CANTI DI PRAGA
The mixed chamber choir Canti di Praga was established in 1992 by former members of the Czech Philharmonic Children’s Choir with the support of professor Jiří Chvála, who also directed the choir for a number of years. The choir traditionally performs choral works by Czech and international composers from different time periods, singing a capella as well as a part of larger oratorios. Canti di Praga has participated in larger projects with other musical ensembles, such as the Berg and Virtuosi di Praga chamber orchestras, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, Musica Florea as well as with contemporary composers, including Tomáš Pálka, Marios Christou and others.
Cooperation with the Prague Film Orchestra on concerts featuring music from the films Star Wars and Polar Express in 2005 and 2007 at Palác Žofín in Prague as well as a “Symphonic Rock” concert with Czech guitarist Michal Pavlíček and the Prague Conservatory Orchestra at the Congress Center in Prague helped the choir to explore new musical genres.
Twenty members of the choir performed from 2008-2013 in the “operatic trial” Tomorrow there will be… written by Aleš Březina and Jiří Nekvasil and performed in the Kolowrat Theater in Prague alongside Czech opera stars Soňa Červená and Jan Mikušek.
The production, which utilized transcripts from the show trial of Czech politician Milada Horáková in 1950, was also filmed by Czech director Jan Hřebejk in 2010 and will be screened in July 2015 during the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In November 2011, Canti di Praga won a gold medal at the International Festival of Advent and Christmas Music and in December of that year the choir appeared in a live broadcast on Czech Television marking the second Sunday of advent. Canti di Praga currently performs under the direction of conductor and musical director Jan Svejkovský.