5, 10, 15.

They say it’s good form to sometimes express who we are, where we’ve come from, and where we’re headed—in numbers. That would probably require some sort of reflection, maybe a bout of boredom, or a comfy armchair. We don’t have any of those—but we do have a Google Calendar, and it tells us that the Folktone Duo made its debut in December 2013 in London at Dragon Hall. We officially became the Folktone Band in 2014. Over the past 10 years, we’ve averaged around fifty appearances a year across the UK, which brings us to roughly 500 performances to date. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we entertained our audience with online concerts and educational videos. Folktone has become a regular guest in over 20 cities across Britain, and the number of places we’ve visited is holding steady at 85… for now. Each number comes with a memory. A little girl, fluent in three languages, learning Hungarian folk violin in England. A Hungarian-Japanese-English trio and a bassist from Hódmezővásárhely playing Szék dances together. A Hungarian carnival in Belgium where someone dressed up as Ludas Matyi. A right-hand-drive car packed with folk instruments and musicians. The Oxford crowd dancing Moldavian steps inside St Peter’s Church. A Japanese pianist from the Bach to Baby series performing English lullabies with violin and viola accompaniment. The curiosity and applause that greeted our drum-gardon at the Royal Albert Hall. Guest performances in Germany. Györgyfalva folk camps. Rhymes performed in Welsh. Computázás in Ireland. An online concert in masks. The first second-generation Hungarian dance ensemble. Scottish-Hungarian collaborations. Workshops and workshop parties. Táncház hits. Musician and dancer friends living in Hungary, the US, Belgium, Switzerland—and who knows where else—appearing here in the UK. Old and new loves. Renewal and continuation. Each number is a story. Maybe that matters to someone. As for me, I’m done talking numbers.