Gracious Czech Friends

On Wednesday, I led a practicum for students at Palacky University, concentrating on graphic notation and methods of improvisation. Refreshments were later shared with my energetic and thoughtful hosts---the composer Vit Zouhar, musicologist Gabriela Coufalova, and conductor Jaromir Synek (known as Mirek). They told me that a tank had been housed in the very restaurant (connected to the university) as late as the early 90's. The history of this region is endlessly complex, convoluted, and often tragic. There is a fascinating film festival taking place this week, the Academia Film Olomouc, focusing on documentary and scientific films. The one I saw tonight, “Forgotten Transports to Byelorussia,” packed with an attentive student audience, was a collection of testimonies and footage from survivors of obscure concentration camps in Latvia, Byelorussia, Estonia and Eastern Poland. There are a number of films on this theme throughout the festival.