American Spring 2011

The musical part of the sixth year of the American Spring Festival began on May 3, 2011, with the concert at the Spanish Hall featuring the Castle Guard Orchestra and the Canadian-American coloratura soprano Melanie Gall. It was a concert celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Police of the CR. Melanie Gall had two additonal recitals, on May 4 and 5, accompanied by the pianist Alice Fiedlerová, in the town of Lázně Teplice nad Bečvou and in Prague.

The main part of the festival took place between May 19 and June 18, 2011. During this time, 32 concerts were presented in 23 Czech and Moravian cities and towns, featuring 8 musicians from the USA, 1 from Canada and 5 from the Czech Republic.

Included in the American Spring festival this year were three concerts organized by The Prague Concert Co. On June 16, 2011, the 100-member orchestra of musicians aged 12 to 18 years, New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, performed at Rudolfinum in Prague. The concert was conducted by Benjamin Zander and presented a 15-year old piano virtuoso, George Li. Two performances by the 75-member Denver Young Artists Orchestra, conducted by Jurgen de Lemos, took place on June 16 in Tábor and on June 17 at Rudolfinum in Prague.

The six lectures of this year’s American Spring, offered at 5 cities and towns, took place between April 17 and May 31, 2011. The lecturers included two Americans, one Czech, and two Czech-Americans.

The American Spring 2011 was endorsed and financially supported by the minister of foreign affairs of the Czech Republic, embassies of the USA and Canada, Association of Regions of the CR, commercial sponsors, regional and city governments, mayors of several cities, and other public personalities.