Chapel of Christ on the Mount of Olives
Friday, May 15, 18:30
Gregorian Chant and Czech Sacred Song
Ensemble Versus, conducted by Vladimír Maňas
The Chapel of Christ on the Mount of Olives is tucked away in a courtyard behind the Spolek café, between Josefská, Orlí, and Novobranská streets. Originally dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, it served as a garden chapel for the Franciscan sisters and later the Ursulines, who gave it its current dedication in the 19th century.
It is here that Gregorian chant and Czech sacred song will resonate, performed by Ensemble Versus under the direction of Vladimír Maňas. Within the intimate space of the chapel, a powerful and organic dialogue will emerge between the site’s history and live music.
Great Synagogue in Brno
Saturday, May 16, 18:30
The Great Synagogue / uncovered ruins and remaining foundations
John Zorn – Kol Nidrei for string quartet
A deeply contemplative dimension will also define the program dedicated to the Great Synagogue in Brno. This now-vanished structure, which once accommodated more than 1,200 visitors (roughly the capacity of today’s Janáček Theatre), stood on Přízova Street.
The concert will function as a sonic reconstruction of the lost space, taking place directly at the site of the original building and forming part of a full-day commemorative program honoring the memory of Brno’s Jewish community. Music thus becomes both a tool of remembrance and a symbolic return of vanished architecture to the public space.
Funeral Ceremonial Hall in Židenice
Sunday, May 17, 2026, 19:00
Edgard Varèse – Octandre
Iannis Xenakis – Anaktoria
Tom Johnson – Eight Patterns for Eight Instruments
Miloslav Ištvan – Microworlds of My City
In memory of Ivan Ruller (1926–2018)
A similarly powerful engagement with place defines the concert at the Ceremonial Hall in Židenice. This restored and reopened building stands as an example of sensitive work with architectural heritage and highlights the importance of caring for the city’s memory.
The concert will emphasize the values of renewal, continuity, and respect for places that shape the identity of the city.
Dance Performance Giving Back the Blessings by choreographer Alina Belyagina
Saturday, May 16, 2026, 17:00
Duration: 40 minutes
Venue: CO.LABS, Kounicova 686/22, Brno-střed
Advance reservation required
The accompanying program will also feature the dance performance Giving Back the Blessings by choreographer Alina Belyagina, taking place at CO.LABS.
This is not a conventional performance where the audience sits and watches a stage. Instead, it unfolds somewhere between a club night, a folk ritual, and an industrial landscape. Sound arrives first, the space gradually transforms, and the audience becomes a natural part of it.
The performers’ bodies merge with the visitors, dissolving the clear boundaries between stage and audience. What emerges is an environment where dance is no longer a spectacle, but a shared experience in which everyone present shapes the atmosphere of the space.
In her work, Alina Belyagina explores themes of collective memory, identity, movement, and shared space. Her choreography examines how we come together, how we form communities, and what remains when old structures begin to fall apart.
Faculty of Music, JAMU
In addition to guided tours of the Faculty of Music at JAMU, we will present sound and multimedia installations by students of Composition and Multimedia Studies.
You will encounter the current face of contemporary art that works with sound and image, along with artistic approaches where sound, visuals, space, and new technologies intersect.
You will also have the opportunity to connect directly with current student work and experience the historic building not merely as architecture, but as a living center of contemporary artistic activity.
