Czech musicians play for MS Katrina victims on 10/9

Less than a week before their arrival for their seven-week American debut tour, the members of the Brno Chamber Soloists, a string orchestra from the Czech Republic, have decided to give up one of their days off to perform an extra concert for the benefit of the victims of hurricane Katrina in Mississipi.

Seeing the devastation in the Southeast was a painful reminder for the Moravian musicians of the similarly disasterous floods in the Czech Republic in August of 2002. "We recalled the subways being flooded and all the destruction to the archives of the concert halls and museums in Prague," said cello soloist Jan Škrdlík. "So we were all very sympathetic to the plight of the recent hurricane victims in the USA and asked our manager in New York what we might be able to do to help. Since we had a day off only for travel between our concerts in Macon, GA and Jackson, MS, we thought maybe someone in that area could quickly arrange a concert to raise some money for the relief efforts. The musicians all agreed immediately to perform for no fee if something could be done."

The Department of Music at Millsaps College in Jackson (where the orchestra is to perform on the Bell Concert Series on Monday, October 10th) quickly formed an alliance with Millsaps’ Center for Ministry and the First United Methodist Church in Brookhaven. The program (subject to change) at the Church (215 West Cherokee Street; 601-833-3519) on Sunday, October 9th at 4:00pm features piano soloist Michiko Otaki playing a portion of Mozart’s K. 415 Concerto, as well as works by Myslivecek, Grieg and Johann Christian Bach. Otaki is Director of Keyboard Studies at Clayton State University in Atlanta and has previously recorded and performed with the Brno orchestra at summer festivals in Europe and toured with numerous orchestras and chamber music ensembles including the Pilsen Philharmonic and the Kodály Quartet.

The Brno Chamber Soloists, whose artistic director is violinist Jirí Besperat, will be featured at Festival Miami on October 2nd, tour throughout the upper Midwest (including Chicago) and as far west as Colorado, and will end their tour at the new Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee, NC on November 12th. Cellist Jan Škrdlík, who toured the USA this past spring with the Gideon String Trio, is performing the spurious concerto of Johann Christian Bach, now thought to have been composed by a member of the Casadesus family. Škrdlík has also previously toured the U.S. with the Wallinger String Quartet.

For further information on the Brno Chamber Soloists and their American tour with Michiko Otaki, please see http://artpetra.cz/english or www.rwam.cnc.net, or phone Raymond Weiss Artist Management: 212-581-8478.

Arts & Lecture Series | Millsaps Forums | All Performing Arts Events | All Music Events | Theatre Events | | About the Bell Concert Series | Bell Concert Series Patronage