See what’s coming up on on the BCSA’s Events Calendar.
The Bedřich Smetana Má vlast (My Country) exhibition at the National Museum in Prague commemorates the personality of Bedřich Smetana and one of his most important compositions. Through authentic notes, correspondence and, above all, scores, it presents the individual symphonic poems as the composer himself conceived them, the historical context in which they were composed... Read more »
The photographs of Josef Koudelka’s latest series were made over many years, from 1991 to 2017, at more than 200 archaeological sites in the Mediterranean, including Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. To accompany the exhibition, a Czech-English volume is... Read more »
„Ahoj občani!" ("Hello, citizens!") was how Karel Kryl greeted the audience after his emotional return to Czechoslovakia from exile in December 1989. An exhibition celebrating the legendary protest singer Karel Kryl marks two important anniversaries: the 80th anniversary of his birth and 30 years since his death. It offers an intimate look into his life... Read more »
Jenůfa is keeping secret from everyone that she is pregnant by Števa, whom she loves despite his drinking and womanising. Jenůfa’s stepmother, Kostelnička, had a violent, alcoholic husband and tells Števa he won’t be allowed to marry Jenůfa unless he stays sober for a year. Števa’s overbearing behaviour towards Jenůfa angers Laca, who loves Jenůfa... Read more »
February 2025 marks the 80th Anniversary of the Yalta Conference which led to countless people perishing behind the Iron Curtain when they were repatriated to the USSR at the conclusion of the Second World War. You are warmly welcomed to attend an exhibition at Kensington Central Library curated by the archivist, Sophia Hall, and a... Read more »
This talk by Professor Mark Cornwall explores the subject of secret police surveillance in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. Prof. Cornwall draws on his own surveillance file, asking why, when and where he was being followed and assessed by the StB (the Czechoslovak security police). He then widens the focus to evaluate the general methods of... Read more »
Robert Bruce Lockhart had an extraordinary career. In 1918, he served as the British Government’s “Agent” in Bolshevik Russia and orchestrated a brazen plot to topple Vladimir Lenin’s regime. The plot’s failure resulted in Lockhart’s imprisonment in the Kremlin before returning to Britain in disgrace. He was subsequently posted to the Prague Legation – the... Read more »
Join us on the very eve of the Yalta Agreement, to consider some of the seemingly disparate events that preceded and led to the crucial and far-reaching meetings, held from 4-11 February 1945. Yalta, then a small place close to the Black Sea, but of immense significance regarding the political, economic and societal future of... Read more »
Did you know that 4th February is the Day of Czechs Abroad? To celebrate in style, we are holding another BCSA Pub Quiz. This is your chance to show off your knowledge of anything and everything British, Czech and Slovak. Test yourself about how much you know about British, Czech and Slovak connections at this... Read more »
In 1997, Czech filmmaker Jan Svěrák and UK-based producer Eric Abraham captivated the world when their heartfelt masterpiece Kolya won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Written by Jan’s father, Zdeněk Svěrák, Kolya became a landmark moment in their celebrated father-son collaboration. But Jan’s journey to Oscar glory began much earlier—with a Student Academy Award in... Read more »
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