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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20241108T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251031T180000
DTSTAMP:20260411T231343
CREATED:20241107T195558Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241107T200629Z
UID:10468-1731060000-1761933600@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Bedřich Smetana Má vlast (My Country)
DESCRIPTION:The Bedřich Smetana Má vlast (My Country) exhibition at the National Museum in Prague commemorates the personality of Bedřich Smetana and one of his most important compositions. Through authentic notes\, correspondence and\, above all\, scores\, it presents the individual symphonic poems as the composer himself conceived them\, the historical context in which they were composed and the reactions that accompanied them at later important historical moments in Czech history. \nIn the exhibition\, you can look forward to unique  items from the National Museum collection displayed in nine thematic stops. At the beginning\, the exhibition will introduce you to the personality of Bedřich Smetana\, whose life you will be able to glimpse through his personal objects\, such as glasses\, a desk\, writing utensils\, a calamus\, a peephole or a hearing aid. The second stop will immerse you in the time and circumstances in which the My Country cycle was created between 1874 and 1879 and will also remind you of the first ensemble performance on 5 November 1882 at Žofín in Prague. Other parts of the exhibition are devoted to the six individual poems – Vyšehrad\, Vltava\, Šárka\, From the Czech Meadows and Groves\, Tábor and Blaník. You will learn\, for example\, that the score for Vltava was written in 19 days\, when he added the note “being completely deaf” to the score. The ninth stop recalls performances of the work associated with important historical moments. \nIn addition to the composer’s personal objects\, you will be able to see various musical materials and sheet music\, photographs\, sculptures\, paintings\, letters\, books\, illustrations\, musical instruments – for example\, there will be a harp to play. The exhibition also includes historical artefacts such as replicas of Hussite weapons from the 19th century.  My Homeland in Stones is also on display\, so you will be able to touch rocks from Blaník or pebbles from the Vltava River. Of course\, the exhibition also focuses on the sound experience. It includes a listening map of the Vltava and audio islands with entire symphonic poems. The central themes can be heard in short excerpts. \n  \nPart of the Year of Czech Music and the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/bedrich-smetana-ma-vlast-my-country/
LOCATION:National Museum Prague\, Václavské náměstí 68\, Prague\, Czech Republic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Smetana-exhibition.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250903T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251004T170000
DTSTAMP:20260411T231343
CREATED:20250820T144117Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250820T144217Z
UID:11550-1756893600-1759597200@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Toyen: dreaming in the margins
DESCRIPTION:Richard Saltoun Gallery presents Dreaming in the Margins: Toyen\, the first UK exhibition devoted to one of the most extraordinary women artists of the Surrealist movement\, whose reputation and critical reappraisal have risen dramatically in recent years. Recognized one of the most enigmatic and fiercely independent figures in Surrealism\, Toyen (1902–1980) was born Marie Čermínová in Prague. She adopted a gender-neutral identity early in life\, rejecting societal conventions – a position reflected throughout her work and public persona. \nToyen was a central figure in both the pre war formation of Surrealism in Prague with the Devestil Group and later in post war Paris with the Surrealists. Her workin Prague with Jindřich Štyrský\, and later with Jindřich Heisler\, were regarded by André Breton as quintessential contributions to the Surrealist movement. Their friendship and creative exchange endured until his death\, after which Toyen moved into his former studio at 42 Rue Fontaine\, where she lived until her own death in 1980. \nThis exhibition brings into focus the depth and breadth of Toyen’s graphic work – including illustrated books\, prints\, drawings\, catalogues and archival materials – making it one of the most comprehensive presentations of this part of her oeuvre ever compiled. The exhibits are drawn entirely from a single-owner collection. \nWith the outbreak of the Second World War\, Toyen remained in Nazi-occupied Prague. Following the death of Štyrský in 1942\, she entered into a close creative and personal partnership with the poet Jindřich Heisler\, who was living in hiding as a Jewish writer. Toyen sheltered Heisler in her apartment for the entire war – an act of profound solidarity and resistance. In 1947\, Toyen relocated permanently to Paris with Heisler\, and became one of the few women deeply involved in Surrealism’s post war resurgence. In the final two decades of her life\, Toyen formed a deep artistic and intellectual bond with the poet\, philosopher and fellow Surrealist\, Annie Le Brun. \nFree entry. Opening times: Tues-Fri\, 10am-6pm\, Saturdays 11am-5pm.  \nImage copyright the estate of the artist
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/toyen-dreaming-in-the-margins/
LOCATION:Richard Saltoun Gallery\, 41 Dover Street\, London\, W1S 4NS\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Toyen.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251001T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251001T213000
DTSTAMP:20260411T231343
CREATED:20250424T113917Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250424T113917Z
UID:11111-1759347000-1759354200@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Pavel Haas Quartet
DESCRIPTION:Twenty years after the Pavel Haas Quartet triumphed in the Prague Spring Competition\, their intelligent artistry\, distinguished by intoxicating tonal refinement and searing energy\, continues to mature and deepen. They move from Martinů’s acerbic Third String Quartet to the old-world charm of Korngold’s Op.26 and yearning romanticism of Dvořák’s last string quartet. \nBohuslav Martinů   String Quartet No. 3 \nErich Wolfgang Korngold   String Quartet No. 2 in E flat Op. 26 \nAntonín Dvořák   String Quartet in A flat Op. 105 \n\n\n\nVeronika Jarůšková\,violin\n\n\n\n\nMarek Zwiebel\,violin\n\n\n\n\nŠimon Truszka\,viola\n\n\n\n\nPeter Jarůšek\,cello
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/pavel-haas-quartet-9/
LOCATION:Wigmore Hall\, 36 Wigmore Street\, London\, W1U 2BP\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pavel-haas-quartet.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251007T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251007T203000
DTSTAMP:20260411T231343
CREATED:20250303T202538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250303T202538Z
UID:10889-1759861800-1759869000@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Maria Theresa in Bohemia
DESCRIPTION:A lecture by Richard Bassett. At the age of just twenty-three Empress Maria Theresa succeeded to the Habsburg domains only to find them contested by almost every European power. Over the next forty years she became a fierce leader and opponent\, as well as a devoted wife and mother to sixteen children. \nHer radical reforms transformed central Europe and her lasting legacy continues to reverberate to this day. \nRichard Bassett\, former Times correspondent in Eastern Europe and author of the widely acclaimed Last Days in Old Europe first travelled to Prague as an architectural historian. He later spent nearly ten years covering events in communist Czechoslovakia including the Velvet Revolution. An expert on Central Europe\, he taught at many European universities and is a Bye-Fellow of Christ’s College\, Cambridge. His latest book is Maria Theresa: Empress\, Yale University Press\, £25. \nTickets £15 include a glass of wine. See Eventbrite booking link below. \nAll proceeds raised go towards the care and conservation of Czech heritage. \nImage: Empress Maria Theresa by Martin van Meytens (1759)\, Academy of Fine Arts\, Vienna\, via Creative Commons Wikimedia \nEVENT ORGANISED WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE EMBASSY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/maria-theresa-in-bohemia/
LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Maria-Theresa.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251009T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251009T193000
DTSTAMP:20260411T231343
CREATED:20250924T114101Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250924T114101Z
UID:11619-1760032800-1760038200@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Czech parliamentary elections
DESCRIPTION:Democracy at a crossroads? The Czech parliamentary elections and their implications \nA roundtable discussion organised by the SSEESing NOW seminar series\, co-sponsored by the British Czech and Slovak Association (BCSA) \nThe Czech Republic will hold parliamentary elections on 3–4 October 2025\, which are widely expected to return Andrej Babiš’s ANO movement to power. In this roundtable event\, organised by the SSEES-ing NOW seminar series and co-sponsored by the BCSA\, specialists on Czech politics\, society\, and public opinion will assess the election results and consider their implications for the Czech Republic’s democracy\, society\, and position in Europe. \nThe event will be moderated by Dr Jakub Benes\, UCL SSEES. It will take place in person (Masaryk Room) and will also be livestreamed online. \nJessie Barton Hronešová is Lecturer in Political Sociology at UCL SSEES with a focus on Central and Southeast Europe. Her research explores the role of narratives in shaping politics\, memory\, and identity\, and she has published widely on these topics. She has also advised international organisations and governments on policy issues relating to transitional justice\, democracy\, and post-war reconstruction in Central and Southeast Europe. \nDr Sean Hanley\, Associate Professor in Comparative Central and East European Politics at UCL SSEES. Sean’s research interests include party politics\, democratic backsliding and resilience\, and the decline of the left in Central and Eastern Europe. He has a longstanding special interest in Czech politics and regularly contributes comment and analysis on Czech and wider Central and Eastern European politics for outlets such as France 24\, Sky News\, Euronews\, Policy Network\, EUROPP\, and iHned.cz. \n\n\nDr Michael Škvrňák Researcher\, Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He is also an analyst for PAQ Research. He specialises in the study of political elites\, political careers\, and the quality of democracy\, and also works on data analysis and social policy research at PAQ Research. He has authored or co-authored publications on topics including the impact of election pledges\, coalition formation\, incumbency effects in Czech regional elections\, and the relationship between participation and satisfaction with democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. \n\n\nDr Zora Hesová is assistant professor at the Department of Political Science at Charles University in Prague\, where she focuses on the intersection of culture wars\, religious movements\, and secularism in Central and South Eastern Europe. She co-edited the book Central European Culture Wars: Beyond Post-Communism and Populism and has also published extensively on  Islam\, secularism\, feminism\, and morality politics in Central/Eastern Europe and the Balkans. \nPre-booking is essential via link below. Free admission. \n\n\n\n\nImage credit: Canva\, edited
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/the-czech-parliamentary-elections/
LOCATION:UCL SSEES\, 16 Taviton St\, London\, WC1H 0BW\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:BCSA Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Czech-elections-2025-1.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="UCL SSEES":MAILTO:ssees-events@ucl.ac.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251014T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251019T213000
DTSTAMP:20260411T231343
CREATED:20250814T155326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250815T143954Z
UID:11522-1760470200-1760909400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Brno Philharmonic UK tour
DESCRIPTION:The UK tour in mid October visits Basingstoke\, Birmingham\, Edinburgh\, London\, Manchester and Sheffield offering two programmes including  Dvořák’s  6th or 7th Symphony and Janáček’s Lachian Dances with their chief conductor\, Dennis Russell Davies. \nThe Brno Philharmonic is celebrating its 70th anniversary. It was established in 1956 through the merger of the Radio Orchestra and the Brno Regional Symphony orchestra. \nManchester 14 October 7.30pm Bridgwater Hall \nBirmingham 15 October 7.30pm Symphony Hall \nBasingstoke 16 October 7.30pm The Anvil \nLondon 17 October 7.30pm Cadogan Hall \nSheffield 18 October 7.30pm Sheffield City Hall \nEdinburgh 19 October 7.30pm Usher Hall \n\nFollow the individual location links for booking details.
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/brno-philharmonic-uk-tour/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/brno-philharmonic.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251015T090000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260419T170000
DTSTAMP:20260411T231343
CREATED:20251014T160522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251014T160522Z
UID:11721-1760518800-1776618000@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Sparks of Freedom
DESCRIPTION:Sparks of Freedom (Paprsky svobody) — that is the name of a new exhibition at Brno’s Moravian Museum. It tells how British academics and intellectuals reached across the Iron Curtain to support Czech dissidents in the 1980s\, focusing on the work of the Jan Hus Educational Foundation and the quiet acts of courage that helped keep independent thought alive under communist rule. \nThe curators of the Department of the History of Culture with an Anti-Totalitarian Focus (LINK) present the story of solidarity between the British and Brno people. Its roots date back to 1980\, when an organization called the Jan Hus Educational Foundation was established in Oxford\, which systematically provided material and intellectual support to Czechoslovak dissidents. In Brno\, co-operation began in 1981; in December 1984 the first seminar was held\, and mutual cooperation lasted without interruption until the Velvet Revolution. In 1990\, the Czechoslovak Jan Hus Educational Foundation was established in Brno\, which continues its activities under the name of the Vzdělávací nadace Jana Husa to this day. \nThe focuses on Brno events over five years in the second half of the 1980s. It presents important areas in which the British provided material and intellectual assistance to the unofficial cultural world in Brno. Thanks to the Jan Hus Educational Foundation\, British academics were able to come and give lectures in private households during the normalization period. The British also helped in the sphere of samizdat\, video projections of banned or unavailable foreign films in Czechoslovakia\, and supported independent Brno artists in the field of music and visual arts. The exhibition and the catalogue present topics that have not yet been given the attention they deserve. They reveal not only the blank spots of Brno’s cultural history\, but also the strong bonds of British-Czech cooperation in the persistent search for freedom. \nFor the full story see How Oxford philosophers supported Czech dissidents — new Brno exhibition tells the story | Radio Prague International \nBishop’s Courtyard\, Marble Hall \nOpening hours  \nWednesday to Friday 9am -5pm \nSaturday 10am-5pm \nSunday 1-5pm \n  \nphoto: Vít Pohanka\, Radio Prague International \n 
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/sparks-of-freedom/
LOCATION:Moravian Museum\, Muzejní 1\, Brno\, 659 37\, Czech Republic
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Sparks-of-Freedom.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251016T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251016T210000
DTSTAMP:20260411T231343
CREATED:20250924T112817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250924T112817Z
UID:11617-1760641200-1760648400@www.bcsa.co.uk
SUMMARY:Echoes of Exile
DESCRIPTION:A Family’s Odyssey through the Holocaust and Cold War \nJoin us for a compelling evening with historian and anthropologist Daniela Grollová Spenser\, as she discusses her new book Echoes of Exile: A Family’s Odyssey through the Holocaust and Cold War. \nBlending personal history with political insight\, Spenser traces three generations of her family across some of the most turbulent chapters of the 20th century: from the devastation of the Holocaust and wartime imprisonment\, through the vibrant intellectual and political life of 1960s Czechoslovakia\, to the trauma of exile after the 1968 Soviet invasion. At the heart of the story are her mother\, translator Ruth Tosková\, and her stepfather\, editor and journalist Vladimír Tosek\, whose lives intertwined with prominent figures such as Jiří Pelikán and the émigré journal Listy. \nThe book—published in Czech by Argo (2025) and in English by the University of Alabama Press (2025)—offers a deeply human perspective on survival\, displacement\, and the shifting relationship between political exiles and Czech society after 1989. \nThe conversation will be chaired by Jana Burešová and will open a window into how private lives intersect with history on a global scale. \nAbout the author:\nDaniela Spenser is a fellow at CIESAS (Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social) in Mexico City. She is also the author of The Impossible Triangle: Mexico\, Soviet Russia\, and the United States in the 1920sand Stumbling Its Way Through Mexico: The Early Years of the Communist International. \nSupported by the BCSA. \nAdmission: £5 (+ Eventbrite fee) see booking link below
URL:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/event/echoes-of-exile/
LOCATION:Czech Embassy cinema\, 26 Kensington Palace Gardens\, London\, W8 4QY
CATEGORIES:BCSA Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.bcsa.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Echoes-of-exile-1.jpg
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