Violin Virtuoso Recital: Iskandar Widjaja, Violin with Miki Aoki, Piano
International violin sensation Iskandar Widjaja presented a mix of classical and non-traditional music in his New York debut at the historic Bohemian National Hall.
Moravian Heartache & Microtones: Music of Janáček, Hába, and Bettendorf
From DAHA’s archive: Composer Carl Bettendorf and the Momenta Quartet presented a virtual program of string quartets focusing on two great Czech modernists, Leoš Janáček and Alois Hába, plus a contemporary work by Bettendorf. Microtonal music and Moravian musical heritage were parallel themes in the pathbreaking concert.
Original performance: February 28th, 2019. Momenta Quartet: Emilie-Anne Gendron & Alex Shiozaki, violins; Stephanie Griffin, viola; Michael Haas, cello. Composer: Carl C. Bettendorf
Watch the recording of this event on our YouTube Channel!
Would Antonín Dvořák Have Wanted the Music of African American Composers Programmed Instead of the “New World” Symphony?
On January 18th, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, DAHA presented a virtual panel discussion with Marcus Pyle, NYU/Davidson University, Douglas Shadle, Vanderbilt University, and Michael Beckerman, New York University. This broad exploration of musical and cultural issues raised pressing contemporary questions.
Czech Holiday Party
DAHA’s virtual holiday program, introduced by Professor Michael Beckerman of NYU, included two popular events from DAHA’s archive. Viewers first enjoyed a film about the American premiere of Georgius Zrunek's tri-lingual Christmas Mass of 1766 featuring the Czech early music group Ritornello and NYU collegiate choristers as they prepared the delightful Zrunek work for concert in 2010.
Dvořák, the “American” Quartet with the Martinů Quartet
From DAHA’s archive, viewers watched the brilliant Martinů Quartet from Prague performing Antonín Dvořák’s “American” String Quartet, composed during his idyllic midwestern sojourn in the summer of 1893.
Sunday Afternoons with DAHA: Dvořák’s Cello Concerto
DAHA commenced a series of virtual events for the 2020-21 Season on Sunday, October 18th, with an archival recording of Dvořák’s world famous Cello Concerto originally performed March 26, 2017 by renowned cellist Marcy Rosen and the Aaron Copland School of Music Orchestra under the baton of the late conductor Maurice Peress, founding DAHA Board Member and Music Advisor. Originally broadcast March 26, 2017, the American period masterwork - the most celebrated of cello concertos to this day - was played before a capacity audience in the historic Bohemian National Hall, “Národní Budova,” built in 1896 for the New York Czech and Slovak community.
Czech Masterworks Performed by Aeolus Quartet
On Sunday, February 2nd, the award-winning Aeolus Quartet returned to perform a program of Czech masterworks, including Antonín Dvořák's Piano Quintet in A Major, Opus 81, one of the jewels of chamber music repertory. The program also included a selection of Dvořák's love songs from The Cypresses cycle as well as a colorful set of international dance pieces by Erwin Schulhoff.
Violin Virtuoso: Recital by Iskandar Widjaja
From Bach to Dvořák to contemporary living composers, Indonesian-German violin virtuoso Iskandar Widjaja explored a range of classical and non-traditional music on Friday evening, November 1st, in the historic Ballroom of Bohemian National Hall.
Dvořák: The Chamber Music Survey with the Apollo Trio
On Sunday, September 22nd, DAHA presented the fourth concert in its continuing series of Dvořák’s complete chamber works with a performance by the exciting Apollo Trio. The selections included Dvořák’s Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major, dreamlike with dramatic moments; his Trio No. 4 - the beloved “Dumky”; and the contemplative “Silent Woods” for cello and piano.
Spring Musicale: 2019 Edition
The spirited ArtsAhimsa ensemble returned for its ninth season with chamber works by Antonín Dvořák and Johannes Brahms on Sunday, April 14th. The richly varied repertoire – ranging from solo instrument to quintet – included Dvořák’s inventive Humoresques Opus 101 nos. 1 and 7 (the latter arranged for violin and piano by Kreisler); selections from Dvořák’s “Dumky” Trio; the rarely heard Dvořák String Quartet No. 5 in F Minor, Opus 9; plus the Piano Quintet in F Minor, Opus 34, composed by Dvořák’s mentor, Johannes Brahms.
Martinů's Opera Julietta in Context
Marking the US premiere (in Czech) of composer Bohuslav Martinů’s memorable Julietta, the Dvořák American Heritage Association, New York University and the American Symphony Orchestra presented a colloquium in which leading experts examined the many facets of Martinů’s operatic masterpiece – a work that combines edgy surrealism with extraordinary lyrical power.
Moravian Heartache and Microtones: Music of Janáček, Hába and Bettendorf
DAHA’s concert of February 28th drew a large gathering to hear composer Carl Bettendorf and the Momenta Quartet present a program of string quartets focusing on two great Czech modernists, Leoš Janáček and Alois Hába, plus a contemporary work by Bettendorf. The compositions were introduced and discussed by the musicians and composer.
Inspired by Bohemia: A Musical Journey with Aeolus Quartet
On Sunday, January 27th, Aeolus Quartet performed Bohemian composer Heinrich Biber's Passacaglia, the last of his renowned 17th-century Rosary sonatas, a work which provided inspiration for the program’s enigmatic journey through joyful, sorrowful, and glorious musical expression. The theme was reflected in Osvaldo Golijov’s Tenebrae and Beethoven’s monumental Op. 131 as well as Alexandra Bryant's world premiere, Mysterium.
Jarmila Novotná, My Life in Song: Book Launch and Musical Tribute with House of Time Ensemble
On Wednesday, October 10th, DAHA hosted the exclusive American introduction of the memoirs of Czech-American opera star and film actress, Jarmila Novotná (1907-1994). William V. Madison, editor of the publication, spoke of the international triumphs of this multi-talented celebrity, who acted as a cultural ambassador for the Czechoslovak nation throughout her career - beginning in Prague with her opera debut as a lyric soprano at age 17 and including 16 years with New York's Metropolitan Opera.
Dvořák: The Chamber Music Survey with Martinů Quartet
The brilliant Martinů Quartet from Prague performed to a full house at the third annual concert in DAHA’s Dvořák Chamber Music series on Sunday, September 23, 2018. The inventive central seating arrangement in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Bohemian National Hall enhanced acoustics and intimacy as the renowned musicians played.
Performance of Dvořák’s Saint Ludmila Oratorio Simulcast at Bohemian National Hall
On September 15th, the Dvořák American Heritage Association joined in celebrating the centennial of the founding of Czechoslovakia with a special simulcast of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival 2018 and its gala performance of the rarely heard oratorio Saint Ludmila by Antonín Dvořák, as it was broadcast live from Prague on Czech TV
Czech Composer Focus: Antonín Dvořák and Kryštof Mařatka
On Friday, April 20th, DAHA’s audience at the Bohemian National Hall witnessed the American premiere of the exciting new piano arrangement of Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony “From the New World,” created and performed by contemporary Czech composer/conductor/pianist Kryštof Mařatka.
Spring Musicale: 2018 Edition
The tradition of Sunday afternoon musicales continued on April 15th as the spirited ArtsAhimsa ensemble returned for its eighth season with chamber works and song from the world of Antonín Dvořák, his contemporaries, and students.
American Composer Focus: Leonard Bernstein
The Aaron Copland School of Music Orchestra, under the batons of James John and Tong Chen, offered an all-Bernstein program to honor the 100th Anniversary of the composer's birth and in memory of Maestro Maurice Peress, distinguished conductor of the orchestra (1930-2017).
Czech Composer Focus: Bohuslav Martinů
Casting new light on the US-based musical activities of Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů (1890-1959), musicologist Jon Meadow presented a lecture/recital exploring the composer's special relationship with the viola, historically a somewhat under-appreciated instrument. Violinist Laura Jean Goldberg and violist Danielle Farina played selections from Martinů's Three Madrigals for Violin and Viola, composed in New York City, and from the chamber music that inspired his work, Mozart's Duo in G for Violin and Viola.