Dr. Klára Kokas (81), retired professor of the Kodály Institute of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, passed away.
The news conveyed on her sudden death left her followers, colleagues and hundreds of students in Hungary and abroad deeply shocked.
Among her admirers were both adults and children, who were presented with several extraordinary musical experiences through Dr. Kokas’ pedagogy based on involvement, understanding, tolerance and special attention. We shall never forget the delightful discoveries we made with her in the empire of children and classical masterpieces. Klára Kokas was one of the most inspiring Hungarian music pedagogues, a marvellous person with a highly original and creative power of mind, who accomplished a remarkable scientific life-work related to the transfer effect of Kodály-based music education.
The memories of her wonderful, enquiring, attentive and radiating glance and her beautiful smile nourished by her innermost peace, plentiful love and fathomless optimism will never fade away. We shall remember her the way we saw her just a couple of weeks ago at the Music Academy, the youthful and determined Miss Klári whose desire to create something new over and over again never seemed to cease.
We shall also remember her helping us to sink into the world of infinite happiness reached through music, freedom and her highly spiritual presence.
She revealed us the secret: music which touches the soul the deepest and reveals to us the transcendental world can never be accessed through the road of dry scientific and technical terms but through genuine spirituality and inspiration only.
We shall treasure her memory forever.
prof. László Nemes
Director, International Kodály Institute
