Join international project for work residency in November

Residencies, cultural exchange, community has been started in Broumov Monastery, Czech Republic

Broumov, Czech Republic – Educational and Cultural Centre Broumov, situated in Broumov Monastery, Czech Republic, has started new music project called Hortus Musicalis Broumov – residencies, cultural exchange, community. Thanks to this project the monastery will welcome renowned Czech and Norwegian composers, lyricists and artists for music residencies and it will also organise other various musical activites. The project is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants 2014-2021, from CULTURE program, and it will be ended in April 2023.

The HORTUS MUSICALIS BROUMOV project – residency, cultural exchange, community will be implemented on the premises of the Broumov Benedictine monastery. The project will add a new program format to the existing cultural offering, increase the capacity of the implementing institution, cooperation and exchange between the Czech Republic and Norway, while simultaneously contributing to the region’s development and increasing the cohesiveness of the local community. The total eligible costs of the project are 204 141 EUR, the grant amount is 183 728 EUR.

Main activities of the project

New studios for music residencies will be created in the monastery building and the existing recording studio will be modernized, thanks to which music creators will be provided by new premises in a unique monastery building for focused work.  During 2021–2022 four monthly cycles of music residences will take place, always with the participation of one resident from the Czech Republic and one from Norway, with a participation of the local community. These Czech artists have been chosen for music residencies: jazz composer and musician Kristina Barta (https://kristinabarta.com/home), composer and musicologist Aleš Březina (http://alesbrezina.cz), composer, actor and pedagogue Jan Matásek (https://sites.google.com/site/janmatasek/) and musician, producer and composer Jan P. Muchow (https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_P._Muchow).

The project team will gain experience in the area of putting on music residences, during two professional visits in Norway, and will gain familiarity with leading projects on the Norwegian music scene. Two-days conference on the theme of cultural and creative industries with a focus on contemporary music and support for key players in the area will be organized on spring 2022 and three-days music festival consisting of various genres, which will also feature the activities of residents, will be held in 2023.

Cooperation with local community

The project has the potential to lead to interdisciplinary projects (artists from various genres will meet at the monastery) and also to improve cooperation with the local heterogeneous community important and positive impact in the area of social inclusion. The project includes events created by residents, but residents will also engage in musical activities one per week with the local community.

Norwegian Partner NOPA The Norwegian Society of Composers and Lyricists

An important aspect of the project is a cooperation with the Norwegian partner, NOPA which will take advantage of the musical residences for its members, will help support our institution’s capacities through visits to successful Norwegian residency projects etc.

The EEA and Norway Grants

The EEA and Norway Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to reducing economic and social disparities and to strengthening bilateral relations with 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. The Czech Republic has been a recipient of this financial support since 2004 when we joined the European Union and therefore the European Economic Area (EEA) as well. Since 2004 the EEA and Norway Funds have supported a number of interesting projects for more than CZK 6 billion in the Czech Republic. Currently the Czech Republic is the fifth biggest recipient after Poland, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.