Event date
24 / 07 / 2025 - Thursday 19:30
Event type
Organ Concerts
Organ Gala Concert
Experience the ceremonial sound of the organ performed by the participants of the masterclasses. The Gala Concert will culminate in a Mecca of organists in the Golden Crown Monastery under the direction of Jaroslav Tůma and Pavel Svoboda.
Artists
Jaroslav Tůma – organ, artistic direction
Pavel Svoboda – organ, artistic direction
participants of the Mecca of Organists masterclasses
Program
will be composed according to the repertoire of the participants of the masterclass
Jaroslav Tůma
Organist and professor at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague Jaroslav Tůma also performs on harpsichord, clavichord, pianoforte and other keyboard instruments. He is also engaged in music composition and publishing. He graduated from the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He has won organ improvisation competitions in Nuremberg and Haarlem, the Netherlands, and is also a laureate of a number of organ performance competitions. He has visited almost all European countries in concert, also the USA, Canada, Cuba, Japan, Mongolia, South Africa, Singapore, etc. He is regularly invited to serve on juries of international music competitions, and he passes on his experience at many international organ courses and seminars. Jaroslav Tůma is also the author of the music for the film Proměny Pražského hradu (The Changes of Prague Castle), two collections of organ pieces on the theme of Adam Václav Michna, a collection of organ compositions and professional publications. He is also involved in collective improvisation.
Pavel Svoboda
Organist Pavel Svoboda is a laureate of the Prague Spring and Bach-Wettbewerb Leipzig competitions. He began studying organ at the Pardubice Conservatory. He graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under doc. Jaroslav Tůma and an internship at the Universität der Künste in Berlin with Leo van Doeselaar. He has performed on many stages in this country and in many countries around the world, including the USA, Colombia, China and others. He recorded a CD of Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterpieces on the famous Silbermann organ in Röthe near Leipzig. In 2011 he initiated the creation of the F. L. Vek Festival in the foothills of the Eagle Mountains. He also founded the PROVARHANY association, which focuses on the preservation of historic organs, and has organized numerous collections and fundraising projects. Since 2020 he has been the director of the Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice. As chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee for culture, he is also involved in cultural policy and works at the Faculty of Music and Dance at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.
Mecca of Organists
The Mecca of Organists masterclasses have been held since 2016. They focus on the practical mastery of a wide range of interpretation in the form of organ literature of all stylistic periods. They are of educational and general cultural importance. The culmination of individual work with up to twenty students from around the world tends to culminate in public concert performances. The Mecca of organists thus draws attention to the importance and beauty of the living art of the organ and to the rich legacy of the past, where all memorable organs deserve constant care. The International Organ Masterclasses are organised by the agency of Kateřina Zahradníčková Voor Kunst & Taal, the artistic guarantor is Professor Jaroslav Tůma, the assistant is doctoral student Pavel Svoboda. The lecturers are also guests from abroad. The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, local governments and other partners. This year’s Mecca of organists will take place during the 34th Krumlov Festival, which will co-organize these master classes.
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Zlatá Koruna
One of the most precious monuments of the village of Zlatá koruna in Český Krumlov is certainly the monastery church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The remarkable three-aisled Gothic basilica was founded around 1300. The form of the simple supporting pillars reminds of the Church of St. Barbara in Kutná Hora. In 1993, […]
