Unique concert featuring more than 1,000 amateur singers to conclude Year of Czech Music

The Year of Czech Music will culminate this Sunday with two unique concerts in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, featuring over a thousand singers from forty amateur choirs across Czechia. They will perform alongside soloists and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Petr Popelka.

Preparations for the Year of Czech Music's largest choral project, A Thousand Voices of Advent, are in full swing. A year in the making, the project has sparked excitement among choristers, who were thrilled by the opportunity to perform with a professional ensemble. Petr Popelka, chief conductor of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, explains:

Petr Popelka|Photo: Khalil Baalbaki, Czech Radio

“There was so much interest in the project that after one week we had to say: Stop, we can't take any more applicants. And now, before Christmas, we're going to join together and a thousand singers alongside the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the Year of Czech Music, Bedřich Smetana, but also the end of the year and Christmas, so it's going to be a really amazing experience.”

Many choirs even sacrificed their summer breaks, rehearsing throughout the season. To support their preparation, Petr Popelka teamed up with musicologist Lukáš Hurník to create a video tutorial, covering tempos, dynamics, expression, and difficult sections. The first mass rehearsal for this monumental event was held over a month ago at the Czech Radio building in Karlín.

Alena, a member of the Prague-based senior choir Rosanka, is among the many singers participating in A Thousand Voices of Advent. With just a few days left until the event, she approaches it with both excitement and a touch of apprehension:

Smetana Hall in The Municipal House |Photo: Hana Slavická, Radio Prague International

“It seems a bit inappropriate that I should be performing in the Municipal House, but that first rehearsal in Czech Radio was a beautiful experience, to be part of a big choir. When those voices come together, what looks awkward and imperfect in rehearsal becomes something beautiful. That’s why I’m looking forward to it.”

The concert will open with a scene from Bedřich Smetana’s The Bartered Bride and will feature works by other composers, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonín Dvořák, and Johann Sebastian Bach. It will conclude with the Gloria from Jakub Jan Ryba’s Czech Christmas Mass.

For those unable to attend one of the two performances at the Smetana Hall in Prague, the event will be broadcast live on Czech Radio and Czech Television.