Social Programme

The Václav Choir

The Václav Choir continues the tradition of the choir of the same name, which was originally established at the pilgrimage churches in Stará Boleslav as early as 1860. Its founding was made possible by the October Diploma issued by Emperor Franz Joseph I, which allowed associations to operate with Czech as their official language. Since then, many outstanding musicians have stood at the helm of the choir. Among its choirmasters was the composer Josef Cyril Sychra (1859–1935), a Knight of the Papal Order of St. Gregory the Great and author of the hymn K oltáři Páně (To the Altar of the Lord). An unforgettable period in the choir’s history came between 1912 and 1965, when it was led by regenschori, conductor, organist, and cellist Josef Čeněk Klazar (1890–1965). After his passing, the choir was directed until 1970 by his son, Josef Klazar (1929–2015), composer and director of the Elementary School of Arts in Brandýs nad Labem.

In 2007, the choir was revived by conductor, choirmaster, and violinist Marie Nohynková (b. 1962), a musician with rich artistic experience and member of the chamber orchestra Far Musica in Brandýs nad Labem–Stará Boleslav, who comes from the musical Šesták family of Skorkov-Podbrahy.

The Václav Choir regularly collaborates with the chamber orchestra Far Musica. Together they accompany Holy Masses at their home parish, the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, on major church feasts. They also regularly participate in the annual celebration Audiences with Emperor Charles I, and give independent concerts of sacred music both locally and throughout the Czech Republic.

The choir has also completed a number of significant international tours. It has performed several times in the southern Italian towns of Vieste and Rodi Garganico; in 2015 it sang in Vienna, at the Czech Church of the Most Holy Redeemer and during a midday Mass in St. Stephen’s Cathedral. In 2016, the choir visited Kraków-Lagiewniki. In 2017, it sang at a Mass at the pilgrimage site of Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Médaille Miraculeuse and gave a concert in Ailly sur Noye, near the famous city of Amiens with its magnificent cathedral. Another international highlight came in May 2019, with a concert in the Church of Santa Maria Regina Apostolorum in Rome, preceded by an accompanying Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. In 2022, the choir visited Slovakia, where it sang at Mass in the Centre of Divine Mercy in Spišská Nová Ves–Smižany, followed by a charitable concert broadcast on local television. On the way back, they also performed in the village of Krivá in the Western Tatras. In 2023, the choir traveled to Northern France, performing two concerts in Burbure and Marles-les-Mines. Most recently, in a highly successful tour of Belgium, the choir gave a grand concert in St. Martin’s Cathedral in Halle.

Since 2018, the Václav Choir has been joined by organist MgA. Drahoslav Gric (b. 1985). Originally from Šošůvka in the Moravian Karst, he studied at the Elementary School of Arts in Blansko, the Brno Conservatory under Prof. Zdeněk Nováček, and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under Prof. Jaroslav Tůma. He collaborates with leading Czech orchestras and both professional and amateur choirs, and performs regularly in various Prague churches. He also teaches organ and piano at the Elementary School of Arts in Čelákovice.

Program:

• • Tomás Luis de Victoria / Josep M. Miserachs Grau (1943) – Cantate Domino (choir + orchestra)
  • Michał Lorenc (1955) – Ave Maria (solo Tereza Lieblová + choir + orchestra)
  • Marco Frisina (1954) – Pacem in terris (choir + orchestra)
  • Kim André Arnesen (1980) – Magnificat, excerpt Et misericordia (solo Marcela Bílá + choir + orchestra)
  • F. Händel (1685–1759) – Hallelujah from Messiah (choir + orchestra)

Performers:

• • Vocals – Václav Choir
  • Chamber Orchestra Far Musica (Artistic Director: Rudolf Bayer)
  • Organ – Drahoslav Gric
  • Conductor – Marie Nohynková