Pálinkálom is a portmenteau word of pálinka and álom, Hungary's quintessential fruit brandy and "dream” respectively. It suggests many things, among them authentic Hungarian culture mixed with a sense of playfulness, creativity and freedom from limitations. Most of the members of this group headed by Orsolya Burján either study in Amsterdam or have done so in the past. The multicultural experience they acquired there and their (geographic, but never spiritual) absence from their homeland combined to create the unique relationship that linked them to Hungarian folk music. Also perceptible in their compositions are jazz and the multitude of other elements of world music, all enveloped in a rich world of harmony. In addition to jazz and folk, Orsi also has a background in classical music, all of which are recalled in the uniquely individual lyricism and atmosphere in the compositions and reworkings. Orsolya Burján was seven years old when she began to study music in her home town of Székesfehérvár, and her experiences singing in choirs had a major influence on her. She has been singing folk music since age 15, and has studied folk dance as well. She qualified as a choirmaster and music teacher with a diploma earned from Eötvös Loránd University in 2005. Afterwards, she took on musical roles in productions at Székesfehérvár's Vörösmarty Theatre, and also founded the Musculus Vocalis singing ensemble, with whom in 2009 she won the Jury's honourable mention at the Vivace International Choir Festival. She launched her formal jazz studies at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in 2008, and has been a student in the jazz department of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam since 2011. She formed the Pálinkálom band in 2012, and collaborates with Gábor Csongrádi in composition.

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