Kalabis Quintet with guests will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Viktor Kalabis

Within a week, on February 27, 2023, we will commemorate the centenary of the birth of the Czech music composer Viktor Kalabis. For this occasion, the Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Růžičková Endowment Fund, founded by the composer himself and his wife, prepared a special project called Kalabis100. The project includes more than forty concerts and accompanying events, including the publishing the reeditions and releasing the audio recordings. This year, a number of cultural events are taking place not only throughout the Czech Republic, but also abroad. This events aim to commemorate and celebrate the life and work of this important artist. One of them is the celebratory concert of the wind quintet Kalabis Quintet, which will take place the day after the composer’s 100th birthday, i.e. February 28, 2023, from 7:30 p.m. in the Martinů concert hall at Prague’s HAMU. In the hall named after Bohuslav Martinů, one of the most important sources of inspiration for Viktor Kalabis, a selection from his chamber work will be heard. The Kalabis Quintet, together with the guests Zuzana Vojáčková, František Souček, Petr Šušlík and Jan Zvěřina, will perform the compositions Small chamber music, op. 27, Divertimento, op. 10, Classical nonet, op. 13 and Nonet no. 2, “Homage to nature”, op. 44.

As a special guest, Richard Kollert will perform Kalabis’ Hallelujah on his 15th birthday. Psalm 150 for violin and piano, op.74.

The female wind quintet Kalabis Quintet was founded in 2012 at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and is a recognized performer of contemporary Czech compositions. The ladies chose the name after the famous composer Viktor Kalabis with the blessing of the composer’s wife and important interpreter of his compositions, the harpsichordist Zuzana Růžičková, after winning the 1st prize at the Viktor Kalabis Prize competition in Semmering. Since its foundation, the ensemble has won a number of prizes, including 1st prize in the Czech Contemporary Music category at the Payerbach competition, 1st prize at the Karel Dittersdorf competition in Vidnav, 3rd prize and laureate title at the French competition Le Concours international de quintette à vent Henri Tomasi in Marseille and 3rd place at the Bucharest International Music Competition. The Kalabis Quintet performs on more than a hundred domestic and foreign stages, including the concert season of the Czech Association for Chamber Music in the Suk Hall of the Prague Rudolfinum and the chamber cycle of the PKF – Prague Philharmonia. The ensemble members are also orchestral players of leading Czech orchestras (National Theatre, State Opera, SOČR, PKF – Prague Philharmonia) and are engaged in teaching activities. In 2021, Kalabis Quintet was invited to the most important Czech music festival Prague Spring.