Prague, July 22 (CTK) – Thirteen players of the Czech Philharmonic (CF), the country’s most prestigious orchestra, will join the series of concerts the Chavorenge Romany band with singer Ida Kelarova are to give in the Romany settlements in eastern Slovakia, CF spokeswoman Katerina Motlova has told CTK.
Once again, the CF members will join Kelarova’s long-lasting efforts to support children and young people threatened by social exclusion, Motlova said.
The concert tour will include meetings with local inhabitants and workshops given by the CF players.
“It is horrible that the children who are talented have been left growing up in conditions that prevent their development. In the settlements, the parents are not accustomed to work with the children appropriately…[The children] are neglected by both their parents and the state, which should get more engaged in this respect,” Petr Kadlec, from the CF’s education programmes department, told CTK.
Last summer, CF players joined three concerts in eastern Slovakia, including two in Romany settlements.
Percussion player Pavel Polivka then “met” two Romany boys who, he said, were talented enough to study at a conservatory in future. He even secured a special percussion set to be at the boys’ disposal at their home town’s municipal office.
“All this is not as one-sided as it may seem. The Romany musicians, too, have qualities that may enrich us, such as a spontaneousness and non-academic style,” Kadlec said.
Kelarova has been focusing on Romany kids threatened by social exclusion for 20 years. Her goal is to acquaint young Romanies with Romany culture, motivate them not to give up their dreams, and to integrate in the majority society.
