ANNUAL REPORT 2010

In 2010, the International Dvořák Society organized the following programs:

American Spring Festival 2010

Concerts of Seniors in Prague 2

Vítězslav Novák Piano Competitions 2010

The American Spring Festival 2010 was held between April 13 and June 25, 2010. Altogether, 44 events – 40 concerts and 4 lectures – were offered in 24 cities and towns of the Czech Republic during this period. On average, the audience numbered 50-60 people. The center of the festival was the city of České Budějovice and the Southern Bohemia Region, with 10 concerts and lectures.

The participants in the American Spring Festival 2010 included 16 artists from the United States and 5 from the Czech Republic. The most important guest of this year was the leading American composer William Bolcom, the winner of Pulitzer Prize and other awards. On June 4, 2010, in the city of České Budějovice, Bolcom´s composition First Symphony for Band was played by the Orchestra of Castle Guard and Police of the Czech Republic, under the direction of Václav Blahunek. It was the European premiere of this work. Bolcom and his wife, famous mezzo-sopranist Joan Morris, also presented 3 recitals.

The musical part of the festival began with four concerts of outstanding New York-based pianist and composer Dan Tepfer. With the Orchestra of the Castle Guard and Police of the Czech Republic he presented the world premiere of his composition Concerto for Piano and Orchestra at the gala concert in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle on May 4, 2010.

The concert performance of the famous operetta Polská krev by Oskar Nedbal, in the arrangement of six artists from the University of North Texas, directed by Lynn Eustis and accompanied by the South Bohemian Opera Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Martin Peschík, was a great success. This unique production with singing parts in German (the original language of the libretto), the spoken word in English, and with Czech subtitles was held in České Budějovice, Písek, Brno and Tábor, and it received ovations at all venues. The American artists charmed the audience with both their dramatic and vocal performances.

The prominent American organist Joan DeVee Dixon, who had already participated in the American Spring Festival several times, performed at eight concerts, mostly with the oboist Kristen Cooper. The tour of Arthur Greene (piano) and Solomia Soroka (violin) duo, which started in Prague and continued in six Moravian cities and towns, was also very successful. Piano Unison Duo (Du Huang and Xiao Hu) played four recitals. The festival concluded with three concerts by American violist Suzanne Wagor and Czech violinist Josef Žák.

The two lectures by American diplomats from the U.S. Embassy, David J. Gainer´s in Olomouc, and Dariana L. Arky´s in České Budějovice, were also well received. Professor Jan Švejnar gave a stimulating lecture in České Budějovice and then, as part of the American Spring Festival, took part in the Prague Writers Festival as well.

The American Spring Festival 2010 was organized in memoriam of President Woodrow Wilson. Based on the cooperation agreement with the Washington, D.C.-based American Friends of the Czech Republic, all events of the festival encouraged the audience to get familiar with the project of rebuilding the Woodrow Wilson Memorial in Prague, which will be dedicated in mid-2011. The public collection held in support of this action brought in almost 17 000 CZK and the cities of Pardubice and Kolín have each made a commitment to contribute 15 000 CZK to the memorial.

Concerts for Seniors in Prague 2 are organized in cooperation with the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethern. This cycle has been taking place since 2004 and concerts are presented every first Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., from October to June. In 2010, the participants in these concerts included 15 Czech and 3 American musicians.

The First Novak’s Piano Competitions in Kamenice nad Lipou represented an important contribution to the celebrations of 140th aniversary of the birth of Vítězslav Novák, one of the major Czech piano composers. Practically all of Novak’s piano cycles (or selections from the cycles) and also Novak’s individual piano compositions were presented in the course of the competitions.

A one-round competition named after Novak’s piano cycle YOUTH took place on June 11 and 12. The competition was divided into two age categories: Category 1 was for children up to the age of 13. Category 2 was for young pianists aged 14 to 16. There were 19 participants in the first category, mostly pupils from Czech primary art schools. Several participants came from Slovakia, Austria, Germany and Russia. The first prize was awarded to Terezie Kovářová from Jan Neruda Gymnasium in Prague and to the young vietnamese pianist Hai Thaó My Nguyen from Konservatorium Rudolf Wagner Régeny in Rostock. The second prize was awarded to Kateřina Potocká from the Private Primary Art School in Havlíčkův Brod. The third prize was awarded to Alice Rajnohová from the J. Kvapil Art School in Brno.

There were 17 pianists in the second category – 14 from the Czech Republic, 1 from Austria, and 2 from Germany. The first prize was awarded to Tomáš Vrána from Janacek‘s Conservatory and Gymnasium in Ostrava. The second prize was awarded to Barbora Brabcová from the Conservatory in České Budějovice. The third prize was awarded to Johanna Haniková from the Primary Art School in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm and to Marie Pawlowská from Janacek‘s Conservatory and Gymnasium in Ostrava.

A one-round piano competition for pianists in the age of 17 to 30, called KAMENICE, took place from June 12 to June 14, 2010. Participants included 23 pianists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, Germany, Austria and China. The winner was Jana Tůmová from JAMU Brno. The second prize was awarded to Martina Mergentalová from the Vejvanovský Conservatory in Kroměříž, Kateřina Ochmanová from the Conservatory in Pardubice, and Magdalena Ondičová from the VŠMU Bratislava. The third prize was awarded to Karel Vrtiška from Prague HAMU and Pavla Martinů from VŠMU Bratislava.

Financial Report