We support a young generation of world-class artists
The Song Academy and Music Festival in Žďár nad Sázavou from 5 to 9 September 2024, featuring Prague chamber soloists and foreign artists, was financially supported by the SATPO holding group.
As last year, on behalf of the SATPO development group and the City Home real estate group, the SATPO Foundation supported the second year of the Academy.
The Lied Academy received a large number of applications from all over the world, from which the maximum number of 16 best participants was selected (Austria, Germany, Japan, Turkey, Portugal, China, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Ukraine, Belgium). Their feedbacks, which were filmed at the end of the Academy, can be viewed at this link: https://youtu.be/L4_dRQv-fqM, as well as their final performances, which received a wonderful response from the audience.
Also this year, the support of the Gustav Mahler Festival was obtained and it was possible to award the prize of this festival to the best participants, as an opportunity for their professional career. This year the prize was awarded to Judith Sauer with pianist Wufan Cao, both based in Austria, and Anja Papa Peranovic (Croatia) with Alina Taraban, a pianist of Ukrainian origin based in Belgium.
Two other concerts for the public were also held as part of the Academy. The opening concert featured the outstanding mezzo-soprano Elsa Janulidu, with cellist Kristina Vocetkova and my piano accompaniment. Excerpt from the concert here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3guKTLa_DU
The Gala Concert in the Hall of the Castle Prelature has also become a tradition, and this year one of the most important Czech pianists and holder of a state award, Prof. Ivan Klánský, was invited to perform, accompanied by the prestigious Czech orchestra of the Prague Chamber Soloists.
The concert also featured a beautiful composition by one of our most important contemporary composers - Sylvia Bodorova's Concerto dei Fiori: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IId13XVEvmQ
Thanks to such great popularity and success, we can look forward to next year's concert presentation of the Song Academy in Prague on April 10, 2025, featuring our voice teacher and soloist of the Vienna Volksoper, Birgid Steinberger, as well as the winners of last year's Mahler Prize.
