In the meantime, the parish will benefit from his musical skills, vast experience, and solid grasp of the Hungarian language. The two Sunday masses comprise one in English and one in Hungarian.
Tony has been a frequent contributor to this blog, submitting roughly 65 entries since 2006, the year he served as chairman of his class's 30-Year Reunion Committee. One of those entries, "The Fairfield - Hungary Connection," from Nov. 10, 2006, focused on the Hungarian ethnic influence in the area. In addition, from 1998 to 2011, he contributed approximately 16 in-depth and well-researched articles on various topics to "Magyar News," a Connecticut-based journal dedicated to news about everything Hungarian.
Procaccini is now serving at his third Hungarian Catholic church. His previous assignments, which totaled 8 1/2 years as organist and/or music director, took place at Saint Ladislaus Parish, South Norwalk (1978 - 1982), and Saint Stephen of Hungary Parish in Manhattan (1998 - 2003).
He has visited Hungary four times over the years, and sung with the Ma'tya's Templom (Matthias Church) Choir on a number of occasions, under La'szlo' Tardy (pictured below with Procaccini), a highly-accomplished music director Procaccini considers among his personal friends.
On Tony's last visit to Hungary, in November 2010, Maestro Tardy brought him to the famous "Artists' Cemetery" in Budapest. There, Tardy recounted his personal stories with greats such as Zolta'n Koda'ly, Be'la Barto'k, Sir George Solti, Ja'nos Ferencsik, and others, as Procaccini exchanged his own stories of how Hungarian musicians, especially Artur Harmat, influenced him.
During the same trip, Tony "sat in" at the organ of Saint Elizabeth Church in Budapest.
It seems that the matching of Tony to a parish with a Hungarian contingent (once again) will be a very appropriate and fruitful one.
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