Programme:
Jaroslav Krček – Renaissance trio
I. Intrada - II. Bird Intermezzo - III. Dance - IV. The Wild Whirl

Bohuslav Martinů – Quatre Madrigaux
II. Lento - III. Poco Allegretto 

Ludwig van Beethoven – Grand Trio in C major, op. 87
I. Allegro - II. Adagio - III. Menuet. Allegro molto. Scherzo – Trio - IV. Finale. Presto

Evžen Zámečník – Christmas Suite for Hoboe, Clarinet and Bassoon

Slavic Trio is a Czech chamber ensemble formed by prominent musicians of the young generation – oboist Barbora Trnčíková, clarinetist Anna Sysová, and bassoonist Petr Sedlák. When they met in 2018 as the Chamber Music Academy of Czech republic scholarship recipients, continuing their collaboration felt like a natural path. Early in their formation, they became laureates of the International Competition in Chieri, Italy (2018), and the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition in Prague (2019).

The members of the ensemble are graduates of prestigious music schools, including the Royal College of Music in London, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon, and the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne. The trio has been listed in the Young Artists’ Roster of the Czech Music Fund Foundation and regularly performs both at home and abroad. Alongside interpreting world-renowned repertoire, the trio also focuses on reviving forgotten works by Czech composers of the 20th century.

In addition to their chamber music activities, the individual members perform in leading Prague orchestras: Barbora Trnčíková in the Czech Philharmonic, Petr Sedlák in the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) and the Prague Philharmonia, and Anna Sysová regularly performs with the State Opera Orchestra.

BARBORA TRNČÍKOVÁ - OBOE

Barbora has been involved in music since childhood, singing in a choir and playing the piano and recorder. At the age of 11, she began studying the oboe at the High School of Music in Prague under Professor Pavel Tylšar, graduating in 2014. She then continued her oboe studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Liběna Séquardtová, where she is currently pursuing her doctoral studies. 

During the 2016/17 academic year, Barbora studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Lyon with renowned professors Jean-Louis Capezzalli and Jérôme Guichard. In 2019, she participated in the Erasmus+ program at the Royal College of Music in London, studying with Olivier Stankiewicz and Fabien Thouand.

Barbora has won several competitions, including the International Competition in Chieri (Italy, 2013), the International Competition Pro Bohemia Ostrava (2016), the National Competition of Czech Conservatories (2012), and the Gottfried von Einem Prize at ISA in Payerbach, Austria (2016). She regularly attends masterclasses across Europe, having worked with notable musicians such as Maurice Bourgue, David Walter, Jacques Tys, Christian Wetzel, and Ivan Podyomov.

Barbora has been a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, the European Union Youth Orchestra, and the Moritzburg Festival Academy Orchestra. She was a scholarship member of the Academy of Chamber Music in the Czech Republic, the Orchestral Academy of PKF – Prague Philharmonia, and the Czech Philharmonic. From 2020 to 2024, she held the position of solo oboe with the Brno Philharmonic, and she currently serves as the solo oboe of the Czech Philharmonic.

ANNA SYSOVÁ - CLARINET

Anna Sysová began playing the clarinet at the age of 12 under Kamil Doležal. She later studied at the Gymnasium and Music School of Prague under Milan Polák. She holds a bachelor's degree from JAMU in Brno, studying with Milan Polák and Vít Spilka, and is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at Ostrava University under clarinetist Karel Dohnal. During her studies, she completed internships at the Guildhall School of Music in London with Andrew Marriner and at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Anna is a winner of several international competitions including the Concorso per Clarinetto Carlino 2015 in Italy, the International Competition for Woodwinds in Wroclaw 2014 in Poland, the Markneukirchener Wettbewerb 2014 in Germany, and the Czech Clarinet Art 2014 in Hořice. She leveraged her competition experience in the Prague Spring Competition, where she was awarded 2nd prize as the most successful Czech participant.
A passionate chamber musician, Anna has been a scholar at the Academy of Chamber Music and the German foundation Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz. She is a member of two chamber ensembles, the Kalabis Quintet and the Slavic Trio. She has participated in several tours with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) and was a member of the Orchestra Academy of the Brno Philharmonic.

PETR SEDLÁK - BASSOON

Petr Sedlák began playing the bassoon at a music school in Jihlava before studying at the Brno Conservatoire under Pavel Zatloukal and Roman Novozámský. In 2017, he started his bachelor's studies at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with Julie Price, Sarah Burnett, and Andrea de Flammineis. He earned his master's degree in 2021, focusing on bassoon with Roberto Giaccaglia, Joost Bosdijk, and Emily Hultmark, as well as conducting with Howard Williams.

Petr has been a member of the orchestral academies of the English National Opera, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, and the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO). He is a laureate of the International Woodwind Competition in Brno (2013, 2015) and the Pro Bohemia competition in Ostrava. In 2022, he became the most successful Czech participant in the bassoon competition at the Prague Spring Festival 2022.

Currently, he is a guest player with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Bath Festival Orchestra, and he holds the position of principal bassoonist with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Philharmonia.



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Christmas Concert - Slavic Trio

Presented films:

The Compatriot (Krajan)
winner of the 2024 Student Oscar
Director: Pavel Sýkora, Viktor Horák
Producer: FAMO
Duration: 25 min., feature film

Frontier (Hranice)
film supported by the South Moravian Film Fund
Director: Damián Vondrášek
Producers: FAMU, Background Films
Duration: 29 min., feature film

Weeds (Plevel)
Director: Pola Kazak
Producers: FAMO, MAUR film
Duration: 14 min., animated film

All films were screened with English subtitles.
www.iShorts.eu



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iShorts v Bruselu - the best Czech short student films

iShorts

ELI ERIC is a unique, most advanced laser research infrastructure with its headquarters in Dolní Břežany, which operates the most powerful laser in the world. The infrastructure consortium also includes laser centers in Hungary (ELI ALPS) and Romania (ELI NP).

The debate presented advanced technologies that ELI ERIC is able to apply to various industries with the help of lasers. It was about particle acceleration using lasers, unique imaging methods or fusion energy research, which offers a compact and affordable alternative to classic accelerators with applications in research, medicine and industry.

In the second part of the debate, the speakers presented the possibilities of open infrastructure calls for foreign scientists and their research or the functioning and history of the establishment of the infrastructure itself.

The participants also had a unique opportunity to use virtual reality, which allowed them to take a virtual tour of the ELI scientific premises in Dolní Břežany.

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The last Science Café of 2024 showcased the most advanced laser technologies

Poslední Science Café roku 2024

Rebel is a rioter, rebel, one who fights back, from the Latin re-bellum. However, the meaning of the word has shifted diametrically since the Middle Ages and today it has a nobler meaning. A rebel is a person who has a unique perspective on things. Rebellion is thus synonymous with freedom.
Art has often outraged and subverted established social norms and artistic norms. Subversion is one of the ways to bring things into chaos or into an unbalanced state. This is often necessary for a new arrangement. All modern and postmodern art uses this method. Today, paradoxically, painting as a handmade artistic activity can outrage as an outdated, backward, and therefore irrelevant medium in relation to new digital media, which relativize the direct touch of the author. Painting prioritizes this touch and conveys it to the audience.

The aforementioned rebellion does not consist only in the painting of the same name, inspired by the performance of the group Extinction Rebellion, in this exhibition. It passes through other paintings, seemingly unproblematic, as a disruption or just a question about what is painted. An example could be the painting Breakfast in Lava depicting a Manetian picnic taking place on an active volcano. And similarly we could read other paintings that confirm the aforementioned disruption of idyll and beauty. However, the disruption does not only serve to negate, but to grasp the topic more broadly. It thus creates a counterpart to beauty, I would say necessary for its expression.

Daniel Balabán

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Opening ceremony of the exhibition: "Daniel Balabán: REBELION"

Daniel Balabán - Rebelion

4 opinions on topics such as mobility, rural development or cross-border cooperation.
Dozens and hundreds of amendments.
Countless committee and plenary session interventions!

A key item on the agenda of both the national delegation and the CoR plenary was the debate on and approval of the opinion of Pavel Branda called Solving obstacles to the cooperation of emergency services in the EU's border regions (for more info https://cor.europa.eu/en/our-work/opinions/cdr-1609-2024)!

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The last meeting of the Czech national delegation to the European Committee of the Region in the outgoing 2020-2025 term

Czech National Delegation

Václav Havel European Dialogues is an annual international conference held
in Brussels that aims to initiate and stimulate a discussion about issues determining
the direction of contemporary Europe while referring to the spiritual
legacy of Václav Havel. One of Havel’s key principles was civic engagement
based on a sense of responsibility for the future of one’s society and country.
As a convinced European, he stressed the need to maintain the connection
between the state and its institutions, and its people. For him politics was an
ongoing, deeply meaningful dialogue comparable to a theatre piece.

Václav Havel understood that strong civil society and independent institutions with checks and
balances are the cornerstones of democracy and its resilience. Healthy and resilient civil society
and democratic mechanisms are a key to prosperous and free societies in 21st century.
Support to democracy, civil society and human rights around the world.

The European Union is the biggest human rights advocate and promoter within the international
community. One pillar of its work focuses on defending the human rights and its core principles,
as well as a fairly and trustworthy multilateralism. The second pillar lies in supporting and
building resilience of civil societies and democratic nature of institutions. To help them being
resistant against the malicious influence, often targeting on social cohesion and people’s trust
as a new way of hybrid warfare.

Nevertheless, The world and the international community currently witnesses the unprecedented
pressures, visible and open, but also those more hidden. Thus, the EU external action is
more important than ever to deliver.

What lies ahead of us?

The new European Parliament has been elected. The new European Commission is being designed. The EU has recently conducted a mid-term reviews of its international cooperation. The
EU and its Member States actively impose sanctions on those who breach the human rights.
We also have various tools, such as strong development cooperation, enlargement policy, human-centric approach and so-called human rights based approach, as well as tools under EU Common Foreign and Security Policy.

What should we ask for from the new European leadership? What priorities and recommendations should we formulate? How can we build the international partnerships to promote democracy and human rights principles more strongly, and what should we avoid? What tools do we have, and is there a potential to use them better? What should we take care of under the preparation of the new Multiannual Financial Framework?

Speakers:
H.E. Jan Lipavský, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

Matti Maasikas, Managing Director for Europe, EU External Action Service

Myriam Ferran, Deputy Director General, International Partnerships – European Commission

Marilyn Neven,  International IDEA

Maria Dahle, Human Rights House Foundation


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Václav Havel European Dialogues 2024

edvh 2024

The Czech and Slovak communities commemorated the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution on Sunday, November 17, in Léopold Park at the Václav Havel bench. The informal meeting is traditionally accompanied by a commemorative lighting of candles.

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November 17th - The Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy

November 17th

“People who inspire are the engine that gives us life energy and the courage to follow our dreams,” says Rudy Linka, who in 2020 celebrated his 60th anniversary and on that occasion published his autobiographical book On the Way Home… Always

Rudy Linka’s one-man show is a theatrical “stand-up” performance, interspersed with solo musical entries and supplemented with projections of photographs from Rudy’s private archive.

In his new performance entitled “It would be very simple…” Rudy celebrates Franz Kafka, whose spirit is still with us, even though this year we are commemorating the 100th anniversary of his death.

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Rudy Linka - One Man Show: It would be very simple...

Speakers:
Karel Kovanda, former Ambassador of the Czech Republic to NATO

Alexandr Vondra, member of the European Parliament

Jiří Šedivý, Director of the European Defence Agency

Tony Barber, European Affairs Commentator of The Financial Times


moderated by Jan Macháček, President of the Strategeo Institute

The topic of the debate was the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Iron curtain with a focus on geopolitical, European and regional consequences of this major political and systemic shift and also touch its causes. What was behind it and why did it happen? Why did this happen so quickly? Why was it mostly non violent? Was it right to speak about the end of history and the rosy future of the liberal democracy and market economy? What are the current challenges for former communist countries? Market economy still prevails, but aggressive authorianism and sharp political polarization is on the rise.



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Debate: the 35th Anniversary of the Fall of the Iron Curtain

Opening Remarks:

Jitka Látal Znamenáčková, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the Political and Security Committee
Martin Vokálek, Executive Director, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy

Speakers:

Ondřej Kolář, Member of the European Parliament, EPP, Czech Republic

Lucia Yar, Member of the European Parliament, Renew, Slovakia

Luuk van Middelaar, Director, Brussels Institute for Geopolitics

Tinatin Akhvlediani, Research Fellow, CEPS

moderated by Žiga Faktor, 
Deputy Director & Head of Brussels Office, EUROPEUM Institute  

At the start of the next political cycle, the EU is faced with numerous challenges associated with growing geopolitical tensions and competition. The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine has played a pivotal role in reshaping the EU’s external relations, served as a catalyst for strengthening relations with immediate neighbours and revitalized the enlargement process towards Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkan countries. EU’s growing recognition of the geopolitical importance of its neighbourhood is also further reflected in the increased cooperation with candidate countries in specific policy areas, such as migration, cyber or energy security. The malign influence of Russia and China in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe persists and is in contrast to the EU accession process. While there are clear distinctions between the ambitions of Russia and China in the candidate countries, the EU Member States and across the globe, strengthening the EU's closest neighbourhoods through further enlargement and closer cooperation with other regional actors is perceived as a crucial step towards enhancing the EU’s ability to counter regional and global challenges.

What are the key challenges in terms of the EU’s enlargement towards Eastern Europe and Western Balkans? What role can candidate countries play in shaping the EU’s future, and how would failure to enlarge impact the European continent? How can we better counter Russian and Chinese influence in our closest neighbourhood? And how can future relations with Turkey, the forgotten EU candidate, be shaped?








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EU's Defining Moment: The EU's Role in its Neighbourhood Amidst Geopolitical Tensions with Russia and China

EU´s Defining Moment: The EU´s Role in its Neighbourhood Amidst Geopolitical Tensions with Russia and China

Kukal Quartet
Eliška Kukalová - violin
Klára Lešková - violin
Daniel Macho - viola
Filip Rufer - violoncello

programme
Ondřej Kukal: String quartet (one-movement)

Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B179 “American”

I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Lento
III. Molto vivace — Trio
IV. Finale. Vivace ma non troppo

Bedřich Smetana: String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor “From My Life”
I. Allegro vivo appassionato
II. Allegro moderato à la polka
III. Largo sostenuto
IV. Vivace

The Kukal Quartet was founded in Autumn of 2020 by four exceptionally talented young musicians, who, notwithstanding their youth, have great respect for the legacy of the Czech quartet school. Eliška Kukalová, Klára Lešková, Daniel Macho and Filip Rufer form a respected and sought-after ensemble of the youngest generation of Czech artists.

In May 2021 the ensemble attracted attention by winning third prize and the Laureate title at the Prague Spring International Music Competition. The quartet impressed at the competition primarily with; the liveliness and authenticity of their musical expression, the unique ensemble dynamics and the strong individuality of its members. The Quartet were inspired and mentored by leading personalities of the Czech music scene such as Peter Jarůšek (Pavel Haas Quartet), Jakub Fišer (Bennewitz Quartet) and Tomáš Jamník.

The Kukal Quartet performed already at the most renowned Czech festivals like International Music festival of Dvořák Prague and The Prague Spring. In 2024 they will guests of renowned international music festivals in Germany, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Spain. The quartet had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with Yo- Yo Ma, Noah Bendix Balgley, Allan Nilles, Josef Špaček, Jan Fišer and Lukáš Vondráček.

The quartet bears the name of the important Czech contemporary composer, Ondřej Kukal.

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PH Concert Series: Kukal Quartet

Kukal Quartet

Tourism enriches our cities, bringing cultural exchange and economic benefits, but it also presents challenges. Together, we discussed ways to ensure tourism remains a positive force, balancing the needs of residents, local businesses, and visitors while protecting our unique cultural heritage and quality of life.

Key topics included:

Strategies for crowd management

Protecting affordable housing

Supporting diverse local retail

Preserving cultural and world heritage

As we continue these important discussions, we look forward to collaborating, sharing knowledge, and advocating for sustainable tourism policies at the European level.
Stay tuned for more updates from this inspiring journey toward redefining tourism for a better future.

Articles

Christmas Concert - Slavic Trio

iShorts v Bruselu - the best Czech short student films

The last Science Café of 2024 showcased the most advanced laser t...

Opening ceremony of the exhibition: "Daniel Balabán: REBELION"

The last meeting of the Czech national delegation to the European...

Václav Havel European Dialogues 2024

November 17th - The Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy

Rudy Linka - One Man Show: It would be very simple...

Debate: the 35th Anniversary of the Fall of the Iron Curtain

EU's Defining Moment: The EU's Role in its Neighbourhood Amidst G...

PH Concert Series: Kukal Quartet

Working Together for Balanced Tourism