BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//British Czech and Slovak Association - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:British Czech and Slovak Association X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk X-WR-CALDESC:Events for British Czech and Slovak Association REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20160327T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20161030T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20170326T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20171029T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20180325T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20181028T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20190331T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20191027T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180808T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180808T223000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20170917T203658Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180802T164815Z UID:1071-1533754800-1533767400@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:BCSA "Get to Know You" Social Evening DESCRIPTION:Join us and have a fun evening chatting to friendly people. Czech and Slovak food and drinks are available from the restaurant and bar. \nAnybody with Czech or Slovak connections or interests is welcome to our monthly socials to meet\, chat and get to know each other a little better in a relaxed and informal gathering. \nWe usually have about a dozen people there at various times during the evening but\, whatever the number\, there will be good conversations for you to have. \nWe will be in one of the rooms at the Czech and Slovak National House\, normally the first room on the left. There will be a BCSA sign on the door. \n  URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bcsa-get-to-know-you-social-evening-3/ LOCATION:Czech and Slovak National House\, 74 West End Lane\, London\, NW6 2LX\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:BCSA Events ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180730T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180831T180000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180706T135908Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180901T100631Z UID:1859-1532944800-1535738400@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Make Love Not War Or We’ll Kill You; Prague Spring 1968 in Cartoons DESCRIPTION:Fifty years since the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia quashed the Prague Spring we look at how cartoonists in the Czech and British press interpreted the politics of the time through humour. \nArmed with a stack of original 1968 satirical cartoon drawings under his arm\, a collector walked through the Czech Centre London door and the idea for an exhibition was born. Fifty years ago this summer as Soviet tanks supported by Warsaw Pact countries rolled into Prague and crushed a heady few months of emerging political freedoms in what is known as the Prague Spring\, the world looked on and leading political cartoonists on both sides of the Iron Curtain drew. \nOn loan from private collections\, we invite you to take a peek at how both British and Czech leading illustrators saw the politics of the time through cartoon humour; to see how both perception of events and graphic design styles differed on opposing sides of the Iron Curtain. \nThe exhibition takes its name from a caricature by John Jensen which first appeared in The Sunday Telegraph and the exhibition includes works by other leading British cartoonists including Nicholas Garland\, Leslie Gilbert Illingworth\, Kenneth Mahood\, Michael Cummings\, David Myers\, Jon Jones\, Stanley Frankin and Emmwood (John Musgrave-Jones) all published in leading UK newspapers between March and October of 1968. \nCzech cartoons are by firm favourites Jiri Jirasek\, Jaroslav Malak and Miroslav Lidak who was himself sentenced to a year in prison for a public display of cartoon rebellion. \nVitrinka Gallery is open Monday to Friday URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/make-love-not-war-or-well-kill-you-prague-spring-1968-in-cartoons/ LOCATION:Czech Centre\, 30 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY\, United Kingdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180705T093000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180705T173000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180612T185707Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180614T084718Z UID:1794-1530783000-1530811800@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Small nations and global identities: Czech questions DESCRIPTION:A one-day symposium considers the formation of modern Czech identity in the arts\, politics and the media\, focusing on key global events of the 20th century. \nIn addressing the relationship between the small nation and its global identity\, the programme explores three themes: the mythic portrayal of interwar Czechoslovakia as a Western oriented state and of the Czech people as passive victims of global events; the cyclical gain and loss of state sovereignty\, covering the separation of the Czech and Slovak Republics in 1993; the construction of Czechs identity in relation to ‘others’\, including German\, Slovak and Roma diasporas. \nFor full programme details and booking link see below. Free admission. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/small-nations-and-global-identities-czech-questions/ LOCATION:Ikon Gallery\, Brindley Place\, Birmingham\, B1 2HS\, United Kingdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180617T181500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180617T204500 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180613T165424Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180613T165424Z UID:1801-1529259300-1529268300@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Lonarc Oboe Trio DESCRIPTION:A fundraising concert of 18th century oboe trios composed for the Princes Schwarzenberg of Cesky Krumlov. \nFor programme details see link below and use the Eventbrite link to buy tickets. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/lonarc-oboe-trio/ LOCATION:Burgh House\, New End Square\, London\, NW3 1LT\, United Kingdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180609T140000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180609T180000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20171215T193724Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180403T095235Z UID:1241-1528552800-1528567200@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:BCSA garden party DESCRIPTION:Our summer social will be held in the gardens of the Czech and Slovak Embassies. All are welcome – not just BCSA members. Bring your friends\, bring your family! Enjoy an afternoon relaxing among Slovak\, Czech and British people.\nAs always\, there will be barbecued spekacky (sausages)\, a continental buffet from the Czech and Slovak National House plus cakes and desserts and a cash bar serving Czech beer and wine.\nLive entertainment from Pieter Magusin playing his accordion and popular folk songs from Daniel Dobias with his band and singers.\nThere will be a secondhand bookstall offering books in Czech\, Slovak and English plus Jantar Publishing will showcase their English translations of works written in Central European languages.\nAnd don’t forget our raffle with attractive prizes for children and adults; donations are welcome\, including homemade cakes.\nEntrance from the Czech Embassy in Notting Hill Gate. Dress code is smart casual.\nAdmission by pre-paid ticket only: £12.50 (BCSA members) £16 (non-members) £10 (full-time students) £30 (family – 2 adults\, 2 children).\nBook online with Eventbrite (see link below) URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bcsa-summer-party/ LOCATION:Czech & Slovak Embassy gardens\, 26-30 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/garden-party-2017-a.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180529T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180529T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180224T133425Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180224T133425Z UID:1512-1527618600-1527625800@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Dvorak’s less familiar career: networking in the salons of Prague and the long road to operatic success DESCRIPTION:Although Dvorak is unarguably the best-known composer from the Czech lands\, his fame rests largely on music from his later years. His early path to recognition\, however\, throws fascinating light on the friendships and support he received from the leaders of Prague’s developing cultural community. Jan Smaczny’s talk looks at how Dvorak became recognised in the salons of Prague in the 1870s and also focuses on his quest to establish himself as a composer of opera in the Provisional and National Theatres. \nJan Smaczny is a well known authority on many aspects of Czech music\, in particular the life and work of Dvořák. He was the Sir Hamilton Harty Professor of Music at Queen’s University\, Belfast\, and is now Professor Emeritus in Music. \n£15 including a glass of wine. Online booking www.czechfriends.net URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/dvoraks-less-familiar-career-networking-in-the-salons-of-prague-and-the-long-road-to-operatic-success/ LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY ORGANIZER;CN="Friends of Czech Heritage":MAILTO:info@czechfriends.net END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180515T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180515T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180131T125316Z LAST-MODIFIED:20190125T105627Z UID:1438-1526409000-1526416200@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:From asylum seeker to UK policeman\, a talk by Petr Torak MBE DESCRIPTION:Born in Liberec in the Czech Republic to Roma parents; after several racially motivated attacks\, the family moved to the UK and applied for asylum. He joined the Cambridgeshire Constabulary as a Police Community Support Officer in 2006 and two years later became a Police Officer. In 2010 Torak co-founded a community group COMPAS (see our links page) that provides cultural and educational support for the Czech and Slovak communities in Peterborough. He was awarded an honorary MBE in 2015 “for services to the Roma community”. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/from-asylum-seeker-to-uk-policeman-a-talk-by-petr-torak-mbe/ LOCATION:Czech Embassy\, 26-30 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY CATEGORIES:BCSA Events ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180511T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180511T190000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180412T161748Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180412T161748Z UID:1668-1526032800-1526065200@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Czechoslovakia 100 DESCRIPTION:The British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies (BASEES) Czech and Slovak Study Group is marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak state with a Czech and Slovak Study Day held at Cardiff University.\nCzech and Slovak specialists (including language experts and postgraduate students) from around the UK\, together with Czech and Slovak diplomats\, policymakers and stakeholders are invited to reassess the Czechoslovak state’s origins\, significance\, and legacies.\nConference fee £35 (including light refreshments and lunch)\nRegister online by 20 April using the link below URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/czechoslovakia-100/ LOCATION:Cardiff University END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180509T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180509T230000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180412T163529Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180412T163529Z UID:1677-1525894200-1525906800@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Iva Bittova & Abraham Brody DESCRIPTION:The premiere of a playful new lyrical collaboration drawing separately from Czech and Lithuanian folk traditions.\nIva Bittova is a Czech avant-garde violinist\, singer\, and composer; her music is a blend of rock and East European music. Lithuanian-American musician\, composer and performer\, Abraham Brody draws inspiration from rituals\, roots and folklore; he combines composition\, improvisation and multimedia.\nAdmission £12-£15\nBook online using link below URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/iva-bittova-abraham-brody/ LOCATION:Rich Mix\, 35-47 Bethnal Green Rd\, London\, E1 6LA END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180508T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180508T200000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180412T170144Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180412T170144Z UID:1684-1525804200-1525809600@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:'New' fiction from 'Old' Czechoslovakia DESCRIPTION:Tim Beasley-Murray\, translator David Short and Slovak author Richard discuss three novels from the country that would have been 100 years old this year but disappeared 25 years ago. \n£8 tickets (£6 student) are available via Eventbrite (below) and in store. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/new-fiction-from-old-czechoslovakia/ LOCATION:Waterstones\, 82 Gower Street\, London\, WC1E 6EQ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180504T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180507T123000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180104T112430Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180115T164811Z UID:1294-1525462200-1525696200@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Leamington Music Festival Weekend DESCRIPTION:Friday 4 May at 7.30pm\nPrazak String Quartet\, Ivan Klansky (piano)\nSuk – Meditation on the Old Czech Chorale ‘Saint Wenceslas’\nSmetana – Quartet no 1\nDvorak – Piano Quintet \nSaturday 5 May at noon\nPrazak String Quartet\nSuk – Quartet no 1\nSmetana – Quartet no 2\nDvorak – Quartet no 10 \nSaturday 5 May at 7.30pm\nGuarneri Trio\nSmetana – Trio in G minor\nSuk – Trio in C minor\nMartinu – Bergerettes\nDvorak – Trio on B flat \nSunday 6 May at noon\nJana Vonaskova-Novakova (violin) Martin Kasik (piano)\nSmetana – From My Homeland\nSchulhoff – Suite for violin & piano\nDvorak – Mazurek\nSuk – Violin solo from Raduz & Mahulena \nSunday 6 May at 3.30pm\nDr Katya Kocourek & Patrick Lambert \nTalk on the creation of Czechoslovakia and music during the Great War. \nSunday 6 May at 19.30\nEnsemble 360\nReicha – Wind Quintet\nJanacek – Mladi\nSchulhoff – BassNachtigall\nSmetana – Polkas\nMartinu – Sextet \nMonday 7 May at 11am All Saints Church (free entry)\nOrgan recital\, Nicholas Wearne\nMartinu – Vigilia\nJanacek – Adagio and organ solo from the Glagolitic Mass\nplus works by Bach\, Parry\, Brahms and Mendelssohn \nMonday 7 May at 12.30pm\nMartin Kasik (piano)\nJanacek – In the Mist\nSmetana – Three Czech Dances\nDvorak – Humoresque no 7\nSchulhoff – Etudes de Jazz\nFiser – Sonata no 8\nSlavicky – Three pieces \nTickets available from royalspacentreandtownhall.co.uk Booking opens 29 January 2018 URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/leamington-music-festival-weekend/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180417T191500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180417T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180202T180452Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T125041Z UID:1448-1523992500-1523997000@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Czech & Slovak Tech DESCRIPTION:Following the formal AGM\, Roger Aitken\, a Forbes contributor and ex-FT staff journalist\, delved into the extent of inventions. \nThe Czech and Slovak lands could be said to have punched above their weight when it comes to inventors and their inventions. There is even an old adage – Zlate ceske rucicky a chytre ceske hlavicky – meaning “golden Czech hands and clever Czech heads.” \nFrom the father of modern genetics\, Johann Gregor Mendel\, to the invention of the ship’s propeller (despite the nations being landlocked) and the first sugar cube sweetener back in 1843\, there are more beside. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/czech-tech/ LOCATION:Slovak Embassy\, 25 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY\, United Kingdom ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180320T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180320T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20171218T170106Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180323T170122Z UID:1250-1521572400-1521577800@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Working with Vaclav Havel and Czech culture in New York DESCRIPTION:Reminiscences of Edward Einhorn\, American theatre director and writer\nIn honour of Vaclav Havel’s 70th birthday\, at the time of his residency at Columbia University\, Untitled Theater Company #61 and other artists and companies from New York and around the USA came together in 2006 to present\, for the first time anywhere\, the complete plays of Vaclav Havel.\nEdward Einhorn is a playwright\, director\, translator\, librettist\, and novelist. He is the artistic director of Untitled Theater Company #61 which has been performing in New York City for over 20 years. Other Czech projects include The Velvet Oratorio\, an opera-theatre production retelling the events of The Velvet Revolution; Cabaret in Captivity\, songs and sketches from Terezin\, performed in January at Goodenough College in London; The Pig\, or Vaclav Havel’s Hunt for a Pig\, adapted from the work by Vaclav Havel and Vladimir Moravek and original plays Rudolf II and Golem Stories. He is currently working on a filmed version of Karel Svenk’s play\,The Last Cyclist\, originally written in Terezin. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/working-with-vaclav-havel-and-czech-culture-in-new-york/ LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180228T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180630T180000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20180228T195215Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180814T153247Z UID:1569-1519812000-1530381600@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:The Labyrinth of Czech History DESCRIPTION:A Prague exhibition of rare Czech historical documents\, including Vladislav’s privilege of 1158\, the oldest preserved document proving the existence of the Czech state. Visitors go back in time from modern history until the very beginning of the Czech history. \nVarious media evoke the atmosphere of particular periods\, such as video recordings of television news from the communist era or contemporary documentaries from the occupation of the country by Nazi Germany. Throughout the exhibition\, authentic audio recordings are played and period images are screened on the wall.\nFrom recent history\, the countries’ accession treaties to NATO and the EU are displayed. The 20th century is represented by the draft of the declaration of independence written by Tomas Garrigue Masaryk\, the first Czechoslovak president\, and the blood-stained shirt of Franz Ferdinand d’Este\, the heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne\, which he wore when he was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914. \nThe exhibition also presents documents that are hundreds of years old\, such as the request of hangman Jan Mydlar\, in which he asked for the payment for the execution of the twenty-one Czech noblemen in Prague’s Old Town Square in 1621. Some old documents may be on display for only one month and then they will be replaced by copies. Some originals\, on the other hand\, will only be displayed later and they are currently replaced by copies. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/the-labyrinth-of-czech-history/ LOCATION:Imperial Stables\, Prague Castle\, Prazsky hrad - II. nadvori\, Prague 1 Hradcany\, 119 08\, Czech Republic END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180213T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180213T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20171213T185529Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T124326Z UID:1216-1518546600-1518553800@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Gaudeamus - a Slovak novel by Richard DESCRIPTION:This thriller/ love story reflects – and is critical – of the atmosphere and in particular people’s mindset first in normalized Czechoslovakia and then in post-1989 Slovakia. \nThe author and the translator\, David Short\, discussed the book\, read out passages in Slovak and English and answered questions. \nHere are a couple of quotes:\n“We hoped that in gratitude for the freedom we’d been given we ‘d all want to be kind and just. But so far\, that’s not how it’s looking. Freedom has stirred the worst in us.”\n“We used to joke that anyone who didn’t steal was robbing his family. We don’t make jokes like that any more. An A+ in thievery is the basic requirement for the successful businessman or politician. It won’t be long before we start consigning freaks who pay their taxes and never exceed the speed limit to the asylum.” \nThe English translation will be published by Jantar in May. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/gaudeamus-a-slovak-novel-by-richard/ LOCATION:Slovak Embassy\, 25 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY\, United Kingdom ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20180125T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20180125T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20171215T182542Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T124315Z UID:1225-1516906800-1516912200@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Is it all about time? Gender equality in Czech law and practice DESCRIPTION:A talk by Dr Barbara Havelkova. \nWhile EU directives on anti-discrimination law have been transposed into Czech law\, their implementation has been overwhelmingly ineffective in promoting the cause of gender equality. Dr Havelkova examines why this should be so in her recently published book Gender Equality in Law: Uncovering the Legacies of State Socialism. \nLooking back at the history of gender equality in law in the Czech Republic\, her work traces the roots of contemporary attitudes to the socialist past\, when a degree of equalisation was achieved without however the underlying intellectual grounding or understanding about inequality and its causes. It reveals the widespread belief among current Czech legislators that differences between men and women are natural\, that inequality is thus understandable and that the law should not intervene. With no follow-up to ensure that EU member states are actually enforcing the law\, it is unsurprising that very few anti-discrimination cases are being won. \nDr Barbara Havelkova teaches at Lincoln College and the Faculty of Law at Oxford University\, where she is the Shaw Foundation Fellow in Law. Former advisor to the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic on issues of gender and law\, Barbara’s 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‘\, was published by Hart/Bloomsbury in June 2017. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/is-it-all-about-time-gender-equality-in-czech-law-and-practice/ LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20171205T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20171205T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20171106T172056Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T124302Z UID:1124-1512498600-1512505800@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:BCSA Christmas concert DESCRIPTION:A full house at the Slovak Embassy enjoyed an evening of  chamber music performed by Diversions. The programme included pieces by the well-known Czech composers Bohuslav Martinu and Antonin Dvorak and Gustav Mahler\, born near Jihlava on the border between Bohemia and Moravia.  It was also a rare opportunity to hear a work by Erwin Schulhoff\, born in Prague to a German-Jewish family who began his musical studies at the Prague Conservatory when he was 10 years old. \n  \nProgramme \nBohuslav Martinu                   Sonata for flute and piano \nGustav Mahler                         Wir geniessen die himmlischen Freuden \n(arranged by Arnon Zimra from the last movement of Symphony no. 4) \nAntonin Dvorak                       Sonatina for flute and piano \nErwin Schulhoff                       Susi \n  \nGenevieve Usher soprano \nChiawen Kiew flute \nEd Cooke clarinet \nChris Underhill piano \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bcsa-christmas-concert/ LOCATION:Slovak Embassy\, 25 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY\, United Kingdom ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Concert-5-December-2017-a.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20171030T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20171030T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20170924T160727Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T124246Z UID:1081-1509388200-1509395400@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:BCSA/LSESU Bridging the generations DESCRIPTION:Different generations\, different experiences: the BCSA staged an intergenerational event on 30 October\, in conjunction with the Czech and Slovak Society of the London School of Economics Student Union. A full house at the Slovak Embassy heard four speakers talk about their sometimes dangerous journeys from communist Czechoslovakia to Britain\, and the kind of welcome they received when they got here. This compared with the experiences of the newer arrivals\, who had largely come since the accession of the Czech and Slovak Republics to the EU in 2004.\nThe four speakers were:\nKarel Sling\, the son of Otto Sling\, who was one of the accused in the Stalinist show trials of the early 1950s and was shot in 1952. Karel signed Charter 77\, suffered for it and emigrated to Britain in the 1980s.\nProfessor Gerta Vrbova who spoke of her discovery when she came to Britain that there were different types of freedom: here she could travel where she liked\, make friends with whom she liked\, say what she liked\, but also as a woman she felt much less free than she had been in Czechoslovakia\, where women had many more opportunities. She praised the British for their tolerance\, but not for the difficulty of finding childcare so she could work.\nEduard Strouhal escaped across the Austrian border in 1948\, with the help of reusable forged ID to get past the Russians\, and of Austrian police who (literally) looked the other way. As a refugee he had to take work allocated him by the Ministry of Labour\, which included a stint clearing unexploded mines and ammunition from an Army training range on the North Yorkshire moors.\nDr Jana Buresova arrived in Britain in 1952 at the age of two\, coming from a Displaced Persons camp in Germany\, where her mother had been placed following the 1948 communist coup in her home country. As her mother expected repatriation\, Jana’s early childhood was ‘very Czech’. She had always seen herself as Czech\, though sometimes she felt that Czechs thought she was English (while the English thought she was Czech).\nA common theme was that for many\, or even most\, of those who came to Britain to escape communist Czechoslovakia\, their time here was intended to be temporary. They expected to return home once things changed for the better. But as the years wore on they realised that this was not to be. This found a kind of echo in the contributions from the younger members of the audience. They had come here as students\, or for an international experience\, or to earn money\, and they expected to return home or at least to move on elsewhere before too long.\n[Edward Peacock]\n[photograph\, speakers left to right – Karel Sling\, Professor Gerta Vrbova\, Eduard Strouhal\, Dr Jana Buresova URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bcsalsesu-bridging-the-generations/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/October-event.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20170928T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20170928T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20170917T200716Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T124221Z UID:1053-1506623400-1506630600@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:An illustrated talk by an Anglo-Czech artist DESCRIPTION:Jan Mladovsky presented his work in the context of contemporary visual art. He studied art at the Academy of Arts\, Architecture and Design in Prague and then at the Slade School of Art\, University College in London where he has been living since 1968. In addition to the famous Serpentine Gallery and Riverside Studios in London\, he has exhibited at venues in Japan\, Iceland\, Italy\, Germany\, France\, the Netherlands and in his native Czechoslovakia. \n  \n  URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/an-illustrated-talk-by-jan-mladovsky-an-anglo-czech-artist/ LOCATION:Slovak Embassy\, 25 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:BCSA Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Jan-Mladovsky.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20170504T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20170504T210000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20170413T210304Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T124202Z UID:715-1493926200-1493931600@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Roughing it in Prague: a talk by Rob Humphreys DESCRIPTION:Rob’s introduction to things Czech and Slovak was through the children’s games his father (a lecturer in Czech and Russian at Leeds University) brought back from trips behind the Iron Curtain. He was asked in 1988 to write the Rough Guide to Czechoslovakia which was published in 1991 and then followed by the Rough Guide to Prague. Rob described the adventures\, mishaps\, strange encounters and surprises experienced during the writing of his guidebooks\, as well as commenting on the changes brought about by the Velvet Revolution and by the internet. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/roughing-it-in-prague-a-talk-by-rob-humphreys/ ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20170327T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20170327T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20170308T150241Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T124152Z UID:644-1490639400-1490646600@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:Daria Klimentova\, prima ballerina - my life and work\, an illustrated presentation DESCRIPTION:Surprising the world of ballet with her appointment as principal dancer with the Prague National Ballet Company at the early age of 18\, Daria Klimentova went on to have a stunning international career\, including 18 years as principal ballerina with English National Ballet. Since her retirement in 2014 she has devoted herself to the education of new generations of dancers\, notably by founding and teaching the International Ballet Master classes at Prague’s Narodni divadlo. Her autobiography Daria Klimentova – Agony and Ecstasy – My Life in Dance was published in 2013. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/daria-klimentova-my-life-and-work-a-talk-by-the-czech-prima-ballerina/ ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20170126T183000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20170126T203000 DTSTAMP:20260508T163023 CREATED:20170101T212009Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180423T124115Z UID:525-1485455400-1485462600@www.bcsa.co.uk SUMMARY:The Renegade Count - a talk by Milan Kocourek DESCRIPTION:Diplomat and member of the Austrian parliament\, Count Franz/Frantisek von Luetzow (1849-1916) was that rarity\, a German-speaking Bohemian aristocrat whole-heartedly devoted to the Czech national cause. With a British mother\, he wrote prolifically in English\, attempting almost single-handedly to dispel anglophone ignorance about Bohemian history and the contemporary Czech scene. The talk covered some of Count von Luetzow’s endeavours in the years before 1914 as well as his wartime activities. URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/the-renegade-count-talk-by-milan-kocourek/ ORGANIZER;CN="BCSA":MAILTO:bcsa@bcsa.co.uk END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR