Clayton State Students Star in Budapest Following in the Footsteps of Puccini, Casals and Rostropovich Morrow, Ga., Oct. 21, 2004 – Clayton State students Elena Cholakova, Brandon Tucker and Patrick Thompson, along with Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Maya Hoover, have arrived back in Morrow from Budapest. The three music majors and Hoover made an historic visit to Europe’s finest music academy, the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, as a follow-up to Clayton State President Dr. Thomas K. Harden’s October 2003 Educational, Trade and Cultural mission to Hungary, Romania and the Czech Republic. The three students first performed on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 12 at the residence of George H. Walker, the American Ambassador to Hungary and first cousin of former United States President George Herbert Walker Bush. “The students played beautifully at the embassy event, and did Clayton State proud,” says Hoover. Then, on Thursday night, Oct. 14, the students performed at the Liszt Academy before the Liszt Academy’s rector (president), delegates from the American embassy, the public, Liszt Academy students and Clayton State President Harden, who joined the party on Oct. 13. “Although they may not have had as much practice time as they would have liked, they all outdid themselves in the concert Thursday night,” says Hoover. “In general, I found both the instructors and the students to be extremely welcoming and gracious for our time and visit,” she adds.  Hoover also had the opportunity to introduce some of the Liszt Academy faculty and staff to Spanish and Latin American literature.  “Conversely, they introduced me to a fabulous composer named Ferenc Erkel, “ she says. “In all, the trip was a success from both a personal standpoint, and from the perspective of our university. It was a first step in what will hopefully be a long relationship with the city of Budapest, both musically and academically. Hoover also notes that the trip was a learning experience for the three students, both in music and in music history. Hoover says the students put into practice what they have learned in theory – that there are times you need to depend on your training and preparation, and rely on the fact that you are a good musician. Further, the director of the Academy showed the Clayton State group the guest book for the Academy with signatures dating back to the late 1800s. “We saw real signatures… actual ink… from Puccini, Mascagni, Casals, Rostropovich, and Richard Strauss, to name a select few,” says Hoover. “It is a little intimidating to be surrounded by such immense greatness, but by the same token, it is amazing to be right in the middle of it.”