Podcasts about czech radio

News; concert with 1,000 amateur singers concludes Year of Czech Music; Czech Radio survey tries to find best Christmas cookie; marking the first anniversary of the 2023 Faculty of Arts shooting.

News; concert with 1,000 amateur singers concludes Year of Czech Music; Czech Radio survey tries to find best Christmas cookie; marking the first anniversary of the 2023 Faculty of Arts shooting.

News. Infant centres to close next January, but are the alternatives ready? A rare recording of a pipe organ that Antonín Dvořák donated to the church in Třebsko has been rediscovered in Czech Radio archives. Interview with Professor Milena Králíčková, rector of Charles University

News. Infant centres to close next January, but are the alternatives ready? A rare recording of a pipe organ that Antonín Dvořák donated to the church in Třebsko has been rediscovered in Czech Radio archives. Interview with Professor Milena Králíčková, rector of Charles University

Can AI write better short stories than a human writer? This is the questions at the heart of the Digital Writer project from Czech Radio. Since 2020, Czech Radio has been experimenting with generative AI tools, particularly ChatGPT, to see what it would sound like when AI meets human creativity. The result has been four seasons of their ongoing podcast series called Digital Writer. To find out more about the project, host Gretel Kahn spoke to Anna Vošalíková. She is the Chief Dramaturg in charge of digital content at Czech Radio. A transcript of this epsiode can be found here: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/when-ai-meets-creative-writing-audio-experiment-czech-radio

“Freedom is closely linked to unpredictability,” said Yale Historian Timothy Snyder at a Prague conference titled Borders of (Un)Freedom. The conference, organized by Czech Radio and Václav Havel Library, began with live recordings of the podcasts Error of the System (Chyba systému), which focused on the growth of the far right, and To the East! and Rewrite History (Na Východ! a Přepište dějiny), which focused on the crushing of the Prague Spring.

“Freedom is closely linked to unpredictability,” said Yale Historian Timothy Snyder at a Prague conference titled Borders of (Un)Freedom. The conference, organized by Czech Radio and Václav Havel Library, began with live recordings of the podcasts Error of the System (Chyba systému), which focused on the growth of the far right, and To the East! and Rewrite History (Na Východ! a Přepište dějiny), which focused on the crushing of the Prague Spring.Všechny díly podcastu Speciál můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

In this special edition of the RECET transformative podcast, we revisit the recent RECET festival, where speakers from around the globe discussed ‘Green Transformations.' In this excerpt, three panelists charted the history of nuclear energy—from its ‘dark past' to, perhaps, its ‘green future.' Stephen Gross is the author of Energy and Power: Germany in the Age of Oil, Atoms and Climate Change (Oxford University Press, 2023). He was joined by Elisabeth Röhrlich, author of Inspectors for Peace: A History of the International Atomic Energy Agency (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022). They spoke alongside Anna Weichselbraun, from the University of Vienna, who is currently finishing a manuscript on knowledge production at the International Atomic Energy Agency. The discussion was moderated by Rosamund Johnston (RECET). Stephen G. Gross is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Center of European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University. After working at the Bureau of Economic Analysis (Department of Commerce) in Washington DC, he received his PhD in history from UC Berkeley. He is the author of Energy and Power: Germany in the Age of Oil, Atoms, and Climate Change (Oxford University Press, 2023) and Export Empire: German Soft Power in Southeastern Europe, 1890-1945, which explores the political economy of the Nazi Empire. His research has been supported by the Fulbright Fellowship, the German Academic Exchange Program, the Institute for New Economic Thinking, the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, and the Andrew Mellon New Directions Fellowship, through which he earned a certificate of sustainable finance at Columbia University. Elisabeth Röhrlich is Associate Professor at the History Department of the University of Vienna and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies. Her expertise is in twentieth century global and international history, the history of international organizations, the history of the nuclear age and the Cold War, and Austrian contemporary history. She received her PhD in history from the University of Tübingen, Germany, and has held fellowships at the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies, the German Historical Institute and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (both in Washington D.C.), and Monash University South Africa. She is the author of a prize-winning book about the former Austrian chancellor Bruno Kreisky (Kreiskys Außenpolitik, Vienna University Press, 2009), and her writings on the history of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been published in journals such as the Diplomacy and Statecraft, Cold War History, and the Journal of Cold War Studies. Her monograph "Inspectors for Peace" on the history of the IAEA was published with Johns Hopkins University Press in 2022. Anna Weichselbraun is a postdoc researcher at the Department of European Ethnology at the University of Vienna. She works at the intersection of historical anthropology of knowledge, semiotics and science and technology studies with an empirical focus on the global governance of technology in the long 20th century. She is currently revising her book manuscript on nuclear knowledge practices at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Rosamund Johnston is the Principal Investigator of Linking Arms: Central Europe´s Weapons Industries, 1954-1994 at RECET. She is the author of Red Tape: Radio and Politics in Czechoslovakia, 1945-1969 which appeared with Stanford University Press in March 2024. Her research has been published in Central European History and a number of edited volumes. She has also written for the Journal of Cold War Studies, East Central Europe, Harvard Ukrainian Studies, Scottish newspaper The National, and public broadcaster Czech Radio. Johnston is the author of one book of public history, Havel in America: Interviews with American Intellectuals, Politicians, and Artists, released by Czech publisher Host in 2019.

Many thanks to SRAA contributor, Dan Greenall, who shares the following recordings and notes:Broadcaster: Radio Prague: 1970 and 1999Frequency: 7.345 MHzReception location: Ancaster and Thamesford, Ontario, CanadaReceiver and antenna: Hallicrafters S-52 and Drake SW-8 using a longwire antennaNotes: Here is a brief recording of Radio Prague in Czechoslovakia circa 1970. They are heard with their interval signal and announcement in English. The frequency was 7345 kHz. The second recording was made June 22, 1999 at 1727 hours UTC on 21745 kHz, with their interval signal and multi-lingual ID's, as the external service of Czech Radio. In 1970, I received a beautiful cloth bookmark from Radio Prague, and I gave it to my mother as she liked to read, and I felt it would be a way to include her in my newfound hobby of shortwave listening. She used it for the next 46 years, and I recovered it in 2016 after her passing, still in amazingly good condition.

What does radio tell us about state socialism and the post-1945 history of Czechoslovakia? In this episode, Rosamund Johnston (RECET) tells Jelena Đureinović (also RECET) about radio and politics in socialist Czechoslovakia, highlighting the role of radio reporters and reception among listeners and discussing the contemporary implications of the study of Cold War radio.   Rosamund Johnston is a postdoctoral researcher at RECET. She is the author of Red Tape: Radio and Politics in Czechoslovakia, 1945-1969, published by Stanford University Press. She also co-authored one book of public history, Havel in America: Interviews with American Intellectuals, Politicians, and Artists, released by Czech publisher Host in 2019. Her work has appeared in Central European History, the Journal of Cold War Studies, East Central Europe, Harvard Ukrainian Studies, Scottish newspaper The National, and on public broadcaster Czech Radio. She is currently researching the global history of Czechoslovakia between 1954 and 1994 through its arms trade.

Getting back to the history of Radio Slovakia International. 4 January 1993 marks the first day of its broadcast. Discussing the beginnings of foreign service of the then Czechoslovak radio with Vladimir Stefko, the 1991-1994 general director of the Slovak Radio, and Vladimir Draxler, a radio historian. We will also get back to Czech Radio as it, in 2023, celebrated the centenary of the first radio broadcast on its territory.

Getting back to the history of Radio Slovakia International. 4 January 1993 marks the first day of its broadcast. Discussing the beginnings of foreign service of the then Czechoslovak radio with Vladimir Stefko, the 1991-1994 general director of the Slovak Radio, and Vladimir Draxler, a radio historian. We will also get back to Czech Radio as it, in 2023, celebrated the centenary of the first radio broadcast on its territory.

For a month they lived in captivity in a basement. People from Yahidne. Svitlana Oslavska wrote a story about them. One day it might be read by the criminal tribunal. Svitlana is a Ukrainian journalist and researcher with The Reckoning Project. She arrived to Prague to participate in the Media & Ukraine conference organized by Czech Radio.Všechny díly podcastu Vinohradská 12 můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

For a month they lived in captivity in a basement. People from Yahidne. Svitlana Oslavska wrote a story about them. One day it might be read by the criminal tribunal. Svitlana is a Ukrainian journalist and researcher with The Reckoning Project. She arrived to Prague to participate in the Media & Ukraine conference organized by Czech Radio.

News; exhibition marking 100 years of Czech Radio to kick off in New York; pop legend Karel Gott speaks from beyond the grave using AI; leading Czech digital anthropologist Marie Heřmanová

News; exhibition marking 100 years of Czech Radio to kick off in New York; pop legend Karel Gott speaks from beyond the grave using AI; leading Czech digital anthropologist Marie Heřmanová

Radio Slovakia International dedicates 18 May special to our colleagues in Radio Prague marking the 100 years since the launch of regular radio broadcast on the territory of former Czechoslovakia. The guide on the tour around the Czech Radio building while visiting studio and offices of the English service of Radio Prague is its senior editor/producer Ian Willoughby.

Radio Slovakia International dedicates 18 May special to our colleagues in Radio Prague marking the 100 years since the launch of regular radio broadcast on the territory of former Czechoslovakia. The guide on the tour around the Czech Radio building while visiting studio and offices of the English service of Radio Prague is its senior editor/producer Ian Willoughby.

News, Prague Spring music festival interview with viola player Antoine Tamestit, work of sound effect specialists at Czech Radio, university series - accommodation

News, Prague Spring music festival interview with viola player Antoine Tamestit, work of sound effect specialists at Czech Radio, university series - accommodation

News; Czech Radio digitises full archive of trial with Karl Hermann Frank; Czech glassworks produces glass bell for Klok & Peel Museum; What attracts tourists to Prague?

News: Babiš steps back from frontline politics; Czech Radio plans many events for upcoming centenary; Czech women's ice hockey in focus.

The Russian „referenda“ - fake. The Russian army - losing. The Russian propaganda - in trouble. The Russian government and soldiers as fascists and war criminals from the perspective of a well-known historian Timothy Snyder. In the exclusive interview for Czech Radio.

The Russian „referenda“ - fake. The Russian army - losing. The Russian propaganda - in trouble. The Russian government and soldiers as fascists and war criminals from the perspective of a well-known historian Timothy Snyder. In the exclusive interview for Czech Radio.Všechny díly podcastu Vinohradská 12 můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

The Russian „referenda“ - fake. The Russian army - losing. The Russian propaganda - in trouble. The Russian government and soldiers as fascists and war criminals from the perspective of a well-known historian Timothy Snyder. In the exclusive interview for Czech Radio.

Religion Unplugged Executive Editor Paul Glader interviews Czech journalist Daniel Raus on the complicated dynamics of assessing religious affiliation in former Soviet nations such as the Czech Republic, which is arguably the most atheistic country on earth. We also learn about Raus' history in radio, audio production at Radio Free Europe, Czech Radio and his recent freedom of the press award from The Media Project and The Fund for American Studies.

What are the current priorities in Czech humanitarian aid and development cooperation? Czech Radio's fundraising project to pay for musical instruments for Ukranian child refugees.

What are the current priorities in Czech humanitarian aid and development cooperation? Czech Radio's fundraising project to pay for musical instruments for Ukranian child refugees.

To learn more, please visit the websites of Terezín Music Foundation and its project Our Will to Live.SHOW NOTES:00:02:45 Foundation of Terezín Music Foundation00:06:30 Our Will To Live00:08:30 Ullmann as guide through Terezin's cultural community 00:09:35 Otto Weininger00:12:20 Ullmann's essays on Sigmund Schul included in Our Will To Live00:13:30 Ullmann's critiques of Carman and Verdi's Requiem00:14:45 Viktor Frankl00:18:40 Council of Elders member Karel Herman00:22:50 smuggling musical instruments00:24:55 Ullmann's critique of performance by Karel Švenk00:26:05 knowledge of environment and history of creators enriches understanding of their work00:26:10 George Horner00:29:15 Yo-Yo Ma's work with TMF00:30:45 Yo-Yo Ma and George Horner's performance at Boston's Symphony Hall00:32:45 Ludwig's performance of Klein's Lullabye for Dalai Lama at US Capital and in Sarajevo after seige00:33:20 Our Will To Live as a work of historical justice00:33:50 Primo Levy's The Drowned and The Saved00:35:00 How tracks for Our Will To Live were choosen00:35:40 Karel Berman's performance of “A Sleepless Night” from Four Songs on Chinese poetry00:36:00 cabaret works by Karel Svenk00:37:15 Tracks of the month by OWTL00:38:15 TMF's ‘Finding A Voice' program curriculum00:39:55 enabling individuals to find their voice 00:40:50 social justice and the voice of society00:41:20 voices of Ullmann, Hans Krása,  Gideon Klein00:42:05 Friedl Dicker-Brandeis 00:44:50 Pavel Haas' “A Sleepless Night” from Four Songs on Chinese Poetry00:46:20 Gideon Klein's String Trio, Second movement00:46:55 Ullmann's Third String Quartet00:47:40 Hans Krása's children's opera Brundibar 00:48:10 Krása's Passacaglia and Fugue for String Trio 00:48:50 Picasso's Guernica00:49:30 Ullmann's Don Quixote Overture 00:51:10 TMF's legacy00:55:40  Track 27 Viktor Ullmann, Third String Quartet [13:38] (Terezín, 1943)performed by Hawthorne String Quartet01:09:45 Track 11 Gideon Klein, String Trio, Movement II — Theme and Variations [07:17] (Terezín, 1944), performed by Ronan Lefkowitz, violin; Mark Ludwig, viola; Sato Knudsen, cello01:17:45 Track 12 Gideon Klein, String Trio, Movement III — Molto Vivace [03:04] (Terezín, 1944) performed by Ronan Lefkowitz, violin; Mark Ludwig, viola; Sato Knudsen, cello01:21:05 Track 16 Pavel Haas, Four Songs on Chinese Poetry (for Karel Berman) “A Sleepless Night” (Han Yu [14:11] (Terezín, 1944) performed by Karel Berman, baritone, and Přemsyl Charnát, piano, November 1991 Czech Radio broadcast of a concert featuring Terezín composers in the Jewish Town Hall, Prague.01:25:10 Track 29 Karel Švenk, “Why Does the Black Man Sit at the Back of the Car?” [01:16] (Terezín, 1943) Arrangement by David L. Post; performed by Thomas Martin, clarinet, and Hawthorne String QuartetTo view rewards for supporting the podcast, please visit Warfare's Patreon page.To leave questions or comments about this or other episodes of the podcast, please call 1.929.260.4942 or email Stephanie@warfareofartandlaw.com. © Stephanie Drawdy [2022]For more details about joining the monthly discussion on art, culture and justice, please message me at stephanie@warfareofartandlaw.com. Hope to see you there!

News; electoral coalitions have stuck a deal on forming a new government; Czech Radio's “Concert for Animals” has won the Prix Europa 2021 award; Kateřina Tučková's novel Gerta shines a light on the post-WWII expulsion of Germans from Brno

News; electoral coalitions have stuck a deal on forming a new government; Czech Radio's “Concert for Animals” has won the Prix Europa 2021 award; Kateřina Tučková's novel Gerta shines a light on the post-WWII expulsion of Germans from Brno

Vera Chytilová was the most important woman director of the Czechoslovak New Wave – although she remains relatively unknown outside of Central Europe. As the first female student of the prestigious FAMU film school in Prague, she had to fight in order to do things her own way. During the creative explosion of the Czechoslovak New Wave, she made her most well known film ‘Daisies' (1966) – a surrealist pop-art comedy, about two young women who set their minds on creating humorous destruction around them. The 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of her country stopped Chytilová's promising career dead in its tracks, but unlike Miloś Forman (‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', 1975) and others, she refused to emigrate, despite the huge personal cost. After seven years of professional exile, she was allowed to return to filmmaking in the late 1970s, once again finding critical success. After the privatisation of the Czech film industry in the 1990s, she was one of the first to adapt with ‘The Inheritance' (1992) – a scathing satire on the effect free-for-all capitalism was having on her fellow citizens. Having never compromised on her beliefs, she remained a moral authority in her country until her death in 2014, and continues to inspire those lucky enough to come across her films for the first time. Listen to the episode to hear her fascinating story. Click here to get the transcript Like our show? Sign up for our newsletter! Further reading Vera Chytilova Dies at 85; Made Daring Films in Czech New Wave // on nytimes.com "It's still revolutionary' : Věra Chytilová's Daisies comes sixth in BBC poll of films by women // on Czech Radio.cz The Cinematic Gems of the Czechoslovak New Wave // on Hyperallergic.com Poles Conquer Czech Cinema // on Culture.pl The Most Powerful Films From Beyond the Iron Curtain // on Culture.pl Further watching Naughty Young People: Chytilová, Kučera, Krumbachova (2012) // documentary at Vimeo.com Thanks Tereza Kučerova // set designer and visual artist, for talking to us about her mother, and her childhood memories of the dramatic events of 1968. Anička Hanáková // for helping translate our conversation and sharing her own memories of her grandmother. Dr. Michal Bregant // director of the National Film Archive in Prague, for sharing his experience of working with Chytilová in the 1980s. Professor Jan Bernard // for talking about his former teaching colleague at at FAMU. Dr. Jindřiška Bláhová // Assistant Film Studies Professor at Charles University, for sharing her knowledge of Chytilová's life and work. Jakub Felcman // filmmaker and former student of Chytilová at FAMU, for talking to us about the Czech director as a teacher and mentor. Lastly, a special thanks to Barbora Lochmanová from the Czech Film Center and Jitka Rohanova from the Polish Institute in Prague for their help in making the episode possible. Credits Written & produced by Piotr Wołodźko Edited by Wojciech Oleksiak & Adam Zulawski Hosted by Nitzan Reisner & Adam Zulawski Scoring & sound design by Wojciech Oleksiak

Paula Downes reads her Grandfather and Andrew Downes' father Frank's book, Around the Horn, which tells the story of the Classical Music Industry from the point of view of a professional Horn player. Born 1921, died 2005, his fascinating orchestral career spanned the demise of the silent cinema, municipal seaside orchestras, the RAF Central band during World War II, orchestral playing in pre and post-war Britain, and the rise towards a Royal title for the Birmingham Conservatoire. Chapter 12 is about Frank's time in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Malcom Sargent and Adrian Boult, tours around the UK, the Isle of Man and Ireland. Since Frank ends this chapter with a tale of the horn section attempting to leave a concert as soon as it ended, not realising that Malcom Sargent was planning to conduct the Prelude to Act 3 of Wagner's Lohengrin as an encore, and therefore not being ready to play some prominent horn passages, Paula has chosen to end this episode with the last movement of Andrew Downes' Concerto for Four Horns and Symphony Orchestra, a work in which the horns are particularly prominent! This work was composed for the Horns of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra to perform with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in the Rudolfinum, Prague in 2002 and Frank attended the premiere. The recording is the same horn players (Radek Baborak, Stanislav Suchanek, Ondrej Vrabec, and Zdenek Divoky), with the Czech Radio Orchestra, which was broadcast on Czech Radio in March 2003. https://www.andrewdownes.com/Soloists-with-Orchestra.html#FOURHORNS

QSL card for reception of a transmission from Radio Prague on 7 May 1964. ORL is the transmitter call sign. Live, off-air, recording of the broadcast of two special sequential half-hour programs of Radio Prague International celebrating its 85th anniversary. The programs were broadcast via WRMI, Radio Miami International, using a transmitter at Okeechobee, Florida, on 31 August 2021 from 21:00 to 22:00 UTC on a shortwave frequency of 15770 kHz. The listed transmitter power is 100 kW with an antenna beam azimuth of 44°. The recording includes WRMI station identifications.Czech Radio officially began its international service on 31 August 1936. Eventually, the service became known as Radio Prague, then for a brief time in the 1990s as Radio Czechoslovakia International and most recently as Radio Prague International. Radio Prague International is mostly an on-line service now with its own transmitters having been shut down on 31 January 2011. It continued to broadcast over the single WRMI transmitter in Miami and currently relays its daily programs in English, French, and Spanish using the WRMI transmitter complex in Okeechobee. The special anniversary programs include archival recordings, interviews, and comments from listeners. The first half-hour program is in English followed by a second half-hour program in French. The broadcast via WRMI was received outdoors on a Tecsun PL-880 receiver in AM mode with 2.3 kHz filtering and a Tecsun AN-03L 7-metre wire antenna strung to a nearby tree in Hanwell (just outside Fredericton), New Brunswick, Canada. Reception was mostly quite good.

News, Vrbětice scandal gets new twist, Battle for Czech Radio , Sazava Monastery reconstruction, Contemporary Czech poetry

News, Vrbětice scandal gets new twist, Battle for Czech Radio , Sazava Monastery reconstruction, Contemporary Czech poetry

Edita Kudláčová is about to take over as Head of Radio and Audio at the EBU in Geneva. The outgoing creative chief at Czech Radio has lots of interesting things to say about the future of the medium, podcasting – and how public service broadcasters can reach new audiences.

The following is a link to the event scheduled to take place on the 25th of January 2021.In addition, the following are links to the book and additional information about the Wels Family as referenced in the episode. To view rewards for supporting the podcast, please visit Warfare's Patreon page.© Stephanie Drawdy [2021]

Steffan discusses the Battle for Czech Radio, takes a call from Bruce who was at the US Capitol last week, and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Largest whale stranding in the history of Tasmania: The local radio scene. Tasmania on shortwave: Hobart Radio International. Australian DX report. DX items from India, Palau and Korea. Czech Radio turning off MW and LW. Wavescan B20 schedule.

Largest whale stranding in the history of Tasmania: The local radio scene. Tasmania on shortwave: Hobart Radio International. Australian DX report. DX items from India, Palau and Korea. Czech Radio turning off MW and LW. Wavescan B20 schedule.

Czech interest in African American culture goes back to the 19th century.  When Antonín Dvořák spent three years in the United States in the 1890s he explored African American and Native American musical traditions, seeing parallels with the Czech experience of living under Austrian domination.  In the Czechoslovakia of the 1920s and 30s, interest in American jazz spread rapidly and Native American culture was romanticised in the so-called “tramping” movement. After the war communist Czechoslovakia was quick to point to discrimination and segregation in the United States and encouraged civil rights activists to visit the country.  The voices of some of these visitors are preserved in the Czech Radio archives.  And two decades after the fall of communism the first African American US President visited Prague.  This long and fascinating connection is the subject of the ninth programme in our series looking at aspects of Czech and Czechoslovak history through the sound archives. You can find a transcript of the podcast at: https://www.radio.cz/en/section/special/czechs-and-the-american-civil-rights-movement

The Czech Radio archives include many recordings from the time of World War II.  They come from both sides: propaganda from within occupied Bohemia and Moravia aimed at intimidating the population, but also recordings from abroad. Both the BBC and the government in exile in London were broadcasting to occupied Europe in Czech, at the same time informing the wider world about the fate of Czechoslovakia in English.  Some of the extracts we’ll be hearing have become well known, but our archives also hold many surprises, rare recordings that give us unexpected insights into life during wartime. You can find a transcript of the podcast at: https://www.radio.cz/en/section/special/war-and-occupation-a-black-crow-spreads-its-wings-over-prague

The Czech Radio archives give us a rich and nuanced picture of the months leading up to the Munich Agreement of September 1938 that resulted in Nazi Germany annexing huge areas of Czechoslovakia. So many recordings survive that we can reconstruct the events leading up to Munich almost day by day. They include insights from many angles, not least the perspective of the German-speakers of Czechoslovakia, those who supported, but also those who opposed Hitler. The archives offer a sober warning of how easily a democratic state can be shattered through rumour, lies and propaganda. You can find a transcript of the podcast at: https://www.radio.cz/en/section/special/czechs-and-germans-in-1930s-czechoslovakia-a-complex-picture

Pavel Drábek is Professor of Drama and Theatre Practice at the University of Hull (UK), specialising in Shakespeare, early modern theatre, translation, adaptation and theatre theory. He also writes and translates for opera, radio and theatre. His selected works are České pokusy o Shakespeara (Czech Attempts at Shakespeare, 2012), Transnational Connections in Early Modern Theatre (co-ed. M. A. Katritzky, 2019). His fourth radio play Košice 1923, for 4 female actors, will be broadcast by Czech Radio 3 Vltava in October 2019. Currently he is working with Ondřej Kyas and Josh Overton on a new opera entitled You Wish (2020), an opera libretto for Mario de Rose called Winton's Trains, for a České Budějovice and Passau production (2020/2021) and a book entitled Adapting and Translating for the Stage.

A power struggle in the domestic space. By Eva Lammelová for Czech Radio (2018) According to numerous statistics, Czechs are a nation of dog-lovers. On average, there is a dog in every second household in the Czech Republic, resulting in the most hounds per capita in all of Europe. In Eva’s house there’s Tonča. Tonča … Continue reading "Man: A Dog’s Best Friend"

In this episode, we're ending Season 1 of The Mind Over Finger Podcast with a truly spectacular artist!  I speak with violin sensation Kerson Leong about his terrific YouTube series The Art of the Etude, his wise and meaningful practicing methods, and how he approaches violin mastery, and musical expression. Kerson has an amazingly authentic and profound approach to music making and I KNOW you will love this episode! SEASON 2 COMING YOUR WAY ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019!  STAY TUNED! In the show, Kerson elaborates on: His journey from starting at the age of four and a half to winning the Menuhin Competition at the age of 13 How winning Menuhin was the start of a very long process that lead to him exploring and finding his independence in terms of how to think about music, devise his own solutions to technical problems, and develop his instinct The importance of knowing about the tradition and thinking for ourselves His incredible YouTube series “The Art of the Etude” How etudes allow us to develop our technique and musicality, and teach us so much about how to learn and how to practice How etudes were a real grounding force in his development How we can use etudes to develop musicality How etudes are our “playground” to work on all aspect of performing – technical and musical alike His practicing processes Knowing exactly what his goal is when he enters the practice room Having a clear idea in his head of what he wants to execute on the instrument Keeping the transitions between notes executed as if they were at full speed when practicing slowly Never neglect the right hand when working on difficult left-hand passages How important it is for him to focus on how relaxed and efficient his body is at all times when he practices – analyzing motions and figuring out what works best How letting go of the shoulder rest lead him to a depth of analysis in his physical approach to playing the violin His approach to mental practice   More about Kerson: Website: http://kersonleong.com/ YouTube channels: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nlRLl9jFBGaPGWMbJ5bvQ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kersonleong/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kersonleong/ Violin Channel Young Artist page: https://theviolinchannel.com/vc-young-artist-kerson-leong-violin/ Violin Channel Facebook artist page: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2129174167156547   Biography Kerson Leong first took the music world by storm in 2010 by winning the coveted Junior First Prize at the prestigious Menuhin Competition. Ever since, the young Canadian violinist has astonished and won over both fellow musicians and audiences alike the world over with his rare and innovative mastery of his instrument, his natural ability to convey the subtlest of emotions, and the colossal scope of his live performances. Having been called “Canada's next great violinist” (Ludwig van Toronto), he has distinguished himself with his unique approach as one of the most brilliant musicians of his generation. In the 2018/2019 season, Kerson is Artist-in-Residence with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montreal under Yannick Nezet-Seguin. Other highlights to look forward to this season include his debuts with the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal, Liège Royal Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and London Symphonia. Kerson has played in some of the most prestigious concert venues around the world from Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium and the Auditorium du Louvre to Wigmore Hall and the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He is in regular demand as a soloist, having performed with such ensembles as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre National de Lorraine, the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Gulbenkian, the Stockton Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, as well as numerous other orchestras in his home country. Kerson is also an avid and passionate chamber musician. Since his debut at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland in 2011, he has been featured at many renowned international festivals and concert series, including the Verbier Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Fraenkische Musiktage, Flâneries musicales de Reims, Bergen International Festival, Trasimeno Music Festival, Schiermonnikoog Chamber Music Festival, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Ottawa International Chamberfest, Music and Beyond, Montreal Symphony Orchestra's Virée classique, and Domaine Forget International Music Festival among others. Kerson released Bis, his first album for Analekta showcasing a collection of encore pieces, to critical acclaim.  He recorded John Rutter's Visions with the composer himself and the Aurora Chamber Orchestra for Collegium Records, after giving its world premiere in London, UK.  He has also been invited by Canadian composer Francois Dompierre to record his piece, Les Diableries. Kerson can also be heard on CBC Television, CBC/Radio Canada, the BBC Radio 3, Radio France, Radio Television Suisse, American Public Media's SymphonyCast, NRK, RAI, Deutschlandradio Kultur, and Czech Radio. He has been a recipient of many awards such as the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation Award (2015-2017) and the Young Soloist Prize 2015 by the Radios Francophone Publiques, as well as having received a Mentorship Award from the Lin Yao Ji Music Foundation of China for inspiring younger generations. He was named Revelation Radio-Canada 2014-2015 for classical music. Since 2015, Kerson has been an Artist-in-Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium, mentored by Augustin Dumay. Teaching is becoming a growing passion for Kerson, having given masterclasses and taught at various festivals and universities including the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the University of Ottawa, and Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland. He has always been keen on making connections between music and other fields. Ever since his dad started introducing him to physics concepts about string resonance, they have strongly influenced his playing and philosophy on sound production. Together with his dad, he has given lectures about this subject in places such as the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the Barratt-Due Music Institute in Oslo, and various universities in California. Kerson performs on a 1741 Guarneri del Gesu courtesy of Canimex Inc, Drummondville (Quebec), Canada     If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/    

Please Enter Destination by Tereza Semotamová Translated from the Czech by Barbora RůžičkováA young couple, Helena and Honza, on a weekend drive to visit bourgeois friends, find that their new GPS has a life of its own and their friendly hitchhiker is a devil. Their encounters with these characters, against the backdrop of increasingly absurd radio news updates, reveal the flaws and merits of their relationship and their respective worldviews.The Play for Voices production of Please Enter Destination was directed by Jen Zoble. Wayne Shulmister designed and mixed the audio. The role of Helena was played by Michaela Morton, Honza by Imran Sheikh, Angela the GPS by Carol Monda, and the Radio Announcer and the Devil by Mark Rayment.Play for Voices audio plays are recorded at Harvestworks by audio engineer Kevin Ramsay.Play for Voices is produced by Matt Fidler, Anne Posten, Katrin Redfern, and Jen Zoble.About the Author and TranslatorTereza Semotamová (author) is a Czech screenwriter, journalist, radio editor, and translator from the German. She holds a degree in screenwriting and German language and literature, and is a regular contributor to Czech Radio, the country’s national radio company. Tereza has written over a dozen radio plays and edited a number of radio shows focusing on German literature and culture. Her screenplay Tak Dobrou won the Czech edition of the NISI MASA Script Contest.Barbora Růžičková (translator) is a translator and interpreter working between English and Czech. A native Czech, she was brought up in a bilingual environment and spent most of her childhood abroad; today, she is based in Prague, Czech Republic. Barbora holds a degree in translation and art history, and her published literary translations include two books for young adults and a series of excerpts from contemporary Scottish literature. In 2014, she took part in the Martha’s Vineyard Writers Residency program.The Czech song featured in Please Enter Destination is "Včera neděle byla" ("Sunday Was Yesterday"). It can be purchased on iTunes or at https://www.supraphonline.cz/album/231866-legendarni-ceskoslovenske-slagry.Music: Jiří ŠlitrLyrics: Jiří SuchýVoice: Pavlína FilipovskáOrchestra of the Semafor Theatre, directed by Ferdinand Havlík(P) 1960 SUPRAPHON a.s.Recording used with the permission of Supraphon a.s.Please Enter Destination was the second of the three winners of the 2016 audio drama in translation contest Play for Voices held jointly with Words Without Borders, which published the script of each winning audio play. To read Please Enter Destination, go here: https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/article/october-2017-turkish-short-stories-please-enter-destination-semotamova. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re featuring an interview with double bassist Jiri Slavik on Contrabass Conversations this week. Jiri is an extremely accomplished bassist in both jazz and classical styles, as you can see from his biography below, and he gave a truly mesmerizing performance at the 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention. This interview took place just as Jiri was about to leave for Europe, and I feel fortunate to have gotten the chance to chat with him on his first visit to the United States! After the interview, we feature a track titled “Coesistenza” from Jiri’s album Repose. This track also features pianist Fred Thomas (iTunes link).  About Jiri: Jiri Slavik was born in Havirov, Czech Republic, into a teacher’s family with a strong musical tradition. As a child he played the violin, which he exchanged for the double bass around age 13. A year later he moved to Rome, Italy, where he attended St Stephen’s School and eventually also the Santa Cecilia Conservatoire (Massimo Giorgi’s double bass class). In the summer of 2004 he graduated from both of these institutions, always with the highest attainable marks (the seven-year long double bass course at the conservatoire took him three years to finish). After having been offered a full scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music, Jiri moved to London, UK, to pursue his studies, first in classical double bass with Duncan McTier, later on in jazz composition with Barak Schmool. After three years he finished the four years long programme with “First Class Honours”. Since August 2007 he lives as a freelance musician and a composer in Paris, France. He has attended masterclasses under the direction of jazz celebrities such as Dave Holland, Jeff „Tain“ Watts, Larry Grenadier, Jeff Ballard, Kenny Wheeler or contemporary music authorities like Pierre Laurent-Aimard or Peter Maxwell Davies. During his years at the Academy he was the first double bassist of the Concert Orchestra under the direction of Colin Davis or a chosen soloist at the Paganini Festival (2006). With the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris he played Bach’s St Matthew Passion in the Notre Dame or performed in the Théâtre des Champs-Elyseés. As a soloist he has appeared in the Santa Cecilia hall of the auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome or in a program of the Czech Television Koncert na kurtech. With pianist Fred Thomas he made two live recordings for the Czech Radio, as well as the album Repose (F-IRE label, London). His music is in an independant German film production “Oury Jalloh” (www.ouryjalloh-derfilm.de), which won the German Human Rights Film prize, category amateur film, for 2008.