Director of Czech Philharmonic resigns

The director of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Václav Kasík, has tendered his resignation to the Ministry of Culture. The resignation follows months of disputes with the orchestra’s artistic council, which objects to Mr Kasík having been appointed in May without an official competition being held for the post. Václav Kasík headed Czech Radio for ten years until he was dismissed in 2009 and was brought in to run the orchestra when the previous director was dismissed for poor economic management. Minister of Culture Jiří Besser accepted the resignation on Tuesday and announced a competition for the open position and also for the directorship of the National Technical Museum. That institution has also seen several changes of management in recent weeks based on allegations of corruption.