Czech musician performs at classical music concert in Amman

AMMAN — Czech musician and composer Jií Slavík performed at Al Hussein Cultural Centre in Amman on Wednesday, capturing the audience with traditional Czech tunes and masterpieces of renowned Czech composers. 

This took place during a classical music concert, organised by the Embassy of the Czech Republic to Jordan on the occasion of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in the presence of HH Prince Mired. 

The evening was also attended by a number of Jordanian diplomats and classical music lovers.

In his opening remarks Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Jordan Josef Koutsky noted that September 28 is “an important national day in the Czech history”, commemorating the murder of the patron saint of the Czech Republic Wenceslas I. 

“I’m happy to say that this is one of our first public diplomacy activities” two years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, he added. 

The ambassador ended his speech with a reference to Greek mythology, inviting the audience to “talk to the muse”.

Slavík, who is a multi-talented musician, played the piano, violin and tenor saxophone. He also sang traditional Czech songs at the end of the concert. 

In an interview with The Jordan Times, he described music as a “bridge crossing cultures”. 

He noted that his performance his way of “communicating” with Jordanian people during his short visit. 

“I am really honoured to have performed in Jordan,” he added, expressing hope that this event will lead to “future collaborations” between musicians from both countries.

Slavík has performed in many countries such as Italy, the UK and France. He’s currently a teacher at the Justice Department of the Academies of Arts in Prague and Brno, according to the embassy.