This year, the Ondráš Military Art Ensemble is organising the 6th annual Evenings with Ondráš benefit series, to be held in the courtyard of Špilberk Castle in Brno. This year's event is exceptional not only for its charitable side, but also for its important link to Jaroslav Jurášek, as this year is the 100th anniversary of his birth. Admission to both evening performances is free of charge.
Evenings with Ondráš is not just a folk mini-festival, but also an opportunity to help those who need it most. During both evenings you can contribute to a charity fundraiser to support the Dům pro Julii children's hospice, which provides care for terminally ill children and their families. The combination of art and aid gives the whole event a deeper meaning, making it a cultural and also enriching experience. The event will take place on 18-19 June 2025 from 8:00 p.m. in the courtyard of Špilberk Castle.
One of the highlights of this year's programme will be the memorial programme "Homage to Jaroslav Jurášek", dedicated to this outstanding figure in the Czech folk world, as well as music editor, composer, dramaturge and long-time artistic director of the Ondráš Military Art Ensemble. Jaroslav Jurášek made an extraordinary contribution not only to Ondráš, but also to the Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments, having been involved from the very beginning and becoming its first dramaturge and musical arranger.
Jurášek held a number of important positions in music and the folk scene during his lifetime. His professional career began in the 1950s at Czechoslovak Radio in Brno, where he was involved in the creation of BROLN. In 1967-1970 he was the director of Czechoslovak Radio in Brno and also made a significant contribution to the history of Czechoslovak Television Brno as a music broadcaster. The longest period of his life, however, was spent with the ensemble Jánošík (later Ondráš), where he worked from 1976 until his last days as artistic director, musical director and dramaturge.
The commemorative programme will offer a cross-section of Jurášek's work - from orchestral compositions, through arrangements of solo songs, to music for choreographies that still feature in the ensemble’s repertoire. The stage will host performances by the Orchestra of Folk Instruments, the girls' choir and the VUS Ondráš dance group, as well as the Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments, whose legacy is linked to Ondráš through Jaroslav Jurášek, and a number of other vocal soloists.
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