Ars Brunensis Chorus
Ars Brunensis Chorus is a mixed vocal group that has made a notable contribution to cultural life since it was founded more than twenty five years ago. During this time it has gained a reputation for its high artistic standards, especially in the area of Baroque music. However, the activities of the Ars Brunensis Chorus are not confined classical music. The choir also performs a wide range of musical genres, including jazz, folk music, musicals and alternative music.
Ars Brunensis Chorus performs regularly both in the Czech Republic and abroad. It is often invited to music festivals. It works with well known ensembles, musicians, theatres and cultural institutions both in the Czech and abroad. A wide range of its concerts have been recorded by radio and television. More recently, the choir has appeared in opera and musical productions and has recorded incidental stage music for leading theatres. A number of contemporary composers have written for the choir, in particular Vladimír Franz, with whom the choir has developed a longstanding relationship.
Ars Brunensis Chorus has been involved in the creation of more than twenty CDs.
Jan Rozehnal founded the choir and was succeeded by Tomáš Hanus and Stanislav Kummer. From 1993 – 2000 the choir was conducted by Roman Válek. The current choirmaster is Dan Kalousek.
Ars Brunensis Chorus is a civic association and as such it organizes cultural events, cooperates with institutions that are active in the cultural field, promotes the music art and supports fledgling professional artists.
Dan Kalousek (conductor and artistic director)
After graduating from grammar school, he enrolled at the Brno Academy of Music, specializing in composition and conducting. Later, he continued orchestral conducting studies at the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno from where he graduated. Betweeen 2006 – 2008 he attended the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig and Weimar. Whilst participating in music courses he met conductors Kurt Masur, Fabio Luisi and Zsolt Nagy.
Under his direction as choirmaster, Ars Brunensis Chorus has given a series of concerts in the Czech Republic and abroad. He has worked on several joint projects with Jiří Pavlica, the Jablkoň music group and many others. He has cooperated with Jenaer Madrigalkreis, Bohemiachor, The Baroque Summer School Choir, Brno Academic Choir and other chamber orchestras and choirs.
He works regularly with the composer Vladimír Franz mostly regarding the recording of his stage music for major Czech theatres and radio and television broadcasting companies. He has participated in a number of CDs of mainly contemporary music issued by Naxos, Vienna Modern Masters, Supraphon, Capstone records and Quest amongst others. Since 2003 he has been a guest conductor in the Brno City Theatre where he has rehearsed and conducted a number of performances. He teaches in Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno.
Chór Warszawski
(Fundacja Nowa Orkiestra Kameralna)
was formed in 2002 by Richard Berkeley, a British singer and teacher, who is also the artistic director and conductor of the choir.
The choir is made up of musically talented, open minded and creative people from all walks of life and graduates from a wide variety of fields. Not all members have undergone formal musical training. The group is also ethnically diverse. The mutual goal is to sustain, nurture and promote choral singing traditions.
Chór Warszawski mainly performs in the various historic churches of Warsaw. The choir’s repertoire includes The Crucifiction by John Stainer, Messiah by G. F. Händel, Gloria by A. Vivaldi, Requiem by Gabriel Fauré as well as choral settings of both Polish and foreign traditional Christmas carols. The choir has performed with various solo artists including Elizabeth Connell and Michael Chance. It regularly takes part in performances organised by Warsaw Camerata chamber orchestra under the direction of Paweł Kos Nowicki with the aim of propagating classical music amongst children.
Richard Berkeley (conductor and artistic director)
A British born musician with Polish roots, Richard has worked professionally as singer, teacher and actor. He studied singing under Ellis Keeler at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He was also tutored by Rene Jacobs, Paul Esswood, John York Skinner, Margaret Lobo and Arwel Trehearne Morgan. He also holds a degree in education from Goldsmiths' College, University of London. He has appeared on most of Italy’s leading opera stages including Rome and Turin. He is the co-founder of the world famous Concerto Italiano. He has worked with musicians such as Fabio Biondi, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Alan Curtis, Tonio Florio, Paolo Pandolfo and Phillip Picket. He founded and managed the Universal Casting Agency in London. He has lectured in leading acting schools including Mountview Conservatoire for the Performing Arts and LAMDA. Richard founded and directed “The International Course for Music Theatre Performers” at the Royal Academy of Music. Richard also writes for the “Opera Now” magazine in London.
Richard has spent the past 10 years in Poland. He gave lectures during the International Summer Academy of Ancient Music in Wilanów. He also held courses at the Frederic Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw, Lwow University, the Warsaw Theatrical Academy as well as during the Legnica Cantat festival. He has worked for “Pegaz”, a television programme about the arts. He played the role of Goffredo in G. F. Handel’s Rinaldo. He directed the first performance of the Erik Satie’s opera Genevieve in Bolesławiec, bringing together students from the Wroclaw Music Academy and school children.
Recently, he played in Julia Kolberger`s film “Mazurek” opposite Kinga Preis and will be in Lukasz Barczyk`s “Hiszpanka” in early 2013.
Slovak Music Bridge, Ultd.
founded in 2006, is a Slovak private unlimited company, involved in contemporary classical music. The founding members of the company are Miloš Betko (Doctorate in Music) – composer, arranger, music producer, violinist, specialist in digital music engraving – and Vladimír Sirota (Masters Degree in Music) – artistic manager, cellist, founder and longtime manager of music ensemble Chamber Soloists Bratislava.
Slovak Music Bridge, Ultd. is also an online music publisher, as well as a concert promoter and an artists representative agency. The ambition of both divisions of the company is to support Slovak composers and performers, and to do that, first, by initiating opportunities for their creative and performing activities, and second, by promoting their artistic endeavours in Slovakia and abroad. It is the vision of the company to co-create a modern way of artistic communication between music writers, performers, music institutions, those who commission and promote music productions, and end users of artistic products; communication without the traditional distortions and deformations; communication wherein partners respect each other and are capable of realistically appreciating the values being created. Slovak Music Bridge, Ultd., by all its pursuits, makes an effort to create a platform for a professional, modern array of services for the benefit of contemporary music.
As a publisher, Slovak Music Bridge, Ultd. has had several notable publishing projects: Slovak Composers‘ Fifth Variations, 2007 (the project was awarded the annual SOZA prize for the most successful classical music project in Slovakia and the Guinness World RecordsTM certificate), Vladimír Rusó – Fugues, 2008; AKI – Bronze drum, 2010; 7b – Vladimír Bokes & Seven Bokesites, 2012; etc.
As a concert promoter and artists representative, Slovak Music Bridge, Ultd. has to date collaborated with several leading Slovak ensembles (Musica aeterna, Solamente Naturali, Quasars Ensemble, Chamber Soloists Bratislava, Moyzes Quartet, Cellomania, Faces Piano Trio, Percufonia etc.) and performers (Miki Skuta, Ivana Pristašová, Igor Karško, Michal Sťahel, Ladislav Fančovič, Daniel Hevier et al.). At the same time, the agency is cultivating artistic contacts with performers, music ensembles, and music institutions in other countries – Marek Štryncl and Musica Florea (CZ), Ars Brunensis Chorus (CZ), Chór Warszawski (PL) etc.
Slovak Music Bridge, Ultd. has conceptually set up and managed several interesting concert productions: Hommage à Bach, 2007 (Dialogue/Concerto), 2008 (415/442), 2010 (Festival of Orchestras); Music and Sound – experimental audio-visual series of open air chamber concerts, 2007; Music MAX – music at a shopping centre, 2008, 2009; etc.
Slovak Music Bridge, Ultd. is also involved in music education. It collaborates with music schools in Slovakia, provides training in digital music engraving, and participates in cooperation with partner organizations in international educational programs.
