It was 35 years ago next month, a young Canadian boy set eyes on a young Hungarian girl, setting off a spark of love that endures to this day.
Jack and Ildiko Kelly now look back on their initial meeting through the eyes of newlyweds, parents and grandparents in gratitude for what International Choral Kathaumixw has brought to their lives.
At age 14, Ildiko first came to Powell River as one of the oldest members of a children’s choir from Hungary, conducted by Edit Cseszka, a top student of Zoltán Kodály. His method of teaching transformed music education in that country and today is used all over the world, including here, where Ildiko teaches at Powell River Academy of Music.
“Edit taught me my whole life in Hungary,” explained Ildiko.
Two years after her first Kathaumixw, Ildiko returned with the same conductor as the youngest member of a women’s choir. She again billeted with Edith Barta, a friend of the Kelly family, and this time she met Jack.
“We met and it was like, wow,” said Jack. “She didn’t speak much English, but her heart was pure and there was just something there. She was beautiful inside and out, and she still is.”
The Hungarian choir went on a post-Kathaumixw tour, so Jack and some friends followed them to Nanaimo and the Lower Mainland. They rented a limo and drove all over Vancouver.
When they asked what the girls wanted to do, they wanted to go to McDonald’s. With the limo the group went to the drive-through.
“They wanted to experience the west, which was so different from their country; it was still under communism at that time,” said Jack.
When Jack went to the airport to see Ildiko off, they put their hands up on either side of the glass separating them.
“No kisses, I said. If you want a kiss you have to come to Hungary,” shared Ildiko with a smile. “My dad was very strict; no boys, no makeup, and the only man I was going to marry would be a Hungarian. Then I fell in love with a Canadian boy.”
Jack travelled to Budapest twice in 1989, once in the summer and again at Christmastime. He presented Ildiko with a friendship ring and told her he would love her forever.
After many trips back and forth, the couple was married August 31, 1997, in St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest.
“I have the most incredible parents who loved me, trusted and believed in me, and unselfishly let me go without ever making me feel bad,” said Ildiko.
The Kellys’ daughter, Ildiko Jane, was born a year later, followed in 2001 by their son Liam. They both have a love of music: Jane to sing and Liam to play piano and guitar.
Ildiko often sings to their grandson Liam, who was born in 2019, passing on her love of music to the next generation. She also teaches lessons at the academy and has conducted the girls’ choir.
“The music academy is amazing,” said Jack. “The level of musicality and instruction is first class.”
Ildiko will participate in Kathaumixw 2023 with the Academy Chamber Choir and her biggest fan will be in the audience, as he has been for more than three decades.
A spark that started with two young people who lived 8,636 kilometres apart developed into a flame of love that continues to this day.
“If it wasn’t for Kathaumixw, we never would have met,” said Jack.
Kathaumixw starts Tuesday, July 4, with the Gala Opening Concert and runs for five days until the Gala Closing on July 8. Admission to the various competitions is by donation.
Tickets for 18 concerts are available at the academy at 7280 Kemano Street or online at kathaumixw.org, where more information is available.
