Clarinet, Tárogató
Pannon Portrait
Clarinet and tárogató artist and saxophonist from a distinguished musical family. He joined the Rajkó Orchestra in 1985, later spent ten years with the orchestra of Sándor Járóka Jr., and served for twenty years as deputy section leader of the 100-member Gypsy Orchestra. His career has taken him to every continent. Today, he is a member of the Pannon Cigányzenekar together with his wife, Alíz Vámosi, and their son, Leonardo Bujka.
Career
Bujbek Bujka János is a clarinet and tárogató artist and saxophonist who comes from a musical family whose tradition spans several generations. His great-grandfather, Pacek Bujka Márkus, played the tárogató, his grandfather Bujka Rudolf Sr. was a cimbalom player, and his father Bujbek Bujka János Sr. was a clarinettist. Growing up in this musical environment, becoming a professional musician was a natural path for him.
In 1985, he was admitted to the Rajkó Orchestra, where he spent ten years as a soloist and deputy. With the ensemble, he performed in numerous countries and gained extensive international stage experience from an early stage of his career. His later concert tours took him to every continent, from America to Australia.
For ten years, he performed with the orchestra of Sándor Járóka Jr., including appearances at Budapest’s historic Pesti Vigadó. Another major chapter of his career was his twenty years with the 100-member Gypsy Orchestra, where he served as deputy section leader. Alongside his orchestral work, he has regularly appeared as a soloist and performs across a variety of musical genres on clarinet, tárogató and saxophone.
His international career has also brought notable recognition. In 2000, he received a Peace Prize in Tel Aviv, while in Istanbul he won first prize at an international competition. He has performed in Luxembourg with the orchestra of the Grand Ducal court, as well as throughout the Benelux countries and in many other parts of the world.
A versatile and active performer, he continues to work with several ensembles. He performs with the Vajda Gypsy Band, is a soloist with the Vajda Gypsy Concert Orchestra and the Jama Band, a prominent saxophonist with Etnorom, and a member of the EnerGypsy Orchestra and the Highmeister Orchestra.
As a longstanding and integral member of the Pannon Cigányzenekar, he contributes to the ensemble on clarinet and tárogató. His playing brings together a musical tradition passed down through generations, decades of orchestral experience and the expressive freedom of a soloist.
Music remains a living tradition across generations of the Bujka family. His wife, violinist Alíz Vámosi, and their son, violinist Leonardo Bujka, are also members of the Pannon Cigányzenekar – meaning that three members of the same family now perform together in the orchestra.
With the Pannon Orchestra
As a longstanding and integral member of the Pannon Cigányzenekar, he performs on clarinet and tárogató, enriching the ensemble with decades of orchestral and solo experience.
Awards and Honours
2000 – Peace Prize, Tel Aviv
International Music Competition – First Prize, Istanbul
Something Few People Know About Me
Music is a true family heritage for us: my great-grandfather played the tárogató, my grandfather the cimbalom, and my father the clarinet. Today, I perform in the Pannon Cigányzenekar together with my wife, Alíz Vámosi, and our son Leonardo. It is very special to me that the musical tradition I inherited from my ancestors is already continuing through the next generation.