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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230303T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230303T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221114T194914Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221114T194914Z
UID:7271-1677871800-1677879000@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Prague – Vienna: The Two Homelands
DESCRIPTION:Adam Plachetka was born in Prague and since 2010 a member of the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera (where Strauss was once director)\, the bass-baritone selects songs by major composers who worked in these two highly musical cities. \nAccompanied by Gary Matthewman\, piano. \nProgramme \nAntonín Dvořák  \nBiblical Songs Op. 99 \n \nGypsy Songs Op. 55 \nFranz Schubert \nStändchen D889 \n \nDie Forelle D550 \nIm Abendrot D799 \nGruppe aus dem Tartarus D583 \nErlkönig D328 \nRichard Strauss \n \nHeimliche Aufforderung Op. 27 No. 3 \nDie Nacht Op. 10 No. 3 \nNachtgang Op. 29 No. 3 \nDu meines Herzens Krönelein Op. 21 No. 2 \nTraum durch die Dämmerung Op. 29 No. 1 \nZueignung Op. 10 No. 1 \n  \nFor tickets see link below  \n  \nphoto Iona Sochorova
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/adam-plachetka-prague-vienna/
LOCATION:Wigmore Hall\, 36 Wigmore Street\, London\, W1U 2BP\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230228T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230228T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221023T165126Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221023T165225Z
UID:7266-1677612600-1677619800@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Wihan Quartet
DESCRIPTION:The Wihan Quartet’s focus is appropriately on their Czech repertoire\, though the group begins with one of Beethoven’s most stirring middle-period works for the medium. \nAn ensemble founded and renewed over a period of nearly 40 years has won numerous prizes and accolades for its performances and recordings of wide swathes of the repertoire. \nProgramme \nBeethoven String quartet no. 11 in F minor Op.95 ‘Serioso’ \nMartinů String quartet no. 2 \nSmetana String quartet no.1 in E minor ‘From my life’ \n  \nFor tickets see link below (general bookings open on 1 November 2022). \n  \nphoto Petra Hajská \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/wihan-quartet-martinu-smetana/
LOCATION:Wigmore Hall\, 36 Wigmore Street\, London\, W1U 2BP\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230222T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230222T203000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20230125T164742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230125T164742Z
UID:7649-1677092400-1677097800@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rusalka Revealed: Dvořák’s operatic masterpiece
DESCRIPTION:To celebrate a new edition of Antonín Dvořák’s beloved opera Rusalka and a new staging by the Royal Opera House\, the editors Robert Simon and Jonáš Hájek discuss Dvořák‘s lyrical fairy tale\, and their work on the score and Jaroslav Kvapil’s libretto with musicologist Nigel Simeone.  \nAnna Blackmur\, principal 2nd violin of the ROH orchestra\, will share her personal experience of playing Dvořák’s music highlighting the challenges his seemingly easy music presents to players. \nRobert Simon is an American librarian and musicologist specializing in Czech music. \nJonáš Hájek is the publishing supervisor of the new edition of Rusalka and the editor of its libretto. \nNigel Simeone is a writer and musician with special interests in Czech music and twentieth-century opera. \n  \nAdmission £5 with complimentary drinks see booking link below \n  \nIn collaboration with The Dvořák Society and the Bärenreiter Music Publishing House. \nCover photo: Růžena Maturová as Rusalka\, National Theatre in Prague\, 1901\, © National Museum – Czech Museum of Music \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/rusalka-revealed-dvoraks-operatic-masterpiece/
LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230221T181500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230307T184500
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20230125T163600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230125T163600Z
UID:7646-1677003300-1678214700@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Rusalka
DESCRIPTION:Rusalka\, a water spirit\, lives with her family in the pure waters of the forest lake. When she falls in love with a Prince\, she sacrifices her voice and leaves her home in the hope of finding true love in a new world – a world that does not love her back. \nNatalie Abrahami and Ann Yee create a poetic\, contemporary new staging of Dvořák’s lyric fairy tale\, revealing our uneasy relationship with the natural world and humanity’s attempts to own and tame it. Semyon Bychkov conducts an all-star cast featuring Asmik Grigorian in the title role. \nSung in Czech with English surtitles.
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/rusalka-2/
LOCATION:Royal Opera House
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230209T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230209T210000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221216T115302Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221216T115302Z
UID:7483-1675969200-1675976400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:A Sensitive Person book launch
DESCRIPTION:Celebrating the UK release of his sweeping new “picaresque romp of black humour and fantasy” (TLS)\, Czech writer Jáchym Topol and translator Alex Zucker read from and discuss an award-winning novel A Sensitive Person with critic and scholar Dr. Kathryn Murphy\, followed by an audience Q+A and a book signing. \nA Sensitive Person (Yale University Press 2023\, published in Czech as Citlivý člověk in 2017) is a brutally funny\, carnivalesque novel about love\, death\, and survival. Tab\, an itinerant Czech actor\, travels Europe on the theatre circuit with his partner\, Soňa\, and their two young sons\, attending festivals and performing plays. Confronted with growing resentment toward foreigners\, Tab decides to return home to the banks of the Sázava River\, southeast of Prague. As soon as they arrive\, Tab finds himself falsely accused of a terrible crime and forced to go on the run with his sons. Over the course of their journey\, dodging authorities by car\, foot\, and raft\, they encounter a motley cast of allies and enemies. The effects of Tab’s sudden reappearance and just-as-sudden disappearance ripple through the community\, catalysing a chaotic chain of events that reaches a final\, raucous crescendo. \nAdmission £5 see booking link below \nJáchym Topol (b. 1962)\, poet\, lyricist\, journalist\, and novelist\, is the leading figure in Czech postmodern fiction since the Velvet Revolution in 1989.  His debut novel\, City Sister Silver\, was featured in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die\, and was the only work from after 1989 to be named among the best 100 Czech Books of the 20th century. He currently works as programme director at the Václav Havel Library\, in Prague\, featuring politically engaged authors and artists (Czech and non-Czech alike). Topol’s other works available in English are A Trip to the Train Station\, City Sister Silver\, Angel Station\, Nightwork\, Gargling With Tar\, and The Devil’s Workshop. His work has been translated into over 25 languages. jachymtopol.cz  \nAlex Zucker has translated novels by Jáchym Topol\, Bianca Bellová\, Petra Hůlová\, J. R. Pick\, Magdaléna Platzová\, Tomáš Zmeškal\, Josef Jedlička\, Heda Margolius Kovály\, Patrik Ouředník\, and Miloslava Holubová. alexjzucker.com  \nKathryn Murphy studied Czech and English literature at the University of Glasgow\, and is now Fellow in English at Oriel College\, University of Oxford\, where she teaches and writes about Renaissance literature and the literary essay. She is also reviews Czech literature for the TLS. \nPart of the season celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Czech Centre London that highlights the most successful past projects.  \nThe Czech Centre London launched Jáchym Topol’s seminal work City Sister Silver in Alex Zucker ‘s translation on a literary tour that took place between 30 Apr and 2 May 2001 in London\, Glasgow and Oxford.   \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/a-sensitive-person-book-launch/
LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230207T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230207T203000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220728T084920Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221114T193314Z
UID:6885-1675794600-1675801800@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Czech modernism
DESCRIPTION:An introduction by Ivan Margolius to avant-garde design in architecture\, engineering\, furniture and interiors\, its international influence and how it affected the development of modern architecture in Britain. \nIvan Margolius is an architect and award-winning writer. His latest book\, ‘Jan Kaplický: For the Future and for Beauty’ (Edition Axel Menges\, 2022) received the 2021 Miroslav Ivanov Prize for Non-fiction Literature and is available from bookshops and Amazon. \n£15 including a glass of wine.  \nSee booking link below (postponed from November 2022) \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/czech-modernism-ivan-margolius/
LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230201T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230201T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221229T160615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221229T160615Z
UID:7547-1675279800-1675287000@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Pavel Haas Quartet
DESCRIPTION:The programme performed by this Czech quartet opens with the attractive final quartet by the prolific Bohuslav Martinů\, written in New York in 1947\, followed by the fourth of Bartók’s six masterpieces for the medium (1928); next they are joined by a leading pianist for one of the most immediate and melodious works in the entire chamber music repertoire. \nBohuslav Martinů (1890-1959)         String Quartet No. 7 ‘Concerto da camera \nBéla Bartók (1881-1945)                   String Quartet No. 4 BB95 \nAntonín Dvořák (1841-1904)             Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Op. 81 \n  \nVeronika Jarůšková violin \nMarek Zwiebel violin \nDana Zemtsov viola \nPeter Jarůšek cello \nBoris Giltburg piano \n  \nsee booking link below \nThis event is part of the CAVATINA 25 Scheme. A limited number of free tickets are available to those aged 8-25  in rows T to V.
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/pavel-haas-quartet-4/
LOCATION:Wigmore Hall\, 36 Wigmore Street\, London\, W1U 2BP\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230117T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230117T203000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221215T152843Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221216T115505Z
UID:7476-1673980200-1673987400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Ear – the book behind a Czech film legend
DESCRIPTION:To mark the publication by Karolinum Press of the first English translation by Mark Corner of Jan Procházka’s masterpiece\, David Vaughan and Peter Hames discuss both\, the book and the film at 6.30pm\, followed by a screening of the 1970 classic at 7pm. \n\nThe Ear – Ucho in Czech – is one of the greatest of all Czech films. It was the culmination of ten years of fruitful cooperation between the director Karel Kachyňa and screenwriter Jan Procházka. The film was completed in 1970\, but in the oppressive atmosphere after the 1968 Soviet invasion it was banned immediately and was not seen by audiences in Czechoslovakia until twenty years later. It is not hard to see why. It is set in the period of the Stalinist purges in 1950s Czechoslovakia. A senior government official Ludvík and his wife Anna come back from a drunken party at the ministry to find that their house has been bugged. A gripping psychological drama follows\, as they await a knock on the door. \n\n\n\n\n\nJan Procházka was one of the most popular and prolific Czech writers of the 1960s\, closely identified with the reforms and growing artistic freedoms of the time\, and the novella Ear is perhaps his greatest work. It combines the economy of Hemingway with the tension of Hitchcock\, set in a stifling totalitarian environment. \n\nAdmission £7 see booking link below \n\nDavid Vaughan is a writer\, broadcaster\, journalist and university lecturer. He wrote the afterword to the English translation. His debut novel Slyšte můj hlas (2014) won the Czech Book Prize readers’ award in 2015. The book has been published in English by Jantar Publishing as Hear My Voice (2019). He is also author of Battle for the Airwaves (2008)\, a study of the role of the media in the run-up to WWII. For eight years he was editor-in-chief of Radio Prague\, having previously been the BBC’s Prague correspondent.    \nPeter Hames is visiting professor in film studies at Staffordshire University. His books include The Czechoslovak New Wave(2005)\, Czech and Slovak Cinema: Theme and Tradition (2010)\, The Best of Slovak Cinema(2018) and\, as editor\, The Cinema of Central Europe (2004)\, The Cinema of Jan Švankmajer (2008)\, and Cinemas in Transition in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989 (with Catherine Portuges\, 2013). He recently edited two special issues of Studies in Eastern European Cinema on Věra Chytilová (2018-19) and has contributed to a forthcoming book on the Barrandov studios. \nPart of the season celebrating the 30thanniversary of the Czech Centre London that highlights the most successful past projects. \nThe film was screened as part of The Eye of the Camera: A Profile of Karel Kachyňa\, a retrospective organised by the Czech Centre in March 2003 in Riverside Studios in London.
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/ear-the-book-behind-a-czech-film-legend/
LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230115T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230115T160000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221114T194443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221114T194443Z
UID:7279-1673794800-1673798400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Trio Bohémo
DESCRIPTION:The Czech group returns with one of the most popular classics written for its medium. Composed in 1891\, Dvořák’s ‘Dumky’ Trio is named after the originally poetic ballad form that alternates cheerful with sad elements. Heard in the composer’s own arrangement\, Liszt’s Carnival in Pest (1847) makes use of folk material from various countries – not just Hungary. \nProgramme \nAntonín Dvořák       Piano Trio in E minor Op. 90 ‘Dumky’ \n \nFranz Liszt                Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9 in E flat S379 ‘Le carnaval de Pesth’ \n \n  \nMatouš Pěruška         violin \nKristina Vocetková     cello \nJan Vojtek                  piano \n  \nFor tickets see link below  \n  \nThis concert is part of the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust ticket scheme\, offering free tickets to those aged 8-25 \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/trio-bohemo/
LOCATION:Wigmore Hall\, 36 Wigmore Street\, London\, W1U 2BP\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230113T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230113T120000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221107T153202Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221114T200609Z
UID:7276-1673607600-1673611200@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Trio Bohémo masterclass
DESCRIPTION:This Czech ensemble\, almost from its inception\, began to win prizes internationally. These include the ISA Festival and the International Johannes Brahms Competition\, both in Austria\, plus the Parkhouse Award in London. It was also selected for the 2021 Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme. \n  \nMatouš Pěruška violin \nKristina Vocetková cello \nJan Vojtek piano \n  \nFor tickets see link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/trio-bohemo-masterclass/
LOCATION:Wigmore Hall\, 36 Wigmore Street\, London\, W1U 2BP\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230111T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230113T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220409T175156Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220409T175156Z
UID:6328-1673463600-1673645400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Káťa Kabanová
DESCRIPTION:Leoš Janáček’s opera of loneliness\, love\, and the price of passion\, in a dramatic concert performance from Sir Simon Rattle and a hand-picked cast sung in Czech. \nKáťa is young\, sensitive and desperate for love. But trapped in a remote country village with a bored husband and his snobbish family\, she has no way out\, until a summer thunderstorm changes everything. Uncompromisingly honest\, and pulsing with intensely human emotion\, Káťa Kabanová is opera for grown-ups\, written in music that cuts straight to the chase. The LSO’s concert stagings of classic operas always make headlines: this will be one to remember. \nTonight’s cast includes the superb Kiwi tenor Simon O’Neill and living legend Sir John Tomlinson. Káťa is one of Amanda Majewski’s signature roles – she won’t hold back tonight. \n‘Majeski gives such heartfelt commitment to the role of Káťa that one worries how she can come back down from the emotional peaks and precipices that she scales.’ – Opera Today \nPerformers\n\nLondon Symphony Orchestra\nSir Simon Rattle conductor\nKatarina Dalayman  Marfa\nAndrew Staples  Tichon\nAmanda Majeski  Káťa\nSir John Tomlinson  Dikoj\nSimon O’Neill  Boris\nLadislav Elgr  Kudrjas\nMagdalena Kožená  Varvara\nLondon Symphony Chorus\n\n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/kata-kabanova/
LOCATION:Barbican Centre\, Silk Street\, London\, EC2Y 8DS\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20230110T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20230110T200000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221214T154904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230105T103757Z
UID:7464-1673373600-1673380800@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:The race for Prague Castle: who will be the next Czech president?
DESCRIPTION:A panel discussion co-organised by the British Czech and Slovak Association and UCL SSEES Centre for the Study of Central Europe. \n\nOn Friday 13 and Saturday 14 January 2023 voters go to the polls to elect the Czech Republic’s second directly elected president. Key contenders include the billionaire populist Andrej Babiš\, retired general Petr Pavel and economist Danuše Nerudová\, who may have the realistic prospect of becoming Czechia’s first ever female head of state. \nThis event\, co-organised by the British Czech and Slovak Association (BCSA) and UCL-SSEES Centre for the Study of Central Europe brings together academic specialists on the Czech Republic for a roundtable discussion of the presidential candidates and the presidential election campaign; what they tell us about the political direction of the Czech Republic; and how the role of the head of state may change when a new president takes office in increasingly turbulent economic and politics times. \n This free event will also be livestreamed online. Registration (see Eventbrite link below) is necessary either to attend in person or to receive the joining link. \nSPEAKERS \nTim Haughton  is Professor of Comparative and European Politics at the University of Birmingham. He a political scientist with a particular interest in electoral and party politics\, electoral campaigning\, and the politics of Central and Eastern Europe\, especially Slovakia\, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. He is the co-author of The New Party Challenge (Oxford University Press\, 2021) and was the joint editor of the Journal of Common Market Studies’ Annual Review of the European Union for nine years (2008-16). \nBarbara Havelková is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and a Tutorial Fellow at St Hilda’s College\, University of Oxford. Her research and teaching interests include gender legal studies and feminist jurisprudence\, equality and anti-discrimination law\, constitutional law\, EU law and law in post-socialist transitions. Her book\, Gender Equality in Law: Uncovering the Legacies of Czech State Socialism’ (Hart/Bloomsbury\, 2017) and received an honourable mention from the judges of the BASEES Women’s Forum Prize for 2019. Between 2014 and 2017\, she acted as an Advisor to the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on issues of gender and law. \nJiří Přibáň is Professor of Law at Cardiff University. He has published extensively on social theory and the sociology of law\, legal philosophy\, constitutional and European comparative law\, and theory of human rights. His monograph Sovereignty in Post-Sovereign Society (Routledge\, 2015) was awarded the SLSA Socio-Legal Theory and History Book Prize. He is the founding director of the Centre of Law and Society and an editor of the Journal of Law and Society. He regularly contributes to the Czech and international media. \nChaired by Dr Seán Hanley (UCL SSEES) \n\nImage credit: Radek Kozák on Unsplash
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/czech-presidential-elections/
LOCATION:UCL SSEES\, 16 Taviton St\, London\, WC1H 0BW\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:BCSA Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221201T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221231T170000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220610T092224Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221130T215031Z
UID:6595-1669888800-1672506000@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Who Tells Whom About What: David Böhm & Jiří Franta
DESCRIPTION:Indoor & outdoor exhibition\, Czech Centre & Czech Embassy\, London \nUsing imaginary city models with staged micro stories\, leading Czech artists David Böhm & Jiří Franta draw on current social and political issues to explore the city not only as a place of neighbourhood and coexistence but also as a crowded and fragmented world\, in which it is necessary to reconsider some of the basic ideas.  \nDoes the concept of nations still make sense? Wouldn’t it be possible to organise the planet better? Who sustains whom? And can we find a way to stop living at the expense of future generations?  \nInspired by the exquisitely staged narrative paintings\, familiar from the work of artists such as Pieter Brueghel\, the artists’ own tableaux will be displayed as a large scale photo series in an outdoor exhibition on the fence of the Czech Embassy in London on busy Bayswater Road\, while the models themselves will be exhibited in the gallery inside.  \nExploring the ‘fence’ motif Böhm & Franta link the outdoor exhibition with the indoor one while referring to relations with our neighbours and borders beyond which we are not welcome\, raising the question of who the ‘outsider’ really is. \nVitrínka Gallery\, Czech Centre London\,  Tue – Fri\, 10 am – 5 pm \nOutdoor exhibition on the fence of the Czech Embassy\, Free access 24/7 \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/who-tells-whom-about-what-david-bohm-jiri-franta/
LOCATION:Czech Centre\, 30 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221124T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221124T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220402T163748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220521T101704Z
UID:6305-1669318200-1669325400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Pavel Haas Quartet
DESCRIPTION:The second of Haas’s quartets was composed in 1925. Its unusual title is a joking reference to the Moravian Highlands; each movement describes experiences summer holidaymakers might encounter there. The group’s recording of the piece won it its first Gramophone Award in 2006\, when it was also chosen as Disc of the Year by the Daily Telegraph. \nProgramme \nJoseph Haydn (1732-1809)      String Quartet in G Op. 76 No. 1 \nSergey Prokofiev (1891-1953)   String Quartet No. 2 in F Op. 92 \nPavel Haas (1899-1944)             String Quartet No. 2 Op. 7 ‘From the Monkey Mountains’ \n  \n \n \nWigmore Hall Artist in Residence \nVeronika Jarůšková violin \nMarek Zwiebel violin \nJiří Kabát viola \nPeter Jarůšek cello \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/pavel-haas-quartet-2/
LOCATION:Wigmore Hall\, 36 Wigmore Street\, London\, W1U 2BP\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221123T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221123T230000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221015T090040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221111T184716Z
UID:7213-1669228200-1669244400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:BCSA & CBCC annual dinner
DESCRIPTION:Join us for our traditional annual dinner held with the Czech British Chamber of Commerce at the May Fair Hotel\, Stratton Street\, London (nearest underground Green Park). \nThis 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. \n Members and non-members alike will be made welcome at a drinks reception\, enjoy a three-course dinner with wine and hear the results of our annual writing competition. There will also be a raffle with a chance to win a long weekend for two (including flights) in the High Tatras\, Slovakia at either the Hotel Hills or the Horizont Resort donated by Jan Telensky. Or perhaps three nights half board at Nové Lázně in Mariánské Lázně\, CR and closer to home two nights bed & breakfast in the Buxton Crescent Hotel both kindly donated by Ensana. \nIf 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. \nKeynote speaker: Lord Dubs \nIn 1939 Alfred Dubs\, aged six\, left his native Czechoslovakia for England by train arranged by Sir Nicholas Winton. In 2021 with the restoration of his Czech citizenship\, he became the first Czech-British member of the House of Lords. \nOver the years he has lobbied tirelessly on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers. In 2020 he proposed an amendment to the Immigration Bill which would give safe passage and sanctuary to 3\,000 unaccompanied children in Europe to come to the UK to join a family member already seeking refugee status. It was supported by the House of Lords but defeated in the House of Commons. \nGuest of honour: H.E. Robert Ondrejcsák\, Ambassador of Slovakia to the United Kingdom. \nTickets: BCSA members £ 75.00\, non-members £87.50\, full-time students £55.00 via Eventbrite link below. \ndress code lounge suit \nFor more information contact us via bcsa@bcsa.co.uk \n  \n  \n  \n\n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bcsa-cbcc-annual-dinner/
LOCATION:The May Fair Hotel\, Stratton Street\, London\, W1J 8LT\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:BCSA Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221119T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221119T200000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220930T103355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220930T103355Z
UID:7156-1668880800-1668888000@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Bird Atlas
DESCRIPTION:In this Czech answer to the smash hit series Succession\, leading Czech actor Miroslav Donutil excels in the central role of Ivo Rona\, the ageing CEO of a technology company who refuses to let go of the family business to the growing despair of his three children\, successors in waiting. When a huge embezzlement in his company is discovered\, Rona is determined to find the culprit despite his failing heart. And then his long-serving\, long-suffering secretary Marie\, one of his most trusted employees\, goes missing. Revenge\, corporate sabotage\, or a well-played internet fraud? An absorbingly twisty\, delightful wry black comedy featuring philosophical birds offering wise words and sound advice. \nThis screening will feature an introduction and Q&A with actor Miroslav Donutil \nDirected by Olmo Omerzu \nStarring Miroslav Donutil\, Alena Mihulová\, Martin Pechlát\, Eliška Krenková\, Vojtech Kotek \nMade in Prague Festival SPECIAL GALA \n2021\, 93mins Czech Republic\, Slovenia\, Slovakia \nTickets £14 (non-members) £11 members see booking link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bird-atlas-miroslav-donutil/
LOCATION:Prince Charles Cinema\, 7 Leicester Place\, London\, WC2H 7BY\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221110T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221110T200000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221022T140530Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221022T144029Z
UID:7262-1668105000-1668110400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Somewhere Over the Chemtrails
DESCRIPTION:The friendship of two volunteer firefighters who more often quench their thirst than put out fires\, is put to the test when\, during Easter celebrations\, a van crashes into the village fountain and the driver is nowhere to be found.  \nConvinced of a terrorist attack\, lonely widower Brona grabs the opportunity to prove his worth and protect his community. Turning the fire brigade into a militia he is hell bent on capturing the terrorist refusing the voice of reason provided by his friend Standa and his pregnant wife.  \nFull of irony but also empathy and understanding the director gently mocks the fear of the unknown and conspiracy theories\, such as the clandestine dispersal of chemical substances which can only be eliminated by vinegar\, while providing an affectionate and humorous look at human weaknesses. A brilliantly acted\, compelling comedy that pays homage to Forman’s The Firemen’s Ball. \nFor tickets see booking link below. \nPart of the 26th Made in Prague Festival\, 1 Nov – 4 Dec 2022
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/somewhere-over-the-chemtrails/
LOCATION:The Gate Picturehouse\, 87 Notting Hill Gate\, London\, W11 3JZ\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221109T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221109T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220905T153010Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220905T153010Z
UID:7016-1668022200-1668029400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Smetana Vltava & Dvořák Symphony no 7
DESCRIPTION:The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performs ‘Vltava’ from Smetana’s Má Vlast – an evocative orchestral picture of the river that flows through Prague\, filled with ebbing and flowing woodwind and strings.  \nDvořák’s Symphony No.7. infused with Dvořák’s Czech heritage\, this Romantic symphony combines soaring string themes\, roaring brass\, atmospheric percussion and dancing woodwind. It was first performed on 22 April 1885 at St James’s Hall in London. \n\nSmetana Má Vlast: ‘Vltava’ (The Moldau)\nBruch Violin Concerto No.1\nDvořák Symphony No.7 \n\n\nChloé van Soeterstède Conductor\nJennifer Pike Violin \nsee booking link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/smetana-vltava-dvorak-symphony-7-2/
LOCATION:Hull City Hall\, Queen Victoria Square\, Hull\, HU1 3RQ\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221108T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221108T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220905T152147Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220905T153746Z
UID:7012-1667935800-1667943000@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Smetana Vltava & Dvořák Symphony no 7
DESCRIPTION:The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performs ‘Vltava’ from Smetana’s Má Vlast – an evocative orchestral picture of the river that flows through Prague\, filled with ebbing and flowing woodwind and strings.  \nDvořák’s Symphony No.7. infused with Dvořák’s Czech heritage\, this Romantic symphony combines soaring string themes\, roaring brass\, atmospheric percussion and dancing woodwind. It was first performed on 22 April 1885 at St James’s Hall in London. \n\nSmetana Má Vlast: ‘Vltava’ (The Moldau)\nMendelssohn Violin Concerto\nDvořák Symphony No.7 \n\n\nChloé van Soeterstède Conductor\nJennifer Pike Violin \n\nBook your tickets before FRIDAY 23 SEPTEMBER and get 10% off ALL TICKETS see booking link below \nPre-concert talk – 6.30pm\nPresented by Chris de Souza\nThe Hexagon Auditorium – FREE \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/smetana-vltava-dvorak-symphony-7/
LOCATION:The Hexagon\, Queen Walk\, Reading\, RG1 7UA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221108T191500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221227T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221003T111602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221030T104947Z
UID:7170-1667934900-1672176600@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Makropulos Affair
DESCRIPTION:The Welsh National Opera is on a UK tour with its new production of Janáček’s opera conducted by their Czech music director\, Tomáš Hanus. \nThe enigmatic diva Emilia Marty looks younger than her years. The secret of her youth\, a magical elixir of life taken centuries ago. For over 300 years she has lived many lives – moving across Europe\, changing her name and breaking hearts along the way – as she chases a desire to be the greatest singer of all times. But as the elixir starts to wear off will she become desperate to find the recipe for her eternal youth? \nBirmingham Hippodrome\, 8 November\, 7.15pm  \nWelsh National Opera – The Makropulos Affair – Birmingham Hippodrome\nPRE-PERFORMANCE TALK | 6.15PM \nMayflower Theatre\, Southampton\, 25 November\, 7.15pm  \nWNO Makropulos Affair | Mayflower Theatre | Southampton\nPRE-PERFORMANCE TALK | 6PM \nNew Theatre Oxford\, Oxford\, 2 December\,7.15pm  \n Welsh National Opera – Makropulos Tickets | New Theatre Oxford in Oxford | ATG Tickets\nPRE-PERFORMANCE TALK | 6PM
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/the-makropulos-affair/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221106T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221106T190000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221022T134940Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221022T134940Z
UID:7258-1667754000-1667761200@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Occupation
DESCRIPTION:Voted the Best Czech Film 2021 by the critics\, this black comedy thriller fuelled by vodka\, cigarettes\, and cowardice hilariously investigates Czech-Soviet relations.  \nAfter a premiere\, the theatre group is celebrating in a bar when an uninvited guest crashes the party. A drunken Russian officer has come to sell a can of petrol\, but soon the business transaction turns into a vodka drinking race. The Russian\, interested in beautiful Milada and entertained by the comedic cowardice of the men\, simply won’t leave… \n Spinning out of control\, the game becomes a trap\, heroes become cowards and cowards become heroes. Influenced by Milos Forman’s The Firemen’s Ball with a touch of Tarantino and The Good Soldier Schwejk\, this allegorical\, pitch-black comedy delivers a highly original contribution to the topic of the invasion and is extremely relevant in today´s climate. \nFollowed by Q&A with director Michal Nohejl. \nFor tickets see booking link below. \nPart of the 26th Made in Prague Festival\, 1 Nov – 4 Dec 2022 \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/occupation-czech-soviet-relations/
LOCATION:The Gate Picturehouse\, 87 Notting Hill Gate\, London\, W11 3JZ\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221104T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221113T193000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221020T131837Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221020T131837Z
UID:7238-1667590200-1668367800@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Cunning Little Vixen
DESCRIPTION:HGO\, North London’s leading opera company\, presents a fully staged production\, with orchestra and fabulous young opera singers and children\, of Janáček’s timeless and enchanting opera.  \nCaptured when young by the forester\, and brought up by him as a pet\, sharp-ears escapes back to the wild – but her life continues to interplay with that of the forester and his friends the pastor\, the schoolmaster and the poacher – and a handsome young fox.  \nSung in the original Czech with English surtitles. Conducted by Lada Valešová. \nNovember 4\, 5\, 9\, 10\, 11\, 12 at 7.30pm: November 6 & 13 at 4.00 pm (see booking link below) \nTickets are £38 / £25   tickets are available for children aged 5-15 for £10 across all performances. (Children must be accompanied by a full-ticket paying adult – Maximum 2 children per accompanying adult) \nStudent tickets are available for £15 for performances on the 6th\, 9th\, 10th and 11th November. \nIllustration from an original in pastels by BCSA member Mary Booth. \nPart of the 26th Made in Prague Festival\, 1 Nov – 4 Dec 2022
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/the-cunning-little-vixen-4/
LOCATION:Jacksons Lane Theatre\, 269A Archway Rd\, London\, N6 5AA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221104T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221104T203000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20221020T171854Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221020T171854Z
UID:7247-1667586600-1667593800@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Bethlehem Light
DESCRIPTION:Karel Šejnoha (Zdeněk Svěrák’s alter ego)\, a well-known\, aging writer\, faces a writer‘s block. He has a head full of unfinished stories whose fictional characters start to appear in real life lobbying for their stories to be finally completed. Each and every one of them demands something.  \nThe photographer Matěj wants the beautiful but unapproachable pharmacist Vendula\, the car mechanic Bakalář\, would like to be a healer\, Bohumil asks for a miracle for his son. And there is also Šejnoha’s wife who feels neglected and wants her husband to devote himself to her instead of to writing.  \nThe intertwined stories pass freely from reality to fiction and back exploring love\, marriage\, faith and miracles.  \nThis is a bitter-sweet comedy with a stellar cast from the Oscar winner Jan Svěrák (Kolya) full of humour\, irony\, clever dialogues. \nFor tickets see booking link below. \nPart of the 26th Made in Prague Festival\, 1 Nov – 4 Dec 2022 \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bethlehem-light-zdenek-sverak/
LOCATION:The Gate Picturehouse\, 87 Notting Hill Gate\, London\, W11 3JZ\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221101T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221101T213000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220929T152209Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220929T152510Z
UID:7147-1667331000-1667338200@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Smetana Vltava & Dvořák Symphony no 8
DESCRIPTION:The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performs ‘Vltava’ from Smetana’s Má Vlast – an evocative orchestral picture of the river that flows through Prague\, filled with ebbing and flowing woodwind and strings.  \nDvořák was staying at his summer resort when he wrote his Eighth Symphony\, and you can hear the bird song and thunderstorms of a summer’s day in Bohemia in the beautiful sunny music.  \nSmetana Má vlast: Vltava (The Moldau)\nBruch Violin Concerto No. 1\nDvořák Symphony No. 8 \nChloé van Soeterstède conductor\nJennifer Pike violin \nsee booking link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/smetana-vltava-dvorak-symphony-8/
LOCATION:Cadogan Hall\, 5 Sloane Terrace\, London\, SW1X 9DQ\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221029T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221029T223000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220704T165929Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220704T173154Z
UID:6717-1667073600-1667082600@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Jana Varga & The Company
DESCRIPTION:Jana Varga is a Slovak-born singer songwriter now based in London\, having trained and worked musically in France\, the United States and elsewhere. \nHer well crafted songs are at home in the broad Americana genre but their roots run much deeper. Jana’s natural musicianship is founded in her classical music training\, and further influenced by classic singer-songwriters such as Janis Ian and James Taylor together with a deep love and appreciation of roots music\, not least gospel and blues. \nHer most recent work ‘Canvas’ was recorded with 4 times Grammy nominated producer James McMillan\, alongside working with the Masterlink House band whose credits include David Bowie\, Elton John\, Herbie Hancock\, Annie Lennox and many more. \nJana will appear with a full band that is comprised of world class musicians who played with US Grammy Winner Mike Farris\, Lucky Peterson and others referring to themselves as ‘The Company.’ \nTickets £15 see booking link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/jana-varga-the-company/
LOCATION:Chapel Arts Centre\, St James's Memorial Hall\, Lower Borough Walls\, Bath\, BA1 1QR\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221025T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221025T210000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220924T105155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221015T153606Z
UID:7104-1666724400-1666731600@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:In the Blood: Anna Fodorova
DESCRIPTION:Czech author Anna Fodorova will be in discussion with writer and literary critic Jude Cook plus readings by actress Lisa Rose. \nIn the Blood is an unforgettable twentieth century family saga set in 1980s London\, Prague and Munich against the backdrop of the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. It explores the impact of history on the personal lives of three generations – a mother\, a daughter and a grandmother. The novel follows Agata\, the only child of Czech/Jewish parents\, who grew up in Prague with the belief that all her relatives perished in the Holocaust. Now living in London with her English husband and their young daughter Lily\, Agata discovers astonishing news: not everyone died. Agata’s decision to look for her surviving relatives quickly turns from excitement to obsession\, but as she gets closer to unearthing long-buried secrets\, her search threatens to tear apart not only the family she already has\, but her own identity too. Drawing on her acute understanding of human psychology\, as well as her own life story\, Anna Fodorova tells a compelling and moving tale of one woman’s search for the truth. As personal and political histories collide\, In the Blood explores grief\, identity\, longing\, family relationships and the long shadow of the horrors of the Holocaust. \nAnna Fodorova  also grew up in post-war Prague in a family without relatives. After a career that began in animation and script writing\, she now lives in the UK and works as a psychotherapist and author\, writing in both English and Czech. Read her interview with Radio Prague here \nThe official book launch will be followed by refreshments and book signing. \nFree admission for members of the BCSA\, £10 for non-members\, full-time students £5 \nBook online with Eventbrite (see link below) \nor by email to bcsa@bcsa.co.uk \nEd Peacock\, editor of the BCS Review writes: I found this a compelling book. I was so drawn into Agata’s search for her relatives\, with its false starts and the continued opposition she encounters\, even from her nearest and dearest. All this against the background of momentous change in Central and Eastern Europe. And there’s some lovely writing: evocative details such as the contents of a cache of children’s toys from years back\, the squalor of a bachelor’s flat\, an English cemetery glimpsed from a car. I finished it in Prague – just the right place to do that! \nIn the Blood will be published by Arachne Press on 27 October 2022 (paperback: £12.00\, e-book: £4) \nOrganised in co-operation with Arachne Press\, the Czech Embassy and Czech Centre London and Lutyens & Rubinstein bookshop. \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/in-the-blood-anna-fodorova/
LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY
CATEGORIES:BCSA Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221023T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221023T193000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220704T172556Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220718T100426Z
UID:6722-1666544400-1666553400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Emmy Destinn Gala Concert
DESCRIPTION:To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Emmy Destinn Foundation. Featuring  young artists\, the winners of the biennial competition The Emmy Destinn Young Singers Awards performing arias by Janáček\, Dvořák\, Smetana\, Mozart and Puccini. \nCaroline Taylor                          soprano                                                                         \nMilly Forest                               soprano                                                                                     \nJuliet Lozano Rolong                soprano                                                                          \nPhillipa Boyle                            soprano                                                                        \nMarta Fontanals-Simmons       mezzo-soprano                                               \nSam Utley                                 tenor                                                                                   \nMark Christian Bautista            tenor                                                     \nMichael Bracegirdle                  tenor                                                        \nKieran Rayner                           baritone \nThey will be accompanied by accomplished pianists Raya Kostova\, Panaretos Kyriatzidis and Max Bilbe\, winners of the Lady Grenfell-Baines Accompanist’s Prize. \nThe concert will also feature talented Czech violinist Leona Gogolicynová\, accompanied by celebrated pianist Anthony Hewitt and renowned Swedish trumpeter Magnus Johansson who performed at the inaugural EDF Concert in 1997. \n​The evening will be presented by voice-over actress and narrator Veronika Hyks. \nTickets £25\, £15\, £10\, Young Friends £5 see booking link below \n  \n    
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/emmy-destinn-gala-concert/
LOCATION:St John’s Smith Square\, Smith Square\, London\, SW1P 3HA\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221019T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221019T180000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220929T144655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220929T144655Z
UID:7142-1666188000-1666202400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Václav Havel European Dialogues
DESCRIPTION:Session III: The Spectre of Dissent Still Haunts Europe\n\nIn his essay The Power of the Powerless\, Havel famously asked: What role does dissent play in society? What are its hopes? Can dissidents actually change anything? Though focusing on the power and the powerless in communist Europe in the 1970s\, Havel’s distinction between the forces of life and the system’s power also calls for re-thinking democratic politics\, civil society and human rights. It is no coincidence that the essay inspired students and young revolutionaries during the Arab Spring a decade ago and continues to be read by dissidents and civil rights activists around the globe because it asks the most fundamental questions regarding the ethics in politics and life in general. Havel argued that the crisis of ‘mass civilisation’ is the moral crisis of ‘human identity’ and called for ‘living in truth’ and ‘an existential revolution’ as a response to this crisis of civilisation beyond different political systems. The Ukraine War has been the most recent evidence of this crisis. The following themes and problems will be discussed in this panel: the role of dissent in democracy and autocracy; living in truth and its political power; politics and morality; civil society in European and global contexts; the current crisis and future hopes of European politics; Europe\, Ukraine and the ethics of cosmopolitanism; the EU world politics\, war and post-national constellations.\n\nSpeakers:\nTatyana Pavlush\, Cardiff University\nMarci Shore\, Yale University (online)\nRob Cameron\, BBC correspondent\n\nModerator:\nMary Heimann\, Cardiff University \nSession IV: Environmental Crisis and Responsibility in the Anthropocene\nThis panel reflects on Havel’s thoughts on environment and its damage by modern industrial society. Responding to the global climate crisis\, Havel spoke of our planet being at serious risk due to our exploitation of natural resources and irresponsibility leading to the climate change. In his essay ‘Our Moral Footprint’\, Havel suggested rethinking our sojourn on earth as a loan and consider our modern civilisation’s past as running up a debt. As he wrote in 2007: ‘Nature is issuing warnings that we must not only stop the debt from growing but start to pay it back.’ The climate change and growing state of environmental emergency confront us with urgent questions of sustainable development\, environmental justice\, rights and inequalities as well as calls for global political actions and activism to tackle grave risks an danger to the humankind of this planetary civilisation. The following themes and problems will be discussed in this panel: the crisis of modern civilisation and environment; politics of environment\, its historical development and future challenges; the climate change and intergenerational justice; global environmental rights; inequalities and consequences of the climate change; ethics of global environmental responsibility; moral footprint and environment. \nSpeakers:\nDuncan Kelly\, Cambridge University\nShalini Randeria\, Central European University (online)\nSam Varvastian\, Cardiff University \nModerator:\nAmbreena Manji\, Cardiff University \nClosing Dialogue:\nMichael Žantovský in discussion with Lenka Buštíková (TBC) reflecting on Havel’s legacy. \nSee registration link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/vaclav-havel-european-dialogues-2/
LOCATION:Temple of Peace\, King Edward VII Avenue\, Cardiff\, CF10 3AP\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221018T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221018T210000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220929T143647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220929T145519Z
UID:7138-1666116000-1666126800@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Václav Havel European Dialogues
DESCRIPTION:Session I: From Normalization to Loss of Norms: Václav Havel and the Forms of Democratic Backsliding\nThe decades following the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 were dubbed the period of ‘Normalization’: a chilling term intended to designate a return to the efficient social controls that had been the norm across the Soviet Bloc prior to the democratizing and liberalizing movement that culminated in the Prague Spring in mid-1968. ‘Normalization’\, in fact\, was not normal at all. Rather it shut down social\, political\, and economic activities that showed any independence or strayed too far from strict Party line. The decade leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 does not yet have a commonly accepted label\, but surely one of the prime political characteristics—almost uniformly across the globe—has been the loss of political norms and the rise of a politics of impudence\, where nothing matters beyond the accumulation of power and resources for elite social groups. Havel’s contrast between living in truth and politics of normalisation informs authoritarian and democratic regimes and destructive ‘new normalities’ are typical of the Brexit\, Trump and Putin with his disinformation wars preceding the aggressive war against Ukraine. This panel will discuss similarities and differences in these related social dynamics—imposition of restrictive norms\, and the elimination of all social and political norms—and how Havel’s writings help us to think through these questions. \nSpeakers:\nJiří Pehe (NYU/Prague)\nMagda Leichtová (Oxford)\nLenka Buštíková (TBC) \nModerator:\nJiří Přibán \nSession II: Totalitarianism\, Pre-\, Post-\, and Neo- George Orwell\, Hannah Arendt and Václav Havel\nIn his most famous political essay\, titled ‘The Power of the Powerless’\, Havel described the ‘Normalization’-era Czechoslovakia in which he found himself as ‘post-totalitarian’—a phrase that may surprise many readers today who are familiar with the neo-Stalinist practices of the regime Havel wrote to oppose. Havel’s point\, however\, was that Normalization entailed a form of authoritarian control in which even those in power no longer believed in the aims they claimed to pursue\, but simply went through the motions in automatized\, mechanical fashion. Orwell and Arendt’s ground breaking analyses of earlier\, ‘classical’ forms of totalitarianism\, composed in the 1940s and 1950s in the shadow or aftermath of Nazi and Stalinist abominations\, focused on the manipulation of belief and the manufacture of misguided ‘faith’. Havel\, on the other hand\, explores the transformation of totalitarianism into a system beyond belief which operates on the basis of empty public rituals and ideological lies traded for the minimum of private autonomy and comfort. This panel will bring these three thinkers into dialogue to reflect on the varieties of totalitarian experience\, and what they might tell us about our current socio-political situation. \nSpeakers:\nTim Beasley-Murray (UCL)\nJean Seaton (Orwell Foundation)\nUta Staiger (UCL) \nModerator:\nPeter Zusi (UCL) \nSee registration link below \n  \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/vaclav-havel-european-dialogues/
LOCATION:UCL Gustave Tuck Auditorium\, Gower Street\, London\, WC1E 6BT\, United Kingdom
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20221015T141500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20221015T180000
DTSTAMP:20260412T234234
CREATED:20220908T173737Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220914T171439Z
UID:7035-1665843300-1665856800@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:London Czech connections walking tour
DESCRIPTION:The English College Foundation is planning a sponsored walk to raise funds for scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds\, to enable them to study in the International Baccalaureate years at the English College in Prague. In the past such scholarships have funded talented students from the Roma community or who were raised in children’s homes. \n Participants are free to choose how far they want to walk around places in London with a past or present Czech connection.  They are welcome to stop at any point. \nSTART: at 2.30pm at Kindertransport memorial inside Liverpool Street Station (meet at 2.15) \n2. Bush House\, Aldwych – Home of BBC Czech Service 1939-2006 \n3. King’s College\, The Strand  – Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk\, Professor of Slavic Research \n4. Westminster Embankment  – Battle of Britain Memorial  \n5. Westminster Abbey  –  Memorial plaque to Czechoslovak forces in WWII  \n6. 8-9 Grosvenor Place –  Czechoslovak Presidency and Embassy during WWII  \n7. Kensington Palace Gardens  –  Czech Embassy and Cultural Centre \n The last (optional) stretch\, to Bohemia House\, the Czechoslovak restaurant in West End Lane\, West Hampstead\, will be by bus or tube\, depending on where diners have ended their walk (the meal is self-funding). \nDistances (approximate)  \n1 to 2 via St Paul’s and Fleet Street 1.8 miles (60 mins) \n3 to 6 via St James’s Park 2 miles (60 mins) \n6 to 7 via Hyde Park 2.2 miles (30 mins)  \nMAX WALKING TIME – approx 3 – 3.5 hours (inc. stops) \nThere is a participation fee of £5 and participants should ask their friends to sponsor them with £2 per mile walked\, or any other amount they feel able to donate. \nTO JOIN and for more information please email janetgunn83@gmail.com \nFor more about the English College in Prague see https://www.englishcollege.cz \nSee also Never Forgotten – British Czech and Slovak Association (bcsa.co.uk)
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/london-czech-walking-tour/
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