Emerging Artist of Czech Center and FEATURE DOCUMENTARY Accept, NYC 2016

I have been chosen for the emerging artist program called the Thomas M. Messer Bohemian Creative Hub housed at Czech Center New York. During the spring 2016, I prepared a workshop about composition, everyday life and listening and also composed new piece Optional for American ensemble Interference which was premiered at the ballroom of Bohemian National Hall.

CCNY also screened a feature documentary movie about my work and life entitled “Accept” as part of the Eurasian Film Festival held in the CCNY cinema. More about the movie here.

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In summer, I participated on the Rooftop Ciné-Concert Series,  where we played introduction set with the NYC Constellation Ensemble. In the second part of the evening I provided the inspired soundtrack to the silent film: Golem.

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NYC Constellation Ensemble, from the left: Sydney Viles, Bishu Chatterjee, Sophie Leetmaa, xx, Jasper Hussong, Ben Lussier, Lucie Vítková

The Kitchen and Bohemian National Hall, NYC 2016

My move to New York started with a concert on February 9, 2016:

To celebrate the release of the archival CD The Kitchen Improvises: 1976–1983 on Orange Mountain Music, composer George Lewis curates an evening of performances by Thomas Buckner (voice), Earl Howard (saxophones and electronics), Oliver Lake (saxophones),  Lewis (electronics, trombone), Michael Lytle (clarinets), Miya Masaoka (koto and electronics), Ikue Mori (electronics), Andrea Parkins (accordion, objects, electronics), and Lucie Vítková (accordion and voice), inspired by that flowering of hybridity on the downtown New York music scene.

The New York Times Listing.

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On May 9, 2016, I was part of the concert at Bohemian National with premiere of my piece Places to Meet for violin duo String Noise of Pauline Kim Harris, Konrad Harris and myself on accordion. At the end of the evening, I played an improvisation set with members of S.E.M. ensemble, George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell.

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The event was reviewed at The Guardian.

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Prior to the concert, as authors, we were interviewed at the Columbia University radio WKCR 89.9FM.

AND VEX THE NIGHTINGALE_RELEASE 12/2015, NEW YORK (USA)

Let me introduce our new release of music poetic on Terra Nova Music label run by New York based musician and philosopher David Rothenberg.

And Vex the Nightingale

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One night, one bird, one tree, one spot by the Spree River in Berlin – a virtuoso nightingale perched in his tree at midnight.

There we stood, Lucie singing, David on clarinet and iPad sampling the bird and playing synth sounds he thought the bird might like.

One piece, one take, no editing, just live. What two people and one bird can do.

CHORALS_RELEASE 8/2015, PRAGUE (CZ)

I am happy to announce a release of my new album Chorals through the Prague label Signals from Arkaim.

I have been composing these chorals for about one year for different occasions, though mainly for friends so that we could play together. Therefore each piece was recorded in a different location and under a different circumstance, bringing with it its own unique experience.

You can download or listen to it here.

REFLEKTOR 5, BERLIN (D)

For the Reflektor series no. 5, I was challenged to create new piece on a theme: „Interplay of Sound and Performance“. It was a great opportunity to evolve my accordion and tap dance skills into one homogenic piece and to perform it in front of the huge crowd of people at the venue West Germany along Christiane Hommelsheim and Malte Giesen.

Big thanks to Stella Veloce, Anaïs Héraud and Katie Dunbar for great organising and promoting.

VS. INTERPRETATION, PRAGUE (CZ)

The peak of the spring season for me was the festival about improvisation Vs. Interpretation, presented by the Agosto Foundation in Prague space NOD. I was on the program with my solo set Ideas and Techniques (accordion, harmonica, voice) and was part of the conference with the paper about Christian Wolff´s music and improvisation. Over five days (16 – 20th July 2014) I met and heard great music theorists and improvisers such as Pauline Oliveros, George E. Lewis, Iva Bittová, Markus Popp, Joëlle Léandre, Annie Gosfield, Phill Niblock and Petr Kotík.

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It was a great honour to be drawn during the performance by my favourite American artist Morgan O´Hara.

Documentation at: https://agosto-foundation.org/vsinterpretationkeynotes/.

OSA AWARDS, PRAGUE (CZ)

OSA (Ochranný svaz autorský) is a Czech equivalent of the organisations such as BMI, ASCAP, SOZA, GEMA, PRS or BUMA.

Last Wednesday, I was awarded as The Most Successful Young Author of Classic Music for 2013. The event took place at the  Hybernia Theater in Prague on 18th June 2014.

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Photo by Petra Kateřina Bučková

The Czech Television made a short report (see from 8´30´´):

Czech Television Report (ČT 1)

ECHOFLUXX 14, PRAGUE (CZ)

Echofluxx is a festival of new media, music and art, organised by American artist Dan Senn (co-founder of well known venue Roulette in New York).

Echofluxx has own specific international atmosphere and introduces artists from over the world, mainly from USA and Czech Republic.

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Echofluxx Ensemble: from the left – John Keston (Minneapolis), Mark Zanter (West Virginia), Agnes Kutas (Budapest-Prague), Brigid Burke (Melbourne), Michael Karman (Portland), David Means (USA), Lucie Vítková (Brno).

This year, I had an opportunity to participate on the program in various ways – solo recital Ideas and Techniques on May 6th, premiere of my new piece Flute and Tape, commissioned by Lenka Kozderková on 9th and also as a memeber of the Echofluxx Ensemble at the end of the festival on 10th.

The festival events were very well documented, so you can experience the unique space and acoustics of Trafačka Arena in Prague through these videorecordings:

Lucie Vítková_Ideas and Techniques

BAY AREA TOUR 2014 (USA)

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February 16th with my lovely friend Laura Steenberge at her house in Oakland.

Accordion, Viola da Gamba and Voices
Laura Steenberge_Cathedrals

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Lucie Vítková_Fast Interaction, Ready Made 02

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February 18th Music of Lucie Vítková at Center for New Music, 55 Taylor Street, San Francisco
…nice and bitter… (accordion solo)
Behind the Wall (for ensemble)
Transparent Melody (for ensemble)
With Voice (accordion, harmonica and voice)
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Ensemble Improvisation

Matt Ingalls: clarinet/bass cl., John Ingle: alto sax, Ben Kreith: violin, Tim Perkis: electronics, Lucie Vítková: accordion, harmonica, voice

https://sfsound.org/series/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNE1TGl33xI

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February 23rd with Bob Marsh, Joe Lasqo and Joe Snape at Berkeley Arts Festival…

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With amazing person and versatile artist Bob Marsh, we created a duo of tap dancing accordionists!

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https://joelasqo.com/blog/2014/02/18/msppiano-w-troppo-giogio-fisarmonicisti-futuristi-cz-lucie-vitkova-uk-joe-snape-ca-joe-lasqo-bob-marsh-sun-23-feb-berkeley-arts-festival-9pm-set-1-eric-glick-rieman-8pm/

During my stay I was invited by my great friend and composer Sivan Eldar to give a talk about percussion in my compositions at the John Adams Young Composer School at Berkeley. I talked about DEKA DANCES, ACCEPT, FRAGILE PATTERNS and SKATING.

February 26th – https://www.facebook.com/CrowdenComposers?hc_location=timeline

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February 28th – for the last concert I selected some pieces from my new album Ideas and Techniques. We performed at Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT) at Berkeley.
https://cnmat.berkeley.edu/

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I shared the night with the wonderful Joe Snape and his Tired Music.

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You can read about the event here, in short review by Catsynth!

https://www.catsynth.com/2014/03/lucie-vitkova-and-joe-snape-cnmat/

Composer, Improviser, Performer