The best Czech guitarists will play in Budejovice fighters against Koronavir

Director Pavel Steffal and producer Štěpánka Kotrbová, as the festival's implementation team, answered several questions to Deník.

For what reasons was the festival not held for two years?

PS: It was not only because of covid, but also because of the overall reconstruction of the Dominican monastery. The last time the 10th year took place was in 2018. So now we started it despite possible risks and with a new composition of the implementation team.

The festival is a thank you to the fighters against the coronavirus, why?

ŠK: At home, we've basically been living with it 24 hours a day for over a year, so I thought of thanking all those people for their commitment and helping others. Health professionals are on the front line, of course, but a little less is known about the deployment of the crisis team, those who routed, hygienists, police officers, firefighters, rescuers and other professions. Pavel and I agreed on this, that they are respectable people. We appreciate them and want to thank them for their selfless work by inviting them to the concert.

Who exactly got the invitation?

PS: The invitation was received by nurses and doctors from the České Budějovice hospital headed by director Michal Šnorek and the chairwoman of the board of the South Bohemian Hospital holding Zuzana Roithová. We invited the members of the city's crisis staff and, of course, the members of the region's crisis staff headed by governor Martin Kuba and former governor Ivana Stráska. We invited the girls from the department of epidemiology and other field workers of the regional hygiene station, people from the regional office and other institutions that helped with the tracing and, of course, the doctors of the Health Rescue Service of the South Bohemian Region, headed by director Marko Slabý, representatives of the Police of the Czech Republic and the Fire Rescue Service. And of course we invite the general public to the Wednesday evening.

Who will perform at the 11th edition?

ŠK: We had a similar plan last year, and all the performers have confirmed their participation this year as well. The change is that the festival was traditionally held throughout June, and now we have concentrated it on a single long concert evening, literally a guitar marathon. In the spring, when all the dates needed to be confirmed, the epidemiological situation was still complex and the measures very restrictive, but we risked it and tried to organize at least such a concentrated variant. The duo Simpre Nuevo, composed of Matěj Freml and Patrik Vacík, and with them the multi-genre Epoque Quartet, composed of first violin David Pokorný, second violin Vladimír Klánský, viola Vladimír Kroupa and cello Vít Petrášek, will play. Lukáš Sommer, a native of České Budějovice who grew into a real musician and a representative of the young generation of composers, will not be missing. Undeniably very interesting music is performed by the partner duo Vladislav Bláha and Tatsiana Drobysch. The list of performers is also complemented by a duo of famous names - guitarist Petr Saidl and violinist Leoš Čepický. And at the end of the four-hour evening, one of the greatest Czech performers of the classical guitar, Lubomír Brabec, will perform.

What songs will be played?

PS: Works by baroque Johann Sebastian Bach will be performed. That is, compositions from the Baroque period to modern contemporary compositions. It will be compositions by contemporary Czech authors and performers such as Štěpán Rak, and the original work of our talented composer Lukáš Sommer, who also writes for violinist Pavel Šporcl or symphonic music, will be heard. Visitors can also look forward to Spanish compositions, which are an inherent part of the guitar.

ŠK: The performance of husband and wife Vladislav Bláha and Tatsiana Drobysch will be very interesting. Vladislav will play the guitar and Tatsian the mandolin and domra, which is a Belarusian folk instrument. They play an interesting repertoire, for example Jaroslav Ježek's Bugatti step, which is a well-known piano thing, but you probably haven't heard it on the guitar yet.

What is the capacity, can people enjoy the concerts from home?

ŠK: We have to comply with the applicable measures, so the capacity is 100 places, half of which we have reserved for invited guests and half are available for the arriving public, with the understanding that it will be possible to come during the evening as well. We have asked for the cooperation of Television South Bohemia JČ1, which will broadcast the concert live. At the same time, the YouTube of the statutory city of České Budějovice will also be streaming in the evening, where it will be possible to watch the concert backwards. The marathon will last 4 to 5 hours including breaks. In addition to the invited paramedics, rescuers, firefighters and policemen, we also have free places for the public, people who like the classical guitar can really come. We certainly have space for regular visitors, after all the hiatus in live concerts was so long and the individual performers are undoubtedly a guarantee of excellent music.

Pavle, what led you to present the festival?

PS: You can't stop age and I'm slowly on my way to retirement. I am slowly ending my duties, I used to be the director of the ZUŠ, now I am his deputy for the third year. I gradually handed over the school to my successor Emanuel Kümmel, I wanted to wait, maybe even see the completion of the reconstruction of the monastery. Now it's time to take the next step. Štěpánka is close to music, she has it in her heart. This is a satisfaction for the school and its management. I flirted with the idea of ​​quitting at some point, but we agreed on a gradual takeover. The festival will thus remain in the right hands.

Štěpánka, how did you get into music in the first place?

ŠK: In addition to piano and singing, I went to Pavlov Steffal for 12 years on guitar. But we knew each other much earlier, because my brother also attended the ZUŠ before me. Pavel instilled in me a love for the classical guitar, I also have a fantastic background at home, both parents are musicians who have always supported us. When I talk about Budějovice and the fact that I'm going home, I also think about music. Thanks to Pavlo and other teachers, I fell in love with it here, it is a matter of my heart. I would like my children, who I hope to have one day, to experience such a beautiful childhood as I had at ZUŠka. Even after years, when I walk the corridors, I feel at home here. In my opinion, music not only cultivates, but also unites people, families, I know a lot of its graduates who feel the same about it as I do. So my contacts continue even after I left for my studies. I still come here to play and sing and reminisce. And I'm not alone...

When did you agree to co-organize the festival?

ŠK: We established cooperation in November, when schools and elementary art schools were closed and children were sitting at home at computers. Pavel and I decided to set up a Facebook page to motivate children during distance learning. We created a virtual concert hall together and the kids sent us their home concert videos, some really cool and funny, but all from the heart. At home, I cut them in the evenings and came up with short comments about them. Then Pavel Steffal came to me with an offer to participate in the festival, it was a sign of trust and a beautiful gesture on his part. He knew that I was studying management in culture, so somehow it all clicked into place. On World Music Day on June 21, I played with him at the festival as a child, and I think that this is how a natural circle was closed and that I am returning to my music to give back at least a piece of what it gave me.

From the history of the Na dnavacti strunách festival The Na dnavacti strunách guitar festival was founded in 2007 at the instigation of the guitarist and pedagogue Pavel Steffal, who was inspired by the magical spaces of the Dominican Monastery on Piaristic Square in České Budějovice. The name was coined by his wife Jaroslava and reflects the exact number of strings of the two guitarists playing. The festival became known to listeners under the banner of the organizing guitar duo Steffal + Kümmel, who opened the concerts. Dramatists Josef Korda, Silvie Žatecká Vojíková, Jaroslava Steffalová and Emanuel Kümmel also collaborated on the form. During the ten years of the festival, the most famous Czech guitar celebrities such as Štěpán Rak, Lubomír Brabec, Milan Zelenka and others took turns. Participating in this year's 11th edition is Štěpánka Kotrbová, a former student of Pavel Steffal, a graduate of journalism and a student of Arts Management at the Masaryk University in Brno, who will gradually take over the organization from her teacher and wants to move the guitar festival forward with the implementation team. The team's vision is that next year concerts could be held across the region, in individual district towns, so that more South Bohemians can enjoy the musical experience. The festival also established a new website nadvanactistrunach.cz.

The sponsor of the festival is the statutory city of České Budějovice, the South Bohemian Region, Kooperativa, Television South Bohemia JČ1, JihoTech, Čečetka Interier, Lexos world of languages ​​without limits, Parma service, Kamen a Písek Český Krumlov, Sanatorium Art, Bishopric of České Budějovice, Catering without borders , Elli assembly and revision, Petr Jirotka - Music Product, Hotel Klika.