Cultural newsletter of the Department of Culture of the City of Prague for April 2023

Cultural newsletter of the Department of Culture of the City of Prague for April 2023

The Brno cultural newsletter brings you an overview of events and opportunities in the coming period concerning theatres, clubs, festivals, and cultural events in Brno.

Dear fans of Brno culture,

Due to the Easter holidays, this regular newsletter will not reach you until the middle of the month. However, the first two weeks of April in Brno were moved by the “fight for Reduta” case, which I would like to put behind us. Due to the necessary reconstruction of the building that houses the Bolek Polívka Theatre, it was necessary to find suitable premises for it as quickly as possible so that it could continue smoothly. Co-existence in Reduta with the Brno National Theatre was one of the options and was certainly not driven by criticism of the quality of its ensembles and the work of its director Martin Glaser, whose contribution to raising the theatre’s reputation is undeniable. Without anything having been decided, a number of “guaranteed reports” emerged while I was abroad on business, which only unnecessarily stirred up bad blood. I very much appreciate the fact that in this tense situation we managed to find common ground with the NdB director Martin Glaser and Bolek Polívka. At the moment, everything points to the fact that Polívka’s theatre will be heading to the Břetislav Bakala Hall after the necessary technical and building modifications. I also appreciate the attitude of Director Glaser, who accepted our demands for a more creative use of the Reduta in the future.  

I firmly believe that this will end all speculation. It is not a question of whether it is “established” or private culture – both are important, and I continue to take support for both for granted. 

As always, you can read about the fact that Brno culture is thriving and what new things are happening in the prepared contributions. Of course, there are also details about the new Milan Kundera Library. Although my gratitude belongs first and foremost to the Kundera couple for their generous donation, I would also like to thank everyone else who has contributed to the establishment of this library in our city. We still owe something to the Brno native, who is one of the world’s most important writers.

Markéta Vaňková
Mayor of Brno

FROM US TO YOU

Brno is heading to the international Culture Next Cities Network

Brno will apply to join the international Culture Next Cities Network, which brings together successful and unsuccessful candidate cities for the title of European Capital of Culture. This network represents one of the most beneficial platforms for building international relations in the field of culture and beyond. Member benefits include participation in specific programmes, consortia or promotional campaigns related to culture, city development, and Europe.

Tomáš Šilinger’s memorial plaque will return to the square of the same name

A new memorial plaque will be erected on Šilinger Square on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of the death of Tomáš Eduard Šilinger, an Augustinian priest and prominent Brno politician. The memorial plaque will be placed on the building of Brno City Hall at the corner of Husova and Pekařská Streets.

Milan Kundera Library in Brno

On the 94th birthday of one of the most important Czech writers of the 20th century, Milan Kundera, his library was presented to the public. It was built on the first floor of the Moravian Library above the café and contains more than 3,000 of the author’s publications, an archive of the reception of his work in the form of reviews and part of the documentary archive containing Kundera’s correspondence.

A new memorial to citizens deported from Brno during the Nazi occupation will be built at Brno’s main railway station

The town council approved an individual investment subsidy of CZK 220 thousand for the implementation of a memorial to the deported citizens from the city of Brno and surrounding municipalities during the Nazi occupation.

The memorial will be one of the reminders of the tragic fate of Brno’s Jews, when 10,080 fellow citizens of Jewish origin disappeared from Brno and its surroundings during the Second World War. It will be located on Platform 5 of the main station, where most of the citizens assigned to Transport F said goodbye to their city forever. The design of the memorial is based on a proposal by architect Tomáš Rusín.

The memorial is to be unveiled at the opening of the Jewish culture festival ŠTETL FEST in August 2023.

Applications for grants for the purchase of equipment or musical instruments

The aim of the subsidy programme is to support the cultural and artistic activities of legal entities based in Brno in the form of the purchase of musical instruments, lighting, recording, sound, and sound equipment necessary for the performance of the cultural activities of the entity.

The date and time of application is an important criterion for awarding the grant!

Applications can be submitted from 15 April 2023 via the form on the website dotace.brno.cz.

OPPORTUNITIES

South Moravian Film Foundation – Call for proposals

The South Moravian Film Foundation’s call for audiovisual works has been running since March and will distribute CZK 16 million.
The condition is to spend the allocated subsidy in Brno or the South Moravian Region.
Producers of feature, documentary, and animated films and series can apply for support for their project until 14 April. READ MORE

Brno Art Week

Brno Art Week is a platform that organises a unique festival dedicated to visual arts at the end of April every year. For fourteen years, Brno museums, galleries, and schools dealing with visual arts have been jointly presenting a wide range of exhibitions and accompanying programmes. In 2023, Brno Art Week will take place from 17 April to 23 April.

Summer suburban camps at Špilberk Castle

Where to go for summer fun? To Špilberk, of course! Children can expect a busy programme at the castle and its surroundings full of exploring, games and creative activities, as well as trips to interesting places in Brno.

Open House Brno 2023 is looking for volunteers

Do you enjoy architecture, or do you simply want to see places that are otherwise closed to the public? Volunteer roles are varied, and the possibilities are endless. Work ranges from implementation to site coordination or documentation.

EVENTS IN BRNO

The HaDivadlo Theatre invites you to a meeting and discussion with the director and audiovisual artist Petr Gonda, who is currently working on directing the production Moravian Karst. The meeting will take place on Monday 17 April at 5:30 pm.

Celebrate International Dance Day with a gala evening at the Brno National Theatre, featuring leading European dancers – stars from London, Berlin, Helsinki, and Bucharest.

Find Love on May 1 at the Mahen Theatre. Orsino wants Olivia. Viola wants Orsino. Olivia doesn’t want anyone. Sebastian wants Olivia. A riotous comedy of love, mistakes, and confusion.

On Friday, 14 April, the foyer of the Moravian Library will ring with an unconventional concert by Iva Bittová accompanied by the Babačka singing ensemble.

Amelie Siba, a musician from Prague, is one of the most prominent faces of the contemporary Czech independent music scene. You can see her at the launch of her new album Gently Double A at Kabinet Múz on 20 April.

On April 14, Scala Cinema will preview Invalida, a dark comedy about colossal revenge and the strongest friendship. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the actor Zdeněk Godlá and the film’s director Jonáš Karášek.

The Brno House of Arts will open two new exhibitions on Tuesday 18 April at 6 pm. The exhibiting artists are Barbora Klímová and Matěj Smetana.

From 22 April, the fantastic musical Big Fish, full of magical stories that will enchant and draw you in, will make its Czech premiere at the MdB.

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The opera King Roger by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski had its Czech première at the Janáček Theatre. The title character was played by Jiří Brückler, the king's consort Roxana was portrayed by Veronika Rovná, Roger's right hand man, the sage Edrisi, was played by Vít Nosek, while Petr Nekoranec appeared as the Shepherd and the main source of Roger's trouble. The role of the High Priest was performed by David SzendiuchJana Hrochová appeared as the Deaconess and the soprano and tenor solos were performed by Eva Daňhelová and Pavel Valenta. In addition to the soloists, the Janáček Opera NdB Choir and Orchestra conducted by Martin Buchta and the Brno Children's Choir with choirmaster Valeria Mat'ašová also performed. It was directed by Vladimír John, with set design by Martin Chocholoušek and costumes by Barbora Rašková. The lighting design was by Martin Kroupa and the choreography by Jan Kodet and Michal HeribanRobert Kružík, who also directed the première performance, took over the musical direction.  more

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