The society of Svatováclavský hudební festival (Saint Wenceslas Music Festival or SHF) was created as an initiative of an Ostrava-based group of artists, musical theorists and music and art aficionados in June of 2003. It was registered on June 17th 2003 by the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic and currently fulfills all formal requirements of its operations.
Statutory representative (chairman of the society of „Svatováclavský hudební festival“) authorised to act on behalf of the SHF elected unanimously during the establishing session is doc. Ing. Igor Františák, Ph.D.. The mission of SHF is to produce and organise an international music festival called „Svatováclavský hudební festival“ (“Saint Wenceslas Music Festival”), which will take place again this year.
Saint Wenceslas Music Festival
The society of Saint Wenceslas Music Festival (abbreviated as SHF) organises a month-long music festival which brings artistically valuable and unique musical performances with a unified dramaturgical and ideological style to the widest possible number of spectators living in the Moravian-Silesian region, with direct involvement of local towns and villages. Key goals of SHF are:
- through SHF contribute to the enrichment and innovation of current cultural environment in all of Moravian-Silesian region, which includes places with currently less developed cultural life, that nevertheless have an active interest in reviving their musical tradition;
- present Czech music, both historical and contemporary, in connection with crucial moments of Czech history (the festival is occurring between two major Czech holidays – September 28, the Day of Czech Statehood, and October 28, the Day of the Establishing of Independent Czech State, it is on these days that the opening and closing concerts of the festival take place);
- allow the widest possible group of recipients, both from majority and minority groups, to experience musical events;
- offer to the listeners exceptionally interesting and valuable dramaturgical projects and unusual combinations: music – poetry – dance – theatre;
- bring musical and cultural life to attractive and suitable church locations – SHF takes place in churches and prayer-rooms belonging to Roman Catholic, Evangelical and Hussite churches;
- popularise among the general public many attractive and especially artistically valuable forms of authentic musical performance;
- support the young and up-and-coming generation of Czech performance in their artistic careers;
- allow for a broad and quality presentation of Czech music with focus on anniversaries of significant Czech composers and artists;
- present excellent foreign performers and through them broadcast positive experiences with Czech music and Czech cultural experiences abroad (October as the “Month of Czech and Slovak cultural cooperation”);
- provide the missing element of liturgical art and music to the region (a significant part of the dramaturgy of every future year of the SHF Music Festival will be dedicated to Czech music), whilst keeping to a widely ecumenical focus of the SHF;
