Throughout the 2025–26 season, the Colburn School has been highlighting the rich musical heritage of Czechia with a Czech Celebration. From recitals by our prestigious faculty performers to guest conductors to the Colburn Orchestra, audiences have enjoyed the artistic offerings by favorite Czech composers Dvořák, Martinů, and Smetana. Since artists in the Czech Republic also suffered under Nazi policies, it seemed ideal for Music Restored: The Ziering-Conlon Center for Exiled and Suppressed Composers to join the School’s celebration and showcase Bohemian composers this season.
In November, Music Restored Program Director and violinist Adam Millstein paired with pianist Dominic Cheli to perform works by Smetana and Martinů. They also played pieces by two lesser-known composers whose lives were impacted by the Nazi regime: Vítĕzslava Kaprálová and Erwin Schulhoff.
Kaprálová, a mentee and lover of Martinů, was on the threshold of a successful career as a composer and conductor when she died from an unknown illness in 1940 at the age of 25 while in exile in France. During her all-too-short lifetime, Kaprálová crafted nearly 50 compositions brimming with humor, energy, and warmth.
Schulhoff was a prolific and multi-faceted figure in the 20th-century Czech music world whose works were banned at one point. Given the tumultuous political environment in Europe at the time, Schulhoff secured Soviet citizenship for him and his family, but before they could leave the Czech Republic, he was arrested and eventually deported to a concentration camp where he died of tuberculosis a year later.
Schulhoff and his music already have been the subject of the Colburn-produced series Schulhoff and More, which includes a presentation by Conlon and several performances.
“Martinů was prolific in his writing and a cutting-edge modernist. His controversial thoughts on Smetana landed him in significant hot water during the post-war years in Czechoslovakia. Kaprálová was a remarkably talented conductor. She was influenced by her beloved teacher, but wrote with a distinct musical voice creating powerful works in her short life,” said Millstein. “As a violinist, I am thrilled to perform the Czech composers featured this season. They represent different musical trends that are all beyond satisfying to play.”