non-profit making organization
Předměřice nad Jizerou 85, 294 74
Czech Republic

“Ameropa” was established in 1993 by Prof. Vadim Mazo with the idea to help musicians from USA to meet Czech artists and to enable the artists from both countries to teach young musicians, making “musical bridges”.

At the beginning, Ameropa featured mostly American faculties and their classes and was organized from USA with some help of Czech friends. The participants spent one week in Prague in Gymnasium of Jan Neruda in Hellichova Street in the Old Town (later in the Academy of Performing Arts).

Vadim Mazo and his American colleagues decided to ask some Czech organizers for help, to allow Ameropa to grow. Ada Slivanska was recommended by Prof. Vaclav Riedlbauch (at that time Head of Concert Department at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, currently Director of Czech Philharmonic Orchestra) to lead Ameropa organizationally, chiefly for her wide experience in the field of artistic management and organization, not mentioning her artistic career as a violinist. Ada Slivanská invited into the project her colleague and friend Jiri Havlik, member of Czech Philharmonic (French horn) because of his wide organizational experience (Jiri Havlik is a member of Horn Music Agency which has been managing international French horn courses HORNCLASS in Nove Straseci since 1991). Trade Mark “Ameropa” was registered and Ameropa was professionalized.

In 1998, Ameropa was extended from one to 2 weeks. The first week was held in Brandys nad Labem, 30 km outside from Prague, in local Music School, where the participants concentrated on detailed studying. The second week, in the Academy of Music, was meant to finalize the work on chamber music, prepare concert programs and present the concerts to Prague’s audience in prestigious concert halls. Very soon AMEROPA moved to Prague for both weeks, because the number of participants increased from less than 30 to almost 100 people, and the capacity of Brandys facilities (school and students hostel) was not sufficient. Ameropa moved to Gymnasium of Jan Neruda – Music school of the City of Prague. later, from 2009, is Ameropa hosted by renovated Music School od Jan Hanuš at Prague 6, Břevnov.

In 2003, AMEROPA o. s. was established as a non-profit-making organization (the constitution is enclosed). More improvements has been seen in many areas - from the increasing level of participants to the scope of instrument combination (strings, woodwinds, horn, piano, harp, vocalists) and ensemble combination, which opens wide repertory possibility.

In 2005, Ameropa Master Class was added to Chamber program. One “solo week”, devoted to individual lessons, is optional for students and allows each of them to work on their artistic progress with the faculty, and to study the chamber music parts. Solo lectures are devoted not only to solving the technical problems specific to each instrument, but to developing the musician’s personality, speaking about professional carrier, practicing and relaxing, artistic creation, etc. Two participant concerts are organized in the end of “solo week” in Brandys castle where also faculty concert is held at the opening of the courses. Brandys castle host AMEROPA once again for presenting chamber music – it is interesting to the audience to see our “solo participants” in chamber ensembles. Main emphasis is put on chamber music classes and concerts, which presents faculty ensembles and participants groups.

Web site was created in 2001; since then, www.ameropa.org was visited by quite 50 000 readers. The URL www.ameropa.cz is also registered for Ameropa. Ameropa regularly advertise in local and international magazines.

From 1998 to 2007 AMEROPA was organized by the board of three directors, since 2008 the festival is lead by Vadim Mazo and Ada Slivanska, with the help of international faculty team.

About 50 – 100 participants and 20 – 30 faculties are coming to Prague every year. The repertory presented in AMEROPA concerts consists of approximately 60 – 80 chamber music pieces studied and performed by student (or student + faculty) ensembles, and some 20 works presented by faculty groups. This wide music experience allows for wide knowledge of chamber music from lot of countries. The rehearsals are lead by highly professional faculties and chamber players. International musical collaboration establishes new friendships, makes musical and social bridges between different ages, various levels of musical education, professionals and “music lovers”, people of various nationalities, and even from different continents. In AMEROPA, faculties come from USA, Czech, France, Israel, Germany, Taiwan, China, Holland, Japan, and participants arrive from more than 15 countries.

Czech and international chamber music of all centuries is extended every year with some special topics:

1999   Schostakovich – Dvorak
2001   Chamber music of three centuries
2004   World of the Czech Music
2005   The Joy in Chamber Music and First year of Solo Master Classes
2006   Mozart and Shostakovich
2007   Slavic Masters
2008   Women in Music & West Meets East
2009   Three centuries of Chamber music: from Haydn (+1809) to Martinu (+1959)
2010   Expressions in Music - From Baroque to Expressionism
2011   Viva Baroque - Homage to atonality and abstraction
2012   Second Vienna School and its influence in 20-21 centuries in Europe - Prague & Terezín composers
2013   Celebration of the Chamber Music - Ameropa 20th anniversary
2014   Year of the Czech Music
2015   West meets East in Ameropa
2016   Positive Imagination
2017   The Ways of Light and Joy
2018   25th Special Edition - Dvořák, Martinů, Shostakovich. 100 years of Independence, Development, Friendship and Cooperation
2019   The Ways of Shining Future
2020   Music as an International language. Ameropa celebrates: “Beethoven with US!!”

The main purpose of Ameropa remains to gain wide knowledge about global and regional musical cultural traditions and to develop these traditions, to provide information to the professional and lay public, and to develop contacts (build “musical bridges”) between artists and supporters of chamber music, and between professional and amateur musicians and music lovers, regardless of their age, profession and nationality. This objective shall be achieved through organizing and supporting educational programs and projects concerned with playing and teaching music, particularly chamber playing, under direction of top artists, and through organizing concerts, festivals, seminars, lectures and workshops.

Ameropa participants work intensively on their professional progress as soloists under the leadership of prestigious faculties, and prepare chamber music parts for the following two-week course and Ameropa festival concerts.

From 2009, Ameropa is preparing intensive schooling program for future professionals and/or professional chamber music ensembles all over the world which will be recommended by Universities and Music schools or Ameropa faculty board, and supported by Ameropa with significant scholarship. This prestigious classes will be developed individually and support high quality musicians.

For passive participants (e.g. parents coming with their underage children) Ameropa wants to organize a cycle of Prague’s and Bohemian most attractive cultural-educational routes, designed specially for Ameropa and focused at the rich musical heritage of Bohemia, giving the participants an opportunity to share extracurricular activities in addition to share with Ameropa active participants musical lectures, seminars, workshop and chamber and individual lessons over and above faculty and participants concerts.

This program aims to promote musical, cultural, and social relationships among the youth from different countries, even without their previous chamber music experience. In addition to the regular Ameropa chamber music schedule, within Prague Youth Program students will participate in age-related educational, recreational and social activities.

A: From tuition fees, Ameropa covers these personal expenses of each participant:

- One week solo courses with 5 individual lessons;
- Piano accompaniment possibility;
- Specialized solo music master classes;
- 1 faculty concert before solo Ameropa starts;
- 2 participants concerts after Solo Master classes;
- 2 weeks chamber music course in Prague with up to 6 lessons daily with faculty;
- Rehearsal rooms availability (each participant can use a practice room with a piano, shared maximally among four people);
- Specialized chamber music master classes;
- Concert opportunities for all participants;
- Opportunity to enjoy Orchestral Courses Filarmonietta Praga;
- Free entrance to all AMEROPA and festival Prague, Classics.. concerts;
- Basic hotel lodging in two bed-rooms with breakfasts;
- Lunches and/or several group complimentary dinners;
- Concert trips with possibly castle guided sightseeing;
- Prague public transportation pass and other group travel expenses;

B: Beside these individual expenses, Ameropa has to cover:

- Faculty fees;
- Faculty accommodation;
- Faculty transportation support (only partly covered expenses);
- Concert halls rental for 3 concerts during Solo Master classes and usually around 12 concerts
(faculty, faculty and participants, participants) during the Chamber Courses;
- Music library development;
- Schools rental;
- Piano rental and tuning;
- Promotion for Ameropa courses and festival;
- Promotion for Ameropa concerts;
- Printing materials;
- Web designer pay and other web-related expenses;
- Database and its development;
- Computer hardware and software;
- Office stationery, phone, internet, postage;
- Finance-related costs, taxes, bank expenses;
- Office and organization staff pay;
- Librarian;
- Management fees;
- Guest artists fee;
- Director fee;

Currently, Ameropa needs financial support for all items listed in part B. If we are able to take off these entries from participants’ tuition, we will be able to come out with more competitive prices for participants and offer acceptable remuneration for faculties, whom we would like to fully cover accommodation and travel expenses. Please contact us in case, you would like to contribute Ameropa.