Magdalena Kožená and hundreds of kids fill Moravian Square with song as part of the happening ZUŠ Open 2017

Magdalena Kožená and hundreds of kids fill Moravian Square with song as part of the happening ZUŠ Open 2017

The unique event ZUŠ Open will present on Tuesday May 30 up to a thousand musical, dance, theatre and artistic performances in 280 Bohemian, Moravian and Silesian towns and cities. Brno also will have an exceptionally rich programme tomorrow, culminating in a joint vocal performance of children with Magdalena Kožená on Moravian Square and a celebratory concert of the Mozart’s Children Festival in Besední dům together with the Brno Philharmonic. The Brno event is part of Brno’s candidacy for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of music.

The first year of ZUŠ Open, which was set up on the initiative and under the patronage of the mezzosoprano Magdalena Kožená, brought together 355 art schools from the whole country. The fifteen local art schools are very actively involved in this happening, which prepares a colourful all-day programme across the city (details at www.zusopen.cz). Kožená, as patron of the event and establisher of the foundation for the support of art schools, will be welcomed to her native Brno and will take place in the programme on Moravian Square and the evening May Concert of Mozart’s Children in Besední dům.

Throughout the whole afternoon an attractive programme will take place on Moravian Square presented by the general director of the Czech Philharmonic David Mareček and the beatboxer EN.DRUem. Aside from the artistic numbers on stage the audience will be surprised by the costume parade with the participation of Brno artists and the public lessons in drumming. On the stage students of Brno’s fifteen art schools swap with official guests and personalities from the artistic world, and in the finale the stage fills with hundreds of Brno’s art schools and members of the children’s choirs. Together with Magdalena Kožená they will sing the song Bílá Holuběnko. Thanks to the leaflets with the words and notes handed out the whole square can join in. The event is also another step in supporting Brno’s candidacy as a “city of music” to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The audience and passers-by will be able on Tuesday May 30 to symbolically support the entry of the city to UNESCO with their signatures UNESCO, which will be preserved on a prepared banner in the park on Moravian Square.

The complete Brno programme for ZUŠ Open and the happenings throughout the nation can be found at www.zusopen.cz

A selection from the ZUŠ Open Brno programme, Tuesday 30/5/2017, stage on Moravian Square

3.00 – 4.00 p.m.

Concert by pupils of the art schools Universum Orchidea, J. Kvapila, Vranovská, Smetanova, Varhanická, Slunná, Z. Mrkose, F. Jílka and Veveří presented by En.Dru

3.00 – 4.45 p.m.

Art workshops of art schools V. Kaprálové, Veveří and Slunná

Public drum lessons by F. Jílka art school

4.00 – 4.45 p.m.

Costume parade to music with the participation of Brno artists leaves from Moravian Square and via Freedom Square and back to the main stage

4.45 – 5.30 p.m.

Presentation of the candidacy for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network with the participation of a number of significant personalities

A dance number Clowns by pupils of Antonín Doležal art school and an accordion number by Martin Klimeš (pupil at Vítězslava Kaprálová art school)

5.30 p.m.

Joint singing of the song Bílá Holuběnko, children from Brno’s art schools and children’s choir with Magdalena Kožená, accompanied by the cimbalom trio PONK

The aim of tomorrow’s event is to support and promote the art school educational system. Aside from Magdalena Kožená the happenings across the country will involve the personal participation of many important artistic figures headed by the general director of the Czech Philharmonic David Mareček and the guarantors of the individual field of the art schools: the dancers Jiří and Otto Bubeníček (dance), the designer Maxim Velčovský (art) and the director Alice Nellis (literary-dramatic). Art school pupils will fill the streets, squares, churches, castles and parks and even zoos, stations and hospitals with their art.

The Czech Republic has an exceptionally high quality system of art education for basic school pupils, which is virtually without peer in Europe. The whole ZUŠ Open ‘happening’ has the aim of promoting and supporting its exceptional quality throughout the country. This first year was set up under the patronage of Magdalena Kožená and in the cooperation with the portal Brno – City of Music.

The Brno native Magdalena Kožená as a former art school pupil and the mother of three children has long been involved in supporting and developing quality artistic education. “Art schools create the roots of our culture, our love of the arts. In world terms it is a truly unique educational system, which should be cultivated, developed and supported,” says Kožená. She established the foundation which has the aim of promoting and supporting the system of education provided by Czech art schools and informing the general public about its exceptional quality. The art schools create an exceptional environment not only for seeking out, developing and supporting talented children, but also for the general development of culture. The co-patron of the foundation is the general director of the Czech Philharmonic David Mareček.

The other guarantors of ZUŠ Open will visit towns and cities throughout the country: the dancer Otto Bubeníček is heading for Olomouc, the director Alice Nellis is visiting the square in České Budějovice, the artist and designer Maxim Velčovský will be creating with children in Pilsen. All three will then be at the final programme at George of Poděbrady Square and at the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord in Prague-Vinohrady.

ZUŠ Open/ Archive photo

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