From 7-10 August, the Brno Music Marathon, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, will transform the city into a pulsating hive of music, heard in the streets, yards, courtyards and in unexpected places – the Brno Dam, the Zluty Kopec reservoirs, Villa Tugendhat, and at a campfire with artist Kateřina Šedá on Náměstí Svobody.
“The Brno Music Marathon is exceptional not only for its genre diversity, but also because it connects the domestic scene with top artists from all over the world,” said Milan Tesař, the dramaturge of the Brno Music Marathon.
This year’s festival will see several artists performing in the Czech Republic for the first time, including the Finnish wind quartet Sväng, the Serbian duo Kalem, the Croatian folklore group Trobozanke, Serbian violist Jelena Popržan, and the Slovak cimbalom player Alžbeta Luptáková with her original project Duša Moja.
Tesař also highlighted the residency of Trilok Gurtu, who will perform in three different environments during the festival, and the return to Brno of the Estonian duo Puuluup.
“We also place great emphasis on female performers and authors in this year’s program,” he said. “I recommend not only the Polish female trio Sutari, but also the trio of singer-songwriters and artists on the Indies scene – Martina Trchová, Vera Linhartová and Kvietah & Včely – Lada Šimíčková with the group Lada & kapela, Klára Veselá, and Slovak singer-songwriter Ildikó Kali, this year’s winner of the Radio_Head Award.”
A traditional part of the Music Marathon is the Streetless Busking project, curated by the artist Kateřina Šedá. Every year, stylized “rooms” on the streets of Brno – a kitchen, a toilet, a doctor’s waiting room – become small concert spaces for street musicians. This year, one such room on namesti Svobody will be reimagined as a “tramp camp”, with a campfire hosted by Šedá.
“I have long wished that busking at the Music Marathon would be expanded to include a genre that is not usually there – and this year it has finally happened!” she said. “As part of the 10th anniversary of the festival, we will light a campfire at a tramp camp on Náměstí Svobody.”
This cabin will host performances from selected musicians, such as Thom Artway, Dunaj, and Martin Harich, but also communal singalongs with the audience. “The general public can even roast a ham and sleep over by the fire. So bring a tent, sleeping bag and a good mood to this year’s busking!” said Šedá.
