Jaromír Weinberger

  The Czech, later American composer Jaromír Weinberger (January 8th, 1896 – August 8th, 1967) was born in Jewish family in Prague, where he lived until 1937. He was one of the first Czech film music composers (Na růžích ustláno - 1934). He studied at the Conservatories in Prague (K. Hoffmeister) and in Leipzig. He studied with M. Reger and assumed into his own technique. In 1939, after extensive travels to the United States, Bratislava, Vienna and Paris, he fled his native country to escape the Nazis (he was of Jewish origin) and settled in N. Y. State, teaching there and in Ohio. He became an American citizen in 1948. During the 1950s, Weinberger moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. In later life, he developed cancer of the brain, and this, together with money worries and the neglect of his music, prompted him to take a lethal drug overdose. Weinberger composed over 100 works; the best known is the opera Švanda dudák (Švanda Bagpiper), a world-wide success after its première in 1927 (Vienna - 1930, Metropolitan Opera New York - 1931, Covent Garden London - 1934, State Opera Berlin, …). This year we are reminding 40 years since his tragically death.

Erwin Schulhoff

  Erwin Schulhoff (June 8th 1894 - August l8th 1942) came from Prague Jewish-German family. He started his musical studies at the Prague Conservatory of Music, continued them in Vienna and Leipzig (where his composition teacher was Max Reger) and completed them successfully in Cologne. The promising start of his career as a composer and pianist was interrupted by the outbreak of the 1WW, a time that he spent as a soldier on the eastern front. This experience completely changed his vision of the world and of the art. As the great pianist, he performed contemporary compositions in many prestigious music festivals in Europe. As the composer he produced many works written for piano, chamber music and for orchestra (at the time his death he was sketching his 7th and 8th Symphony). Following the tragic events of the 1938-39 period he was considering the possibility of settling down in the Soviet Union (he even obtained Soviet citizenship), but he could not make it. After the attack of Germans on the Soviet Union, he was arrested and imprisoned first in Prague and later in the Wulzburg camp, where he died of tuberculosis after about a one-year of imprisonment.

James Simon

  German composer, pianist and musicologist James Simon (September 29th, 1880 - August 12th 1944, the date of his deportation from Theriesienstadt to Auschwitz) was born into the Jewish family in Berlin and murdered in Auschwitz in 1944 after the Theriesienstadt experience (1941-1944). He studied at the Musikhochschule in Berlin piano (C. Ansorge) and composition (Max Bruch). In 1934 he was forced to leave Germany to Zurich, later Amsterdam where he was arrested and deported to Theriesienstadt. While some of Simon's piano pieces, songs and his opera "Frau im Stein" (1918) were published, lot of his great compositions are still remaining unperformed. He is called "Lost Composer".

Irena Kosíková

  Czech organist and composer Irena Kosíková was born in Prague into the intellectual family of the forbidden philosopher Karel Kosík and literature scientist Růžena Grebeníčková, the Herder prize laureate. She started her studies of organ playing with prof. Jan Hora, together with piano lessons given by prof. Eliška Kleinová and prof. Arnoštka Grünfeldová. Irena Kosíková studied organ performance (prof. Jaroslava Potměšilová) and conducting (prof. Karel Fiala) at Ježek's Conservatory. She wasn't allowed for further studies because of political reasons. Private compositions lessons with prof. Miroslav Raichl. Finally after the Velvet Revolution she was accepted at the Janáček Academy of Music (JAMU) in Brno into the organ class of prof. Alena Veselá and prof. Kamila Klugarová. She graduated at the Academy of Music (HAMU) in Prague, under the guidance of prof. Josef Popelka. Irena Kosíková is giving organ concerts and teaching organ performance at the Music School of Charlotta Masaryk in Prague. She is now intensively composing too. Her works have been performed in Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Russia and United Kingdom. As the Organist she is specialised on the interpretation of organ works written by Johann Sebastian Bach: complete performance of Organ Toccatas, Voluntaries, Leipzig Chorals, The Art of Fugue, Organ Messes etc. More information is available on http://www.iKosik.com .