 – March Youths Award (State award)
 * 2010 – Sanoma and Story Magazine Value Award