A Note from the Ambassador

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the whirlwind of events of this year's Antonín Dvořák festival. With the generous support of many respected and cherished partners, the Czech Embassy in Washington, DC is bringing Dvořák's music to the capital as an integral part of a long-term project entitled Mutual Inspirations.

I am proud we have been able to put together this "feast" for not only avid music lovers but also everyone who believes individual nations have not lived isolated in this world, but interlinked on various levels, inspiring one another. I believe Antonín Dvořák's personality, life story and work embody the essence of US-Czech mutual inspirations in this respect. There are, of course, others who would fit in this category, and my aim is to bring these to US audiences in the future.

However, for the time being, please enjoy this year´s festival events, a great many of which are open to the general public free of charge. Hopefully, they will not only please your ear and soul, but also let you feel the profound connection – mutual inspiration – between Czechs and Americans.

~ Petr Gandalovič
Ambassador of the Czech Republic