Past Events & Activities
- Pavel Haas Quartet (April 16, 2008)
- Iva Bittová (November 2, 2007)
- Czech Dream (September 7-13, 2007)
- The Erwin Schulhoff Festival (January 18-28, 2007)
- The Vernacular (Dec 2, 2006)
- CCEC Inaugural Reception (November 9, 2006)
- Mini Cundr Country Show (Jun 24, 2006 )
- Post-Majales/Zabava Party (May 14, 2006)
- Jozef Ivaška Special Performance (April 30, 2006)
- Czech-Slovak Zabava/Majales (April 29, 2006)
- Helene Cincebeaux, "Stitched with Love" (April 29, 2006)
- Helene Cincebeaux: Stitched With Love (Apr 26-June 8, 2006)
- Czech Glass, 1945-1980: Design in an Age of Adversity (Jan 18-June 18, 2006)
Pavel Haas Quartet
The Center for Czech Education and Culture proudly partnered with the UW World Series to support the appearance of The Pavel Haas Quartet, who performed Wednesday, April 16, at Meany Hall as part of the 2007-08 International Chamber Music Series. Based in Prague, this dynamic quartet has spent the past several years traveling in Europe to study with some of the masters of the quartet world. With their skill and artistry, they won the Paolo Borciani competition in Italy in the spring of 2005, and they made their U.S. debut in the spring of 2006. Their repertoire emphasizes the works of Czech composers, especially their namesake, Pavel Haas, whose Quartet No. 1 they performed at Meany, along with compositions by Dvorák and Beethoven.
Iva Bittová at the Earshot Jazz Festival
Iva Bittová brought her self-professed "personal folk" to the Chapel Performance Space on Friday, November 2, as part of the 2007 Earshot Jazz Festival. This Moravian-born multi-talented performer's career already spans more than 15 years, and Bittová's discography impresses in both size and range. Her appearance at Seattle's Chapel Performance Space provided a must-see for fans of global and early music.
Czech Dream
CZECH DREAM, a provocative and darkly funny documentary about a consumer hoax on the grandest of scales, played an exclusive engagement at the Northwest Film Forum. A biting take on consumer culture and its seductive power, CZECH DREAM is gadfly filmmaking in the tradition of Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) and Michael Moore (Farenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine).
Film students Filip Remunda and Vit Klusak planned the ultimate marketing stunt: drumming up excitement and customers for the non-existent “Czech Dream, the superstore for a better life!” An elaborate ad campaign, complete with flyers for in-house brand products, a theme song, website, and clever TV ads, deluges Prague with promos for the fake megamarket, as the latest in ironic come-ons dare customers Don’t Go, Don’t Rush, Don’t Spend. It’s clear they’ve succeeded beyond their wildest dreams when thousands turn out for the grand opening, pumped up to shop. But after the filmmakers’ cut the ceremonial ribbon, the crowd rushes across the empty meadow only to discover that the store of their dreams is nothing but a façade.
Championed by Spurlock, whose MORGAN SPURLOCK PRESENTS... label will release the DVD next year, and by Moore, whose Traverse City Film Festival awarded it Best Non-Fiction Film and who presented it at a special sold-out sneak preview at the IFC Center in New York earlier this year, CZECH DREAM has screened at numerous film festivals around the world, including Karlovy Vary, Locarno, London, AFI, Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Tribeca and Sarajevo. The film has won more than a dozen international awards, including the Golden Gate Award for Best Documentary Feature at the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Museum of Modern Art in New York just acquired the film for its permanent collection.
The Erwin Schulhoff Festival
Cornish College of the Arts presented the Erwin Schulhoff Festival from January 18-28, 2007. Jazz improviser, classical pianist, Dadaist, protégé of Dvorak and Debussy and dancehall habitué, Erwin Schulhoff was a rising star in the cultural world of 1920's Europe. Among the first to integrate jazz and neoclassical composition, his work was nearly erased by the Holocaust and the Iron Curtain.
The Erwin Schulhoff Festival included two weekends of special performances and a panel discussion that drew on Schulhoff’s wide ranging repertory for piano, chamber ensembles and voice, much of which was be new for Seattle audiences. A Schulhoff Festival highlight was the world premier performance of Tempo of Recollection, an extraordinary new stage performance integrating Schulhoff’s compositions with historical context, actors, musicians, dancers and innovative stage design.
This amazing performance was again featured on Sunday, June 3, at the Ilsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, Seattle.
December 2, 2006
The Vernacular
Petra Sovcov and Mele Santos, who provided extraordinary operatic performances at the CCEC Inaugural Reception and Fundraiser, performed an evening of opera on Saturday, December 2 at Blessed Sacrament (5050 8th Avenue NE Seattle, WA 98105). All proceeds from the evening were donated to charity.
June 24, 2006
Mini Cundr Country Show
The Mini Cundr Country Show. Bellevue, Saturday, June 24.
The Maj Association, in cooperation with CS World.net in Los Angeles, brought Ivan Mládek in the Mini Cundr Country Show to Bellevue on June 24, 2006. The variety show featured monologues and dialogues of well-known Czech TV personalities and stand-up comedians, mixed with lively music. The group includes: Ivan Mládek, Milan Pitkin, "Libuna" Roubychová and Ivo Pešák.
May 14, 2006
Post-Majales/Zabava Party
Karol Osusky graciously hosted a post-Majales/Zabava party and fundraising event. The party again be provided great food and drink and, of course, a great time! Pictures and stories from the Majales/Zabava were shared, making for a wonderful afternoon.
April 30, 2006
Jozef Ivaška, singing Czech and Slovak folk songs
Singer Jozef Ivaška, the "Man of a Thousand Songs," has performed over the past two decades with the Metropolitan Opera in Baden, Austria, the country's only operetta theater. A native of Czechoslovakia, he was forced to leave the country in the early 1980s, as many of his original songs were considered "protest songs." He performs in many languages and in many styles, and has released a dozen CDs.
Jozef performed from 2:00 - 3:30pm at the Allen Auditorium in Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington.
Czech-Slovak Zabava/Majales - April 29, 2006
The singing of Jozef Ivaška helped young and old, traditional and contemporary come together in food and dance to celebrate their heritage.
The celebrations on April 29 continued with the Czech/Slovak Zabava/Majales, complete with food, drink and dance. The event proudly welcomed the Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic, Rudolph Zigmund, and included a raffle/tom bola, and Miss Majales. The festivities began at 6pm, with the first guests arriving early in anticipation. Attendance exceeded expectations, and those in charge of food and drink had their hands full keeping up with demand. Jozef Ivaška provided the evening's entertainment, entertaining young and old with his voice and his talent. His songs and enthusiasm kept the crowd dancing late into the night.
The festivities also included a raffle and a Miss Majales contest. There were many possible winners, so many that two winners were ultimately decided upon. The announcement met with loud approval before the singing and dancing resumed for the rest of the night. The celebration could only have happened through the hard work of all involved - the Slovak Information Center of Seattle, Spolek Maj, the UW Slavic Languages & Literature Department and the Western Washington Czech/Slovak Interest Group. Thanks also have to go to the musicians and Jozef Ivaška for providing his extraordinary talent.
The night's two Miss Majales winners.
A portion of the proceeds from the evening were donated to Operation Smile, an organization dedicated to creating smiles and changing lives for children and their families.
Helene Cincebeaux's "Stitched with Love" Exhibit Opening
Rosie Bodien, Jozef Ivaška, Honorary Consuls of the Slovak and Czech Republics Rudolph Zigmund and Marie Amicci, Karol Osusky and Helene Cincebeaux at the grand opening of "Stitched with Love" at the University of Washington.
Helene Cincebeaux's exhibit, "Stitched with Love," had its grand opening on Saturday, April 29 as part of the University of Washington's Slavic Fest and Washington Weekend. The afternoon started with the opening of the exhibit in the main display lobby in Suzzallo library and was followed with a brief parade through the library to Allen Auditorium, where Helene spoke briefly about her experiences and her collection. Special guests Marie Amicci, Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic, and Rudolph Zigmund, Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic, also addressed the crowd.
The main exhibit of "Stitched with Love," with heirloom identification by Helene Cincebeaux.
The group then proceeded back to the main exhibit display, where Helene provided heirloom identification of pieces brought in by those wishing to learn more about their families and their heritage. The crowd remained gathered, with many curious passers-by stopping to admire the collection, until 4:00, when many moved to Kane Hall to enjoy the Children's Concert, part of the Slavic Fest celebrations.
Many thanks go to Helene Cincebeaux, Rosie Bodien, the Western Washington Czech/Slovak Interest Group, the UW Department of Slavic Languages and Literature and Michael Biggins (Head, Slavic and East European Studies Section, UW Libraries) for making the exhibit possible. Special thanks also go to Rudolph Zigmund, Marie Amicci and Jozef Ivaška for helping make the grand opening truly special.
April 26 - June 8, 2006
Helene's exhibit, displayed at the Special Collections exhibit at the University of Washington's Allen Library.
Helene Cincebeaux, "Stitched with Love"
Helene Cincebeaux has collected, over the course of some 50 culture and genealogy trips to the Czech and Slovak republics, an impressive collection of traditional folk costumes, pieces and ritual clothes. More importantly, she has accumulated the stories that accompany these pieces and their traditions and has written three books and numerous articles. She opened the exhibition at the Allen Library at the University of Washington as part of the annual Slavic Fest on April 29. Special thanks to Helene for this rare chance to see this collection!
January 18 - June 18, 2006
Czech Glass, 1945-1980: Design in an Age of Adversity
Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová
Head Bowl, 1953
Organized by the Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf, Germany
Sponsored by Heritage Bank
Appeared at the Museum of Glass, Czech Glass, 1945-1980: Design in an Age of Adversity. Curated by Prof. Dr. Helmut Ricke, the director of the Glasmuseum Hentrich at the museum kunst palast, Düsseldorf.