Jaroslav Jezek (left), Jan Werich, and Jiri Voskovec in New York
Musicologist and author Michael Beckerman will present the remarkable Czech composer, phenomenal pianist, and elemental musician Jaroslav Jezek (1906-1942) and discuss Jezek’s last years in New York where he lived in exile after fleeing the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939. Professor Beckerman will focus on Jezek's final composition, the Piano Sonata, which he completed shortly before his death in 1942 in New York.
In the USA, Jaroslav Jezek performed for Czech Americans and expatriates with Jiri Voskovec and Jan Werich, his fellow exiles and protagonists of the popular Prague’s political antifascist revue troupe, the Liberated Theater.
The talk will be accompanied by short performances of Jaroslav Jezek’s work: the brilliant pianist Siyumeng Wang, a native of Beijing and current student at The Juilliard School, will play selections from Jezek’s Piano Sonata. Prague-native, Berlin-based jazz singer Martina Barta will perform a few of Jezek's songs, accompanied by Italian pianist Francesco Pollon. Both accomplished artists are currently students at the Manhattan School of Music.
Moderated by Christopher Harwood, Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, New York Chapter.
MICHAEL BECKERMAN is Carroll and Milton Petrie Chair and Collegiate Professor of Music at New York University and a Vice-President of the Dvorak American Heritage Association (DAHA). He has written many studies and several books on Czech music topics, including New Worlds of Dvorak (W.W. Norton, 2003), Dvorak and His World (Princeton University Press, 1993), Janacek and His World (Princeton, 2004), Janacek as Theorist (Pendragon Press, 1994), and Martinu's Mysterious Accident (Pendragon, 2007), as well as articles on subjects such as Mozart, Brahms, film scoring, music of the Roma (Gypsies), exiled composers, and music in the camps. Dr. Beckerman has been a frequent contributor to The New York Times and was a regular guest on Live from Lincoln Center and other radio and television programs in the United States, Europe, and Japan. He is a recipient of the Dvorak Medal and the Janacek Medal by the Czech Ministry of Culture, and is also a Laureate of the Czech Music Council; he has twice received the Deems Taylor Award. He served as a Distinguished Professor at Lancaster University (2011–2015) and was The Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic (2016-17). In 2014, Dr. Beckerman received an honorary doctorate from Palacky University in the Czech Republic. This year, he was awarded the Gratias Agit Award from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Harrison Medal from the Society for Musicology in Ireland.
Free and open to the public. Suggested donation $5. Seating is limited, on first-come first-served basis. RSVP through Eventbrite. Proof of vaccination is required; wearing a face mask is strongly recommended for indoor events.
MUSICAL GUESTS
SIYUMENG WANG, piano
Born in Beijing, China, pianist Siyumeng Wang is a rising star in the international music scene. A winner of the Gina Bachauer Competition, Leonore Kraeuter Scholarship award, and Kovner Fellowship, Siyumeng studies with Veda Kaplinsky and Julian Martin at Juilliard. Currently working towards the Master in Music degree, Siyumeng earned the B.M. degree in 2021, won prizes at Oberlin International Piano Competition, Beijing All-Star Cup Piano Competition, Hope Cup Piano Competition, studied at Music Academy of the West, Manchester Music , Piano Texas, and Belvoir Terrace. Siyumeng performed at Alice Tully Hall, David H. Koch Theater Lincoln Center, and throughout China. She performs for audiences in health care facilities and community-based organizations as a member of the Gluck Community Service Fellowship Program.
MARTINA BARTA, voice
Martina Barta is a multitalented singer and musician born in Prague, based in Berlin and performing in diverse music projects at national and international music festivals and venues worldwide. In 2016, she received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Jazz Institute at the Universität der Künste in Berlin, where she took vocal lessons from Prof. Judy Niemack and Prof. David Friedman. In 2017, Martina represented the Czech Republic at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. Currently, Martina is pursuing a Master of Music degree at Manhattan School of Music, where she takes classes in the Jazz Arts Masters Program with Prof. Theo Bleckmann.
FRANCESCO POLLON, piano
Francesco Pollon is a pianist, composer, and educator born in Treviso, Italy. Since the age of fifteen, he has been on stage as a musician, performing throughout Italy and in Poland, Croatia, Romania, Qatar, Israel, and Palestine. He played with the jazz legend Chick Corea in Vicenza and with the resident band at the prestigious jazz club The Club at St.Regis in Doha, Qatar. Francesco is also an accomplished classical guitar player. Francesco received his M.A. in Jazz Piano Performance from the Conservatory of Venice in 2018 and received the Best Instrumentalist Award at the 2019 Sibiu Jazz Competition. In 2020, he published his debut solo piano album Catch Me. Since September 2021, Francesco has pursued his studies at Manhattan School of Music in New York.
This event is organized by the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, New York Chapter, in association with the Dvorak American Heritage Association, with support of Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA).