Artistic director

Milan Motl

artistic director

PhDr. Milan Motl, Ph.D. (*1977) is a choirmaster, conductor, music teacher and organiser. He graduated from the University of Hradec Králové in Music education, History and Solo singing (with Jana Machačová). He studied choral conducting in the subject of choir management, and orchestra conducting privately in Prague (with Jiří Portych). He completed his university studies with doctorates at the University of Ostrava and Charles University in Prague.

He gained his first choral conducting experience in the Bonifantes Boys Choir in Pardubice (1999-2003). Since 2002 he has been teaching music at the Higher Vocational School of Pedagogy and the Secondary Pedagogical School in Litomyšl, where he leads the KOS Mixed Choir and the KOKOS Chamber Choir as its artistic director. With these ensembles, he has achieved outstanding success at home and abroad (Europe, America, Asia), together they have released 10 CDs. Milan Motl has received numerous awards for his artistic and pedagogical activity, several special jury prizes at competitions and festivals (e.g. for dramaturgy, performance of obligatory compositions, conducting performance). The Czech Choirs Association awarded him the National Choirmaster Junior Award (2012) for his outstanding achievements as a choirmaster; and KOS was awarded the Choir of the Year Award (2018). Milan Motl and KOS are laureates of the Letohrad International Music Festival (2012). The town of Litomyšl awarded Milan Motl with the Plaque of the Town Council for merit for the development of Litomyšl in the field of education and culture (2013), the Pardubice Region rewarded him with the Award of Merit (2017).

Milan Motl is also involved in organising and publishing activities in the field of music education and choir singing. He participates in national and international events. He is a member of the music committee of the Czech Choirs Association and the NIPOS-ARTAMA Prague expert council for youth choir singing. Occasionally, he is also active as a vocal coach and music director. He is frequently invited to be part of the jury of competitions and as a lecturer of choirmaster courses and choir workshops in the Czech Republic and abroad.

He has previously participated in the International Festival of Songs Olomouc as a juror. It was due to his experience in judging various choral competitions, his drive and overall outlook that the festival organisation team approached him in spring 2022 with the proposal to become the new artistic director of the festival.

Milan Motl, artistic director of the Festival of Songs Olomouc, international festival of choirs

Artistic board

The Festival's Artistic Council is a professional advisory body to the Artistic Director, with whom he consults the Festival's concept, the setting of competition rules, the selection of recommended works and dramaturgical plans, including the choice of performers. Its members often participate in the festival as jurors themselves. They are approached and appointed to the artistic council by the artistic director for the following festival year.

Lenka Dohnalová

Lenka Dohnalová graduated from the Faculty of Education of Palacký University Olomouc, majoring in Czech language and Music education. She has been teaching for almost three decades at the Grammar school in Olomouc-Hejčín and leading three ensembles. The oldest – the Lenka Dohnalová Mlynářová Chamber Choir – focuses on contemporary classical music, jazz and musical projects (e.g. in the past she has collaborated with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra in Olomouc, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, the Podkarpackie Philharmonic Orchestra in Rzeszów and artists such as Emil Viklický, Dan Bárta, etc.). The Prostějov women’s choir Proměny is rather pop-rock and folklore oriented, this grammar school choir is characterised by music-drama projects (P. Helebrand’s Evangelium with Hradišťan). Most of the repertoire is also interesting because it includes original vocal arrangements by the choirmaster and instrumental arrangements by Richard and Petr Mlynář. Lenka is a recipient of the Olomouc City Award and the Olomouc Region Award in the field of Culture.

Lenka Dohnalová, členka umělecké rady mezinárodního festivalu Svátky písní Olomouc

Jan Vičar

Jan Vičar devotes himself to composition, musicology, pedagogical and organisation work. Apart from other things, he was a professor at the Palacký University in Olomouc and the editor in chief of the leading Czech music journal Hudební rozhledy (Music Review). He has published a number of scientific studies and theoretical books, lectured at universities in the United States and he founded the international festival of contemporary music, MusicOlomouc. His compositions are performed both in the Czech Republic and abroad and are published on CD and in print. He is a professor at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, and at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.

Jan Vičar, člen umělecké rady mezinárodního festivalu Svátky písní Olomouc

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