AMERICAN SPRING 2016
About us
The American Spring Festival has been organized by the non-profit Institute for Czech-American Relations. Presents mostly young American and Czech musicians. Apart from concerts of classical and jazz music, the festival also offers lectures, master classes, movie screenings and exhibitions. The uniqueness of this project consists in bringing first-rate performers to smaller cities and towns. During the first eleven years of its existence, the festival presented events in more than 50 locations in this country. The program also includes concerts of large student symphonic orchestras and choirs performed in prestigious concert halls. Important partners of the festival include the US Embassy in Prague, The Band of Castle Guards and the Czech Police, Václav Havel Library, the book fair World of Books, The National Film Archive, American Pianists Association, and American Friends of the Czech Republic in Washington, D.C. We also closely cooperate with the Czech Radio and a large number of news organizations.
Long-term goals of the American Spring
To present, especially, young American musicians to Czech audiences (selected in long-term successful cooperation with important American musical institutions such as the American Pianists Association, which assures a superb quality of the invited guests) and to pair them with talented young Czech musicians. In 2016, this goal was fulfilled: by the creation of Sullivan Fortner trio consisting of Sullivan Fortner (USA, piano), Václav Pálka (CR, drums), and Petr Korman (Slovakia, double bass). The trio played four concerts.
Apart from initiating and supporting the cooperation of Czech and American musicians, we have decided in 2016 to extend this goal to the graphic arts. In 2016, this goal was fulfilled: by the organization of a very successful exhibition in Villa P651 in Prague, put together by two well-known artists, Czech Milan Salák and American Conrad Eric Armstrong. The exhibition also featured two lectures, the first on the art of graffiti and the second on the work of the performer Milan Kohout.
To present quality programs in smaller cities and towns. In 2016, this goal was fulfilled: the festival presented events in 13 locations of the Czech Republic. To present a set of lectures and movie screenings on contemporary topics in a Czech-American context. In 2016, this goal was fulfilled: A lecture and discussion featuring Michael Žantovský and Josef Jařab entitled Still e pluribus unum? at the Václav Havel Library. See https://www.youtube.com/ watch? =CYpm43bgUy8. A public discussion entitled America, the Country of Immigrants, at the international book fair The World of Books, with four panelists - Jiřina Rybáčková, Jiří Pehe, Martin Putna, and Josef Opatrný - and moderated by Alexandr Vondra. A lecture by the American ambassador Andrew Schapiro at the South Bohemian University. A screening of the documentary Bojovník (The Fighter) at the Ponrepo movie house.
In 2016, The American Spring festival featured
5 soloists who performed 17 concerts in 13 cities of the Czech Republic
Kelley Hollis (USA, soprano) Graduate of the Boston University Opera Institute In October 2013 she had her first major role in the Boston premiere of the opera Dark Sisters, by Nico Muhly She also sang the part of Nina in the New England premiere of the opera The Seagull, by Thomas Pasatieri, presented by the Opera del West In 2015 she sang with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra in Mahler's Symphony No. 2, conducted by David Hoose In 2016 she will sing as soloist in Gabriel Fauré's Requiem in Rhode Island, conducted by Edward Markward At the American Spring Festival 2016, she performed at four concerts in four Czech cities
Sullivan Fortner (USA, piano) The Cole Porter Fellow in Jazz in 2015, winner of the prestigious competition of the American Pianists Association in the category Jazz Piano Graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, under the tutorage of Jason Moran and Phil Markowitz He has performed with many great musicians, including The Marsalis Family, Roy Hardgrove, Donald Harrison, Nicholas Payton, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Irvin Mayfield, and a host of others At the American Spring Festival 2016 he performed six concerts in five cities of the Czech Republic
David Kalhous (CZ/USA, piano) At present he lives and works in New York Since 2014 he has been a professor of piano at the College of Music of Florida State University He has performed as a soloist with the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Prague Philharmonic, Israel Symphony Orchestra, Moravian Philharmonic and many others - as a chamber musician, he performed at Prague Spring Festival, Gilmore Keyboard, Symphony Space and Bargemusic and Pianoforte Foundation in New York At the American Spring Festival 2016 he performed at four venues in four Czech cities
Yossi Arnheim (Israel, flute) The principal flutist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and director of the Department of Wind Instruments in Jerusalem Music Center He regularly appears as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and other orchestras in Israel He teaches at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Rubin Music Academy and Tel-Aviv University He is the director of the Haifa International Flute Competition At the American Spring Festival 2016 he performed at three concerts in three Czech cities
Gail Archer (USA,organ) An internationally well-known organist She teaches at Columbia University in New York Was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2007 for her album A Mystic in the Making She contributes articles to important musical periodicals, presents lectures, and her concerts are received with acclaim At the American Spring Festival 2016 she performed at one concert in Prague
6 orchestras in cooperation with The Prague Concerts Company and WASBE Regional conference in Prague
3 discussions 2 lectures 1 exhibition 1 movie screening
3 200 spectators attended The American Spring Festival events
Media reception
Radio.cz New Orleans-based pianist Sullivan Fortner talks jazz ahead of American Spring Music Festival dr
Novinky.cz An American beauty comes to Písek
Kulturissimo.cz American Spring Festival tunes in both to classical music and to jazz
Informuji.cz The American Spring Festival begins, offering two months of classical music and jazz.
Kultura.eurozpravy.cz The American Spring Festival will present established musicians as well as several great talents at the beginning of their careers. d
Jizerky.cz American Spring in Liberec: Yossi Arnheim
Plzen.cz American Spring today in Klatovy
Inbudejovice.cz Lecture of the US Ambassador Andrew Schapiro at the South Bohemian University
Jcu.cz American Spring at the South Bohemian University
Kralupskyzpravodaj.cz American Spring at the Nelahozeves Castle
Kddobris.cz We look forward to welcome another supremely gifted guest from the USA
The number of our fans is increasing Increase in the number of Facebook fans by 100%
Examples of posts
Past years
Prominent personalities of the festival
MUSIC In 2016, the star performer of the festival was Sullivan Fortner, the winner of the prestigious 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship in the American Pianists Association competition, category Jazz Piano. In 2015, the highlight of the festival was the world premiere of Algorhitmic Transform by one of the most original contemporary jazz composers, Dan Tepfer. The composition, performed by the Band of Castle Guards and the Czech Police at the Spanish Hall at Prague Castle, was commissioned by the American Spring festival organizers. Since 2008, Dan Tepfer has participated at the festival several times. In 2014 we had the honor to present two celebrated world jazzmen, Jiří Stivín and Czech-American Miroslav Vitouš and Sean Sean, winner of the prestigious 2013 Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship in the American Pianists Association competition. Radoslav Kvapil, world-renowned pianist, who recorded complete piano music by foremost Czech composers.
LECTURES AND PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS ANDREW SCHAPIRO JAN ŠVEJNAR MICHAEL ŽANTOVSKÝ JOSEF MICHL JOSEF JAŘAB JOSEF OPATRNÝ ALEXANDR VONDRA MARTIN C. PUTNA PETR BÍSEK LIBUŠE RUDINSKÁ JIŘÍ PEHE MICHAEL KRAUS
Photo gallery
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