American Spring Festival

This annual festival of Czech-American cultural cooperation, consisting of concerts and lectures in Czech and Moravian cities, is organized by the International Dvořák Society, together with other participating institutions. The main purpose of the project is to enhance the image of the United States through music and spoken word, and through personal encounters with first-class musicians and lecturers associated with leading American universities and institutions. We thus want to honor the spiritual legacy of Antonín Dvořák, the founder of American music, whose name epitomizes Czech-American affinity.

The concerts feature primarily compositions of American composers – many of whom are not well known in this country – but also works by Czech-Americans and Czech composers written during their stay in the United States. The participating artists are among top US musicians and they present the American performing tradition.

Lectures concentrate on the American way of life, Czech-American relations, grassroots democracy, and the ideas of democracy and freedom that lay at the foundations of the United States. Lecturers include Czech academics, visiting Czech-Americans and Americans, and Czech-Americans who have returned to live here after long stays in the U.S. We hope that these presentations will help promote the development of democratic practices in this country.

The first AMERICAN SPRING took place in 2006, from May 6 to July 14. During this time there were 21 concerts and 6 lectures in 17 cities, and a two-day conference in Prague on Czech-American cultural relations. The 26 participants of the conference included Alexandr Vondra, vice-premier of the ČR and former Czech ambassador to the United States, Josef Jařab, president emeritus of Palacky University at Olomouc and former senator, and Jiří Pehe, director of NYU in Prague.

The AMERICAN SPRING 2007 began on May 7 and continued until July 15. Altogether 23 events – 18 concerts and 5 lectures – took place in 13 cities. The formal inaugural concert at the Castle Zbiroh featured the Orchestra of the Castle Guard and the Police of the Czech Republic, with two American soloists. Lecturers included Norbert Auerbach, film producer and former president of the United Artists, Petr Bísek, publisher of the Czech-language biweekly Americké listy (New York), and professors of politology Michael Kraus and Allison Stanger from Middlebury College in Vermont.

The AMERICAN SPRING 2008 was endorsed by the Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Karel Schwarzenberg, The Embassy of the United States of America, the Mayor of Prague Pavel Bém and the Mayor of Brno Roman Onderka, and other leading personalities. The festival began on April 10 in Brno and ended on July 17 in Boskovice. Within that period, more than fifty concerts and lectures took place in over 30 cities and towns.

The AMERICAN SPRING 2009 was endorsed by the Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Karel Schwarzenberg, The Embassy of the United States of America, the Ambassador of Canada, the mayor of Olomouc, the president of Palacky University in Olomouc and other leading personalities. The festival began on April 24 in Prague and ended on July 22 in Třebíč. Within that period, 65 concerts and lectures took place in 36 cities and towns.

The AMERICAN SPRING 2010 began on April 13 in Olomouc and ended on June 26 in Prague. Altogether, 44 concerts and lectures took place in 24 cities and towns. The main part of the festival was organized in České Budějovice and South Bohemian region. The most prominent guest from the United States was the composer William Bolcom, winner of many prestigious awards including Pulitzer Prize.