British Czech and Slovak Association

From My Homeland concert 10
2024-02-11 11:30 - 12:30 (Europe/London) | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) From My Homeland for violin and piano
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat Op. 87
Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) Suite from La revue de cuisine

NASH ENSEMBLE

Simon Crawford-Phillips piano

Stephanie Gonley violin

Lars Anders Tomter viola

Richard Hosford clarinet

Ursula Leveaux bassoon

Philip Cobb trumpet

Three generations of Czech music feature in this lively programme. Smetana’s late, quasi-operatic violin pieces From My Homeland are followed by Dvořák’s vibrant second Piano Quartet; and from Martinů comes a drama of kitchen utensils in the brilliantly witty La Revue de Cuisine.

General sale for this concert will open at 10.00am on Tuesday 10 October

The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

From My Homeland concert 9
2024-02-10 19:30 - 21:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

Waltz in A Op. 54 No. 1

Waltz in D flat Op. 54 No. 4

String Sextet in A Op. 48

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Clarinet Quintet in B minor Op. 115

NASH ENSEMBLE
Stephanie Gonley violin

Jonathan Stone violin

Lars Anders Tomter viola

Rachel Roberts viola

Adrian Brendel cello

Gemma Rosefield cello

Richard Hosford clarinet

Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet was written for a virtuoso whom he teasingly described as his ‘Prima donna’. Its rich lyricism makes for a perfect pairing with Dvořák’s Sextet, which features several hat-tips to his good friend Brahms.

General sale for this concert will open at 10.00am on Tuesday 10 October

The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

From My Homeland concert 8
2024-02-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Selection from Slavonic Dances (for piano duet)
Josef Suk (1874-1935) Piano Trio in C minor Op. 2
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Horn Trio in E flat Op. 40

NASH ENSEMBLE

Simon Crawford-Phillips piano
Alasdair Beatson piano
Stephanie Gonley violin
Adrian Brendel cello
Richard Watkins horn

Josef Suk was just 17 when he completed his Piano Trio – whilst studying with Dvořák, later to become his father-in-law. Suk’s passionate Trio is paired here with Brahms’s chamber showpiece for horn, and a selection of Dvořák’s famous Slavonic Dances.
General sale for this concert will open at 10.00am on Tuesday 10 October

The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

Santini and his world of architecture
2024-02-01 09:00 - 2024-02-24 18:00 | National Technical Museum, Kostelní 42, Prague 7, 170 78, Czech Republic
An exhibition to mark 300 years since the death of Jan Blažej Santini Aichel. The Prague-born architect of Italian origin is known for his Baroque Gothic style. Among his most famous works is the church of St John of Nepomuk on Zelená Hora which has UNESCO World Heritage status.
He died in Prague on 7 December 1723 aged 46.
closed on Mondays
Find out more in this article 300 years since death of great Czech architect Jan Blažej Santini Aichel | Radio Prague International
photo: Martina Schneibergová, Radio Prague International

Spiral stabilization exercise method
2024-01-30 18:30 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
An exercise method invented by a Czech medical doctor that can be used by anyone who wishes to improve their posture, treat back pain, prevent injuries, maintain good health and sports conditioning. It is suitable for adults of all ages as well as athletes and children. The exercises can be done comfortably at home or under the supervision of a therapist.
Therapist Jana Mitačková of Spiral Stabilization UK will demonstrate some of the exercises and answer your questions afterwards.
This event will take place in person and will also be livestreamed.
Light refreshments will be provided.
BCSA members enjoy free entry but registration via Eventbrite is essential. Non-members £10, full-time students £5. See booking link below.
All proceeds from this event will go to the BCSA School Support Fund established in 2004 to provide support for English language skills in Czech and Slovak schools and other educational institutions. For more information about our fund see https://www.bcsa.co.uk/school-support-fund/

Bohumil Hrabal: Pearls of the Deep
2024-01-23 19:00 - 21:00 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Pearls of the Deep is one of the delights of the 1960s Czechoslovak New Wave. Based on stories by Bohumil Hrabal, the film is a compendium of five films each demonstrating the differing styles of five emerging filmmakers: Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, Evald Schorm, Věra Chytilová, and Jaromil Jireš.
Each vignette (Mr Balthazar’s Death; The Imposters; The House of Joy; The Restaurant The World; Romance) displays unique approaches to Hrabal’s multi-faceted tales of ordinary people and odd obsessions.
With an introduction by Mehelli Modi.
Second Run presents the world Blu-ray premiere of Pearls of the Deep from a brand new 4K restoration.

From My Homeland concert 7
2024-01-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Selection from Cypresses for string quartet
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Sextet No. 1 in B flat Op. 18
Josef Suk (1874-1935) Meditation on an old Bohemian Chorale (St Wenceslas) for string quartet Op. 35a
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Piano Trio in E minor Op. 90 ‘Dumky’

NASH ENSEMBLE

Alisdair Beatson piano

Stephanie Gonley violin

Jonathan Stone violin

Lars Anders Tomter viola

Rachel Roberts viola

Adrian Brendel cello

Gemma Rosefield cello

In musical reflections old and new, this concert combines Dvořák’s instrumental reworking of youthful love songs with Brahms’ first large-scale string chamber work and Suk’s tender Meditation on ‘Saint Wenceslas’. The brilliant fireworks of Dvořák’s ‘Dumky’ Trio complete the programme.

General sale for this concert will open at 10.00am on Tuesday 10 October.
The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

Janáček's Jenůfa
2024-01-11 19:00 - 2024-01-14 19:00 | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS, United Kingdom
Janáček’s searing opera explores a woman’s limited options in a suffocating small town. Jenůfa is pregnant, but she isn’t married. In her mountain village, this means disgrace, or even death. Her stepmother, Kostelnička, wants to help her, but what should she do?

Janáček pondered his characters’ predicament for many years. The opera he eventually completed is a blazing vision of human suffering and redemption, rooted in the rhythms of everyday life.
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle conductor
Asmik Grigorian Jenůfa
Katarina Karnéus Kostelnička
Aleš Briscein Laca
Nicky Spence Steva
Jan Martiník Starek the Foreman/Mayor
Carole Wilson Grandmother Buryjovka
Claire Barnett-Jones Barena/Herdswoman
London Symphony Chorus

"Get to know you" social evening
2024-01-10 19:00 - 22:00 | Bohemia House, 74 West End Lane, London, NW6 2LX, United Kingdom
This is an opportunity for anyone interested in the British Czech and Slovak Association (members, supporters and friends) to meet, eat, drink, chat (maybe practise your Czech or Slovak) and get to know each other in a relaxed and informal setting.
Everyone interested in Czech and/or Slovak matters is most welcome to join us.
We will be in one of the rooms at Bohemia House, normally the first room on the left.
Food and drinks are available for purchase.
West Hampstead has three stations served by the Jubilee line, Overground and Thameslink.

National Theatre Prague: its origins & development
2023-12-19 18:30 - 20:00
An online Zoom event, free for everyone.
Jana Marková explores the establishment of a Czech National Theatre in Prague, its interior and the importance of its work today.
Jana is an official guide of the National Theatre, the Estates Theatre and the State Opera. She is the founder and owner of the Absolutely Prague Travel Agency.
Registration is essential via the Eventbrite link below.

One Life
2023-12-10 17:30 - 19:30 | Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 5DY, United Kingdom
The 27th Made in Prague Festival Closing Gala is a preview screening of the upcoming highly anticipated 2023 biographical drama One Life plus Q&A with director James Hawes (tbc)

Directed by James Hawes, the film tells the true story of Sir Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker played by Johnny Flynn, who, along with Trevor Chadwick (played by Alex Sharp) and Doreen Warriner (played by Romola Garai) of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia, rescued 669 children from the Nazis in the months leading up to World War II. Fifty years later, it’s 1988 and Nicky (played by Anthony Hopkins) lives haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England; always blaming himself for not doing more. It’s not until a live BBC television show, ‘That’s Life!’, surprises him by introducing him to some surviving children – now adults – that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he had carried for five decades.
Director: James Hawes, screenwriters Lucinda Coxon, Nick Drake, UK 2023, 109‘
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Pryce, Romola Garai
ONE LIFE is in UK and Ireland cinemas from 5 January 2024
Courtesy of Warner Bros
BOOKING LINK COMING SOON

Tomáš Vaněk and guests: Christmas concert
2023-12-09 20:00 - 21:30 | Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL, United Kingdom
A selection of Christmas classics, traditional carols and musical hits in Czech, Slovak and English. Tomáš will be joined by a specially formed children’s choir featuring students from Czech and English schools across London and nearby counties. Plus performances of traditional Slovak folk dances by the children’s folklore ensemble Sovička.
The children’s choir highlights partnerships with charities, voluntary-run organisations and institutions such as the Czech School Without Borders, the Czech School Berkshire, Czech and Slovak School Okénko, Czech School Surrey and Czech and Slovak Club Oxford.
Tomáš Vaněk is a Czech performer, actor and singer.
See booking link below, doors open at 7pm

From My Homeland concert 6
2023-12-09 19:30 - 21:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Josef Suk (1874-1935) Piano Quartet in A minor Op. 1

Johannes Brahms (1833-97) Six songs arranged by David Matthew for baritone & ensemble

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Intermezzo in B for strings

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) String Quintet in G Op. 111

Roderick Williams joins the Nash Ensemble in this programme of music by close friends. Dvořák’s tender Intermezzo for strings features, along with his son-in-law Josef Suk’s passionate First Piano Quartet. And we hear songs and a sunny String Quintet from Brahms, Dvořák’s energetic Viennese advocate.

Nash Ensemble

Simon Crawford-Phillips piano

Philippa Davies flute

Richard Hosford clarinet

Ursula Leveaux bassoon

Stephen Waarts violin

Jonathan Stone violin

Lawrence Power viola

Adrian Brendel cello

Graham Mitchell double bass

Roderick Williams baritone

see booking link below
The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

From My Homeland concert 5
2023-12-09 17:30 - 18:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942) Divertissement for oboe, clarinet and bassoon

Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959) Sextet for piano and wind instruments

Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) Mládí (Youth) for wind sextet

This lively programme explores Czech music of the 1920s: Erwin Schulhoff’s wind Divertissement and Martinů’s sunny Sextet are infused with edgy jazz harmonies and dance rhythms. Janáček, four decades their senior, looks back to his own childhood in Mládí.

Nash Ensemble

Simon Crawford-Phillips piano

Philippa Davies flute

Gareth Hulse oboe

Richard Hosford clarinet

Marie Lloyd bass clarinet

Ursula Leveaux bassoon

Richard Watkins horn

see booking link below
The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

A Fresh Look at the Czech New Wave
2023-12-05 18:30 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
A talk by Mark Le Fanu about some of the most beautiful films in modern history.
Throughout the decade of the 1960s, Czechoslovakia released (and occasionally held back for political reasons) some of the most beautiful films in modern cinema history. Movies such as ‘Closely Observed Trains’ (Jiri Menzel), ‘Intimate Lighting’ (Ivan Passer), ‘A Blonde in Love’ (Milos Forman) are canonical works, celebrated everywhere where film is loved for their wisdom, understatement and irony. Any attempt to revisit the Czech New Wave will need to spend some time on the classics, and to try to say a few new things about them. Yet what really characterised the movement as a whole was its extraordinary depth and variety.

As the writer Josef Škvorecký puts it in his wonderful personal history of Czech cinema ‘All the Bright Young Men and Women’ (1971):

“No movement is adequately described by a simple enumeration of its major personalities…The group of young people who moved the Barrandov mountain was larger than the world might imagine, including artists who are unknown to the world, either due to bad luck, or because they worked for a long time as ‘mere’ screenplay writers, before they began directing.”

As well as glancing at greats such as Menzel, Forman, Chytilová, Němec and Schorm, the talk proposes to take a look at this ‘second layer’ of Czech directing talent whom Skvorecký refers to – artists such as František Vláčil, Vojtěch Jasný, Pavel Juráček, Karel Kachyňa, Jaromil Jireš, along with a handful of interesting and underrated Slovak directors such as Juraj Jakobisko, Peter Solan and Štefan Uher.

Mark Le Fanu is a London-based film historian who has written books on Tarkovsky, on Mizoguchi and on the contribution made to European cinema by the depleted tradition of Christianity (‘Believing in Film’, Bloomsbury, 2019). Essays by him on individual classic films can be found on criterion.com

Tickets £15 each including a glass of wine see booking link below

Image: promotional material © Barrandov Studios ‘Loves of a Blonde’, ‘Closely Observed Trains’, ‘The Cremator’, ‘The House on the Main Street’

Oddsockeaters
2023-11-26 14:00 - 17:00 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Welcome to the adventurous world of Oddsockeaters, mischievous creatures responsible for socks that go missing. This is a secret society with only two rules – never take the full pair and don´t get caught! Courage is required and young Hugo has plenty of it. When his grandpa dies, he moves in with his gangster uncle ‘Big Boss’ and two crazy cousins.
Set against the backdrop of a gangster story involving two feuding gangs of oddsockeaters, this is a heart-warmingly comical story based on the bestselling books by Pavel Šrut with illustrations by Galina Miklínová, who has turned the books into a fantastic 3D family animation and a big domestic hit.
The film will be screened in Czech with English subtitles. Recommended age: 6+
Followed by a workshop with Galina Miklínová.
Admission: £7 (+ Eventbrite fee) see booking link below
Part of the 27th Made in Prague Festival. For full programme details see 27th Made in Prague Festival / Czech Centre London (czechcentres.cz)

BCSA/CBCC annual dinner
2023-11-24 18:30 - 23:00 | The May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London, W1J 8LT, United Kingdom
Join us for our second annual dinner held with the Czech British Chamber of Commerce at the May Fair Hotel, Stratton Street, London (nearest underground Green Park).
This highlight in the BCSA calendar is a wonderful opportunity for Slovaks, Czechs and Britons to mingle in a convivial atmosphere, to meet old friends and make new ones.
If you are a newcomer to the BCSA or to London, we would like to extend a special invitation and welcome you into our friendly community. Kindly note that you may request seating at a table with your friends.
Keynote speakers:
Sir Michael Burton, former British Ambassador in Prague
Petr Kovařík, CVO Prague Chocolatier, Steiner & Kovarik
The winner of the BCSA’s annual writing competition will be announced and you might win an exciting prize in the raffle including:
Buxton Crescent Hotel two nights bed & breakfast (donated by CP Holdings Hotel Division)
Hotel Hills or Horizont Resort two nights half board in Stará Lesná, High Tatra Mountains, Slovakia (donated by Dr Jan Telensky)
Nové Lázně two nights bed & breakfast in Mariánské Lázně, Czechia (donated by CP Holdings Hotel Division)
Thermia Palace two nights bed & breakfast in Piešt’any, Slovakia (donated by CP Holdings Hotel Division)

Ticket prices include a glass of sparkling wine upon arrival, a three-course set dinner with a half a bottle of wine, still/sparkling water, coffee/tea.
· Members £ 77.50
· Non members £ 90.00
· Students £ 65.00
· Non members group (5 or more) £77.50

See booking link below – final date 21 November

From My Homeland concert 4
2023-11-18 19:30 - 21:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Johannes Brahms (1833-97) Selection from 21 Hungarian Dances (for piano duet)
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Love Songs Op. 83 (arranged by David Matthews for mezzo-soprano, string quartet and double bass)

Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) The Fisherman (Goethe) (for reciter, string quartet, double bass, harp and accordion)

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) String Quartet in F Op. 96 ‘American’
The rippling waves of Smetana’s The Fisherman are remarkably prescient of Wagner’s Das Rheingold. Dvořák’s Love Songs rework an earlier cycle to magnificent effect and his Trio, as much Mozartian as Bohemian, was praised for its ‘wealth of beautiful melody.’ Brahms’s brilliant Hungarian Dances and Dvořák’s beloved String Quartet Op. 96 ‘The American’ complete the programme.

Nash Ensemble
Simon Crawford-Phillips piano

Alasdair Beatson piano
Stephanie Gonley violin
Jonathan Stone violin
Lawrence Power viola
Adrian Brendel cello
Graham Mitchell double bass
Lucy Wakeford harp
Renata Pokupić mezzo-soprano

see booking link below
The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

From My Homeland concert 3
2023-11-18 17:30 - 18:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928) Pohádka

Josef Suk (1874-1935) Selection from 4 pieces for violin and piano Op. 17

Johannes Brahms (1833-97) Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor Op. 101

Janáček’s magical Pohádka explores a world of princesses and monsters, while Suk’s 4 Pieces are rich with untold stories. Even the scherzo of Brahms’s Trio was once described as hurrying ‘like a frightened child.’

Nash Ensemble
Simon Crawford-Phillips piano
Stephanie Gonley violin
Adrian Brendel cello

see booking link below
The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

Il Boemo
2023-11-18 17:15 - 20:00 | Prince Charles Cinema, 7 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BY, United Kingdom
A biopic of Josef Mysliveček, one of the most prolific opera composers in 18th century Italy, who was admired by Mozart and forgotten by history.
It’s 1764 and a charismatic Czech musician arrives in Venice to fulfil his dream of becoming an opera composer. His fortune changes along with his unpronounceable name when he forms a liaison with a libertine marquise who introduces him to a hedonistic existence and high society.
As Il Boemo he is commissioned to write an opera for the San Carlo, Europe’s largest theatre and soon becomes one of the biggest stars of the Italian opera, working closely with legendarily volatile opera diva La Gabrielli, writing an opera for the King of Naples and inspiring and befriending Mozart.
Emphasising personal relationships, director Petr Václav, who has meticulously researched the composer, uses flashbacks to tell Mysliveček’s extraordinary story from his ascent to glory to his death in poverty ravaged by syphilis.
The screening will be followed by Q&A with actor Vojtěch Dyk and director Petr Václav.
see booking link below
Part of the 27th Made in Prague Festival. For full programme details see 27th Made in Prague Festival / Czech Centre London (czechcentres.cz)

Emmy Destinn Young Singers Awards Final
2023-11-18 17:00 - 21:00 | Velehrad London, 39 Lonsdale Road, London, SW13 9JP, United Kingdom
13th competition final – talented young singers perform Czech arias and songs
Arthur Bruce baritone
Sian Dicker soprano
Freya Holliman soprano
Johanna Harries mezzo-soprano
Kirsty MacLean soprano
Martin Smaukstelis tenor
Duncan Stenhouse bass

tickets on the day at the venue £5, students free

Trio Bohemo
2023-11-16 19:30 - 2023-11-17 20:30
Two concerts from a tour in the UK by this prizewinning Czech ensemble. These include the International Johannes Brahms Competition, the Parkhouse Award in London and the Haydn Competition in Vienna, plus a special prize for the best interpretation of a work by Haydn.
Matouš Pěruška violin
Kristina Vocetková cello
Jan Vojtek piano
Thursday 16 November 19.30-20.30 Hemsted Park, Benenden School, Cranbrook, TN17 4AA
Haydn Piano Trio in C major, Dvořák Piano Trio Dumky, Paul Schoenfield Café Music
Trio Bohemo at Hemsted Park – Centenary Hall event tickets from TicketSource
Friday 17 November 19.30-20.30 St Leonard’s Church, High Street, Flamstead AL3 8BS
Music at St Leonard’s event tickets from TicketSource.

The Book of Prague; A City in Short Fiction
2023-11-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
The launch of an anthology of short stories by the 10 of Prague´s famous writers that present the city in a completely new light. Away from the Old Town Square, these stories take us into less-visited corners of the city. From the steep streets of the Žižkov neighbourhood, to the flood-ravished suburb of Karlín, from the tensions experienced by the city’s Romani community to the dehumanising post-war redevelopment of areas like Libeň proving that there are always sides to a city’s character you would never have imagined.
A discussion chaired by Ra Page with Marek Šindelka and co-editors Ivana Myšková and Jan Zikmund.
The Book of Prague – A City in Short Fiction | Comma Press
Admission: £5 (+Eventbrite fee) see booking link below
Part of the 27th Made in Prague Festival. For full programme details see 27th Made in Prague Festival / Czech Centre London (czechcentres.cz)

International Students' Day: why is 17 November important?
2023-11-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Do you know why and how it was decided that International Students’ Day would fall on 17 November? Come and find out about the role Czech students played in establishing International Students’ Day, the importance of 17 November for Czechs and the world in the past and today.
The debate will start with a short history video created by Dr George Scott entitled “Not Forgotten” about the student protest in Prague on 28th October 1939, Czechoslovak Independence Day, following the Nazi occupation of Bohemia and Moravia. Students were rounded up, over 1,000 were sent to concentration camps and all Czech universities and colleges were closed.
Four speakers who will each bring their perspective to the discussion. Dr George Scott will discuss events in 1939 that inspired the establishment of International Students’ Day. The chair of the Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovaks Gerry Manolas will introduce the work of Central Union of Czechoslovak students in London that was instrumental in establishing this day. Both Dr. Scott and Gerry Manolas are relatives of the founding members of Central Union of Czechoslovak students. Professor Jan Marek will talk about events on 17 November 1989 where he was personally present and Maxim Višnovský will discuss what 17 November means to him and his fellow students, placing it within the broader historical context.
Dr George Scott is related to General Václav Paleček, co-founder and president of International Students’ Day. His video is viewed through the involvement of Charles University student, Max Martischnig, who subsequently avoided capture and certain death.
Gerry Manolas is the grand-daughter of Bohuslav (Slava) Šulc, Secretary General of the Central Union of Czechoslovak Students. Slava was one of the founding members who helped with the declaration of International Students’ Day on November 17th 1940.
Professor Jan Marek, a consultant cardiologist, has worked at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) since 2005. He was one of the students who peacefully demonstrated on 17 November 1989 in Prague and suffered a broken arm from the police.
Maxim Višnovský is a Czech student of war studies at King’s College London now in his third year. He spent the last year at Keio University in Tokyo as part of his bachelor’s degree. Maxim currently specialises in Russian foreign policy and international security
This event is free, but registration is essential via the Eventbrite link below. It will take place in person and will also be livestreamed.
We are fundraising for the BCSA School Support Fund so please donate if you can.

Our thanks to the Czech Embassy and Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovak Veterans for their support and cooperation.

Building Hitler’s Empire
2023-11-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Bohemia House, 74 West End Lane, London, NW6 2LX, United Kingdom
Another chance to see Mirek Gosney’s documentary ‘Building Hitler’s Empire’.
The Nazis forced millions of Europeans to serve their war machine. Mirek’s great-grandfather was among them. This is the story of the forgotten.
Mirek draws upon family history and his maternal Czech roots, starting with a musty box of old photographs from his grandmother’s cellar. Last summer he and his brother, Miloš, visited the German town where their great-grandfather was sent to work in a garage. Through a combination of photographs, postcards, Czech and German archives and interviews with former workers’ families, Mirek created a three-part mini-series.
Tickets are available at: https://shorturl.at/opN45

Brookwood commemoration service
2023-10-29 13:15 - 16:00 | Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, GU24 0JB, United Kingdom
The Memorial Association for Free Czechoslovak Veterans (MAFCSV) will be holding its 2023 commemoration service at the Czechoslovak monument.
If you would like to attend please can you contact chair@mafcsv.co.uk so they can send you an invitation.

Building Hitler's Empire
2023-10-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
Premiere of Mirek Gosney’s documentary ‘Building Hitler’s Empire’.
The Nazis forced millions of Europeans to serve their war machine. Mirek’s great-grandfather was among them. This is the story of the forgotten.
Mirek draws upon family history and his maternal Czech roots, starting with a musty box of old photographs from his grandmother’s cellar. Last summer he and his brother, Miloš, visited the German town where their great-grandfather was sent to work in a garage. Through a combination of photographs, postcards, Czech and German archives and interviews with former workers’ families, Mirek created a three-part mini-series.
Following the screening, Dr Jakub Beneš will chair a discussion with Mirek and any questions from the audience.
Dr Beneš is an Associate Professor in Central European History at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London. He shares a personal family connection to Nazi forced labour. “My grandfather was one of those who ended up in Berlin, part of a forced labour contingent cleaning up rubble after bombing raids. His health never recovered.”
Book tickets via the Eventbrite link below. They include a voluntary donation to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal, organised by the British Red Cross.

‘Son of an enemy of the state’ (Syn nepřitele státu)
2023-10-24 18:30 - 20:30 | Czech Embassy cinema, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QY
This film, made in 2022, marked the 70th anniversary of one of the most extensive, infamous trials in post-war Czechoslovakia. Fourteen accused communist functionaries stood before the Supreme Court in Prague. The court sentenced eleven to death plus forfeiture of their property and loss of civil rights. All defendants waived their right to appeal. After President Klement Gottwald refused their pleas for clemency, they were executed on 3 December 1952.
Among them was Otto Šling. His son, Karel Šling, is one of the last direct descendants of any of the eleven executed men. Even at the age of seventy-five, he does not give the impression of being a happy and equable man. To this day, Karel (and his children) are coming to terms with the traumas over which he had no influence.
Karel will be in discussion with Eva Tomanová following a screening of her documentary film in Czech with English subtitles.
Eva Tomanova is a Czech author and director with a background in journalism. For the past 12 years, she has worked for Czech TV, Febio, TV Barrandov and as a director of documentary films and TV programmes.

This event will take place in person and also livestreamed. Refreshments will be provided.
BCSA members enjoy free entry but registration is essential. See Eventbrite link below.
Non-members £10, full-time students £5.
All proceeds from this event will go to the BCSA School Support Fund established in 2004 to provide English language and other materials for Czech and Slovak schools and other educational institutions.

From My Homeland concert 2
2023-10-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Terzetto in C Op. 74 Gypsy Songs Op. 55
Bedřich Smetana (1824-84) Evening Songs
Johannes Brahms (1833-97) Piano Quintet in F minor Op. 34
Smetana wrote very few songs, but his majestic Evening Songs are a fitting foil in this concert for Dvořák’s fiery and popular Gypsy Songs. The elegant domesticity of Dvořák’s Bagatelles is likewise contrasted with Brahms’s formidable Piano Quintet.

Nash Ensemble
Alasdair Beatson piano
Benjamin Nabarro violin
Michael Gurevich violin
Lars Anders Tomter viola
Adrian Brendel cello
Lucy Crowe soprano

see booking link below
The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha

From My Homeland concert 1
2023-10-14 17:30 - 18:30 | Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 2BP, United Kingdom
Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Miniatures Op. 75a for 2 violins and viola
Josef Suk (1874-1935) Elegie for piano trio Op. 23
Johannes Brahms (1833-97) Clarinet Trio in A minor Op. 114
These three highly personal works bring together Suk’s memorial to the famous Bohemian writer Julius Zeyer, and one of Brahms’s pieces for the virtuoso clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld. Dvořák’s delightful Miniatures were written for performance with an old colleague and a next-door neighbour.

Nash Ensemble
Alasdair Beatson piano
Richard Hosford clarinet
Benjamin Nabarro violin
Michael Gurevich violin
Lars Anders Tomter viola
Adrian Brendel cello

see booking link below
The regions of Bohemia and Moravia endured political, military and linguistic control by multiple nations and governments in the 19th and 20th centuries. ‘From My Homeland’ showcases some of the most vibrant, imaginative and unusual works written in the 1800s and 1900s, as well as music by Johannes Brahms – friend and champion of Antonín Dvořák.
The series (October 2023 to March 2024) also includes a day of concerts, films and talks dedicated to the victims of the Theresienstadt Concentration Camp between 1941-45.
illustration: Moravian Teachers’ Choir poster by Alphonse Mucha
