Prague Autumn Music Festival not to take place in 2009

The annual Prague Autumn International Music Festival will not take place this year due to a lack of funding, it was announced on Thursday. A spokesperson for the festival said that at this time of global financial crisis, it was proving too hard to attract sponsors. The music festival, established in 1991, has brought some of the biggest names in classical music to Prague over the years. In 2008, the festival’s main sponsor, the drugs company Zentiva, pulled out. The firm repeatedly denied the resultant rumours that its withdrawal was linked to strained relations with the festival management.