(New Brunswick, NJ) — –New Brunswick s State Theatre presents the Kalman Balogh Gypsy Cimbalom Band on Saturday, November 3 at 8pm. Special guests include Eletfa Hungarian Folk Band and New Brunswick s Csuerdoengoelo Folk Dance Ensemble. This performance by Kalman Balogh Gypsy Cimbalom Band is sponsored by Magyar National Bank. Tickets range from $25-45 (student, senior, and group discounts apply, plus limited *$20 tickets and *KIDS GO FREE discounts).

The cimbalom, a sort of oversized hammer dulcimer played with mallets like a vibraphone, possesses piano-like percussive abilities to drive a band rhythmically or take the melodic lead. Kalman Balogh, one of the foremost Hungarian cimbalom players, is descended from a famous dynasty of Hungarian Gypsy musicians. His virtuosity is matched only by his understanding and respect of his heritage.

A graduate of Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music of Budapest, Balogh has completed many successful tours throughout the world with various ensembles. Balogh s mastery of this unique and rare Hungarian folk instrument has mesmerized audiences. The New York Times called him dazzling, and the Boston Globe wrote: … it was the cimbalom player who took the greatest honors, hammering with demonic speeds. The Kalman Balogh Gypsy Cimbalom Band creates a dynamic union of music from the old and new worlds.

Balogh continues a fabled European musical tradition harking back to the collaboration of masters like gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli, connecting the ancient folk music traditions of Central and Eastern Europe with the chord progressions and swing of Jazz. Balogh s cimbalom becomes a new and compelling voice in a band which also includes acoustic bass, guitar, trumpet, saxophone, and violins.