The Brno Music Marathon will bring dozens of concerts to the centre of the Moravian capital, in squares, streets and concert halls. The popular multi-genre music festival will take place this year from 11-14 August in more than 30 venues in the historic city centre. Photo credit: Brno Music Marathon
Brno, 17 June (BD) – This year, the Brno Music Marathon will introduce a new program with the position of artist in residence; the multi-instrumentalist Anna Fusek will be the first to take on this role. The festival will also present the popular busker rooms of Kateřina Šedá, this year with the addition of Johann Gregor Mendel’s greenhouse room.
Brno Music Marathon is a key musical event of the City of Brno as part of its membership in the UNESCO Network of Creative Cities in the field of music. One of the reasons for Brno’s inclusion in this network was the city’s exceptionally varied and high quality range of music events, which the festival consciously showcases. In this context, the festival will also focus on cooperation with Brno’s creative industries and ecology.
This year, festival visitors will see one artist performing in a variety of musical roles. The first artist-in-residence of the Brno Music Marathon will be multi-instrumentalist Anna Fusek, one of Europe’s top classical musicians, but who also works across genres. Fusek will conclude her residency with a performance to the rhythm of Brazilian music with the group Aqua Verde and singer Simona Gatto, who will make their Czech premiere at the festival. “Our goal is to provide visitors with unique musical experiences. We have been increasing the musical quality of the festival for a long time. The engagement of Anna Fusek as artist in residence is another contribution to this endeavour,” said festival director David Dittrich.
The unique atmosphere of the festival is enhanced by the performances of street musicians in unique rooms scattered around the city centre. This musical and visual project, known as Streetless Busking, is the brainchild of the well-known Brno artist Kateřina Šedá. This year’s novelty is a room dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of the leading naturalist Johann Gregor Mendel. “We decided to dedicate one room to this personality. And since Mendel conducted his experiments with plant crossbreeding in a greenhouse, the greenhouse will become part of the street-free busking this year,” explained Šedá. Visitors can also check out the children’s room, kitchen, living room and bathroom.
The festival will also feature performances by Romanian brass band Fanfare Ciocărlia, Hungary’s Botos Family, Slovakia’s Michal Noga Band, Poland’s MØW Band, Ester Kočičková and her Moody Cat Band, AG Flek, the well-known Roma band Kalé, Soul Ožil, Dušan Vančura’s Antikvartet and Barbara Maria Willi and friends.
The creative Brno ensemble Hausopera will present the last of a trilogy of operas connected with important functionalist monuments of Brno. The venue of the opera “Eternal Miss Pale or Operatic Uncertainty for the Masses” will be Zeman’s Café. Other popular venues include the Endless Organ in the Jesuit Church, the Pianostaffet in Alfa Passage and the ZUŠ Open.
Visitors can buy tickets for the concerts through the GoOut network. Selected performances and the festival’s busker line are free of charge.
