Year of Czech Music in Egypt
The Year of Czech Music (RČH) is a unique initiative dating back to 1924, when the centenary of the birth of Bedřich Smetana was celebrated for the first time.
Since then, with only a few exceptions, RČH has taken place every decade, gradually expanding its programme to include anniversaries of other major figures of Czech music such as Antonín Dvořák, Josef Suk, Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů and others.
The Czech Centres are joining the celebrations for the third time and will continue to systematically develop music programming across their international network on this occasion.
Compared to previous editions, this year’s celebrations of the Year of Czech Music will open up not only to classical music but also to other musical genres. RČH thus offers the wide diversity that characterizes the contemporary Czech music scene.
In line with the Czech Centres’ concept of supporting contemporary Czech art worldwide, young emerging performers who have already achieved success both in classical music and in other genres will be presented. Throughout 2024, a series of concerts will take place, marking not only the anniversaries of Bedřich Smetana, Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, Josef Suk, Bohuslav Martinů and Jiří Šlitr, but also a wide range of events where music becomes part of exhibitions, lectures, and film screenings.
Opening photo: Smetana Trio at the Jesuit Cultural Center in Alexandria, © Hossam Ezzat
Programme of the Year of Czech Music in Egypt
The Czech Centre Cairo, in cooperation with key partners from Czechia and Egypt, has prepared a rich programme of the Year of Czech Music in Egypt. Thirteen events offered a remarkable diversity: from prestigious projects featuring Czech participation (such as the opening of the season in Alexandria with cellist Tomáš Jamník), through music composition workshops for emerging young musicians, to concerts in small clubs as well as in major halls of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
The programme connected theory (lectures by Petr Ferenc from the Czech Museum of Music) with master-level musical practice, taking place both on the club scene and at established festivals. It presented classical music alongside, for example, a blend of electronic music and jazz.
Explore the individual events below. Also worth attention is the special podcast series Faces of Czech Music.
Podcast Faces of Czech Music
Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček, Martinů – Czechia can boast a number of outstanding musical figures from the past, but do you know what Czech music looks like today? Alongside the giants of “classical” music, the contemporary scene offers jazz musicians, film composers, and exceptional performers of world-class calibre.
The joint podcast of the Czech Centres and Radio Prague International, Faces of Czech Music, created on the occasion of the Year of Czech Music, presents current figures of the Czech music scene across genres that are worth following.
Listen nowProject partners
The key partners of the Year of Czech Music within the Czech Centres network are Arts and Theatre Institute, SoundCzech, Czech Philharmonic – Year of Czech Music, Radio Prague International, Prague Spring, Dvořák Prague, Prague Sound, Palác Akropolis, and Vážný zájem. Egyptian partners of the Year of Czech Music in Egypt are listed under each individual event.