My name is Anna "Panni" Kovacs. The students call me Ms. Panni. I teach Music in Secondary School and in IBDP, and most of the time, Drama as well. My husband, Csaba Magyar, also teaches at BBIS, and he is the Head of Mathematics. This is our 12th year at the Berlin Brandenburg International School, along with our two daughters. Our eldest daughter graduated from BBIS one year ago and she is studying psychology in Scotland. Our younger daughter is currently in grade 11.
Although we are originally from Hungary, I met my husband in the United States. We both studied at Rutgers State University, NJ, where he received his PhD in Computer Science. I received my Masters in Choral Conducting from Princeton, NJ, and my Masters in Music Education from the Ferenc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest.
I sometimes say that I have a third “child” and that is the Berlin International Music Project (BIMP). I am one of the founding directors of the project, which I started with the former Middle School principal -Ben Kestner-exactly 10 years ago. Coordinating the project is a huge job, and I couldn’t do it without the help of a former BBIS Mom, Mette Holmark. Each year it brings tears to our eyes seeing the quality music making in our very own BBIS Sport Hall, recruiting students from all around the world.
We love traveling. Often, we drive back and forth between Berlin and Budapest, to our “other” home, with our two daughters and two cats.
When I finish teaching at BBIS I start my summer job, where I direct the choir and I teach music theory and choral conducting at New York University and also at Portland State University.
BBIS has been more than just a workplace to my husband and me; it has become a home, where our family has spent the last 12 years growing together. The school’s open-mindedness, love of art and music, and my fantastic colleagues make BBIS a unique and dynamic institution.
If I had to suggest events to attend, it would be the great music concerts at BBIS including the Primary School and 6-8 grade Winter and Spring concerts, the IBDP Music Soirees, and obviously the BIMP concert which is scheduled to April 7th, 2019.
Outside of BBIS, I recommend to visit a very interesting, new, interactive exhibition called the “Nineties Berlin”. It gives valuable information about the unforgettable period when the Berlin wall came down and the exciting era that followed.
https://www.berlin.de/en/exhibitions/5443582-5202331-nineties-berlin-the-90s-exhibition.en.html