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Prague Spring International Music Festival 2010

The Prague Spring International Music Festival 2010 will be held from the 12th May to 4th June, Prague Spring is in it`s 65th year with composers and musicians from all over the world partcipating.

Dates : 12th May to 4th June 2010
Website : www.festival.cz
Tickets : On sale from Ticketpro 

The 65th Prague Spring International Music Festival 2010 promises to be a huge hit again, with musicians, sololists and orchestras from all parts of the world participating. The birth of the Prague Spring was in 1946 as all of Czechoslovakia celebrated the first anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

The early years of the Festival concentrated not only on Czech music and Czech composers [ Bedrich Smetana, Antonin Dvorak, Leos Janacek and Bohuslav Martinu ] but also other great nations such as USA, Great Britain and France, with also top solosists, singers and conductors from the Soviet Union.

We would like to offer for your visit to Prague for the 65th Prague Spring International Music Festival 2010. See additional during our 64th Prague Spring Celebrations..... 

Tomorrow and Friday night, the Czech Philharmonic will perform a concert version of fragments from the opera Julietta by Bohuslav Martinů under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras with the participation of top singers from around the world with Magdalena Kožena in the leading role. After numerous preparatory events, this will bring the project Martinů Revisited into its realization phase. At the initiative of the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation and of the Bohuslav Martinů Institute, with the broad participation of Czech and foreign cultural institutions, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death, increased attention will be paid to his work and to the worldwide context of his composing.

Martinů’s music will therefore rightfully become one of the programming priorities of the 2009 Prague Spring festival and of the following annual festival in 2010, when the cultural public will commemorate the 120th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Dominant among the works by Martinůincluded in the festival’s programming will be the composer’s music for voice and instruments. In the course of this year’s festival there will be successive performances of the song cycle Niponari, performances of the complete Polička cantatas (Legend of the Smoke from Potato Fires, The Romance of the Dandelions, The Opening of the Springs and Mikeš of the Mountains) and The Wedding Shirt, in 2010 Czech Rhapsody and a staged performance of the cantata Bouquet of Flowers. Besides a broad selection of chamber works, among the composer’s orchestral compositions included in the festival program for 2009 will be the Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano and timpani, H 271,

Bohuslav Martinů the man and his works will also be commemorated in the programming of both year’s festivals in relation to his teacher Albert Roussel and to Martinů’s own pupils (for example, this is the concept for the programming of the concert of the Czech Nonet on 24 May in Vencovsky Assembly Hall at the University of Economics), and music inspired by Martinů’s works will also be included (e.g. Variations on a Theme of

64th INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

PRAGUE SPRING

Press Release No. 1 

10 December 2008

Prague Spring will also participate in preparations for an international musicological conference on the composers works, organized by the Bohuslav Martinů Institute, to be held during the festival on 29 – 31 May 2009.

In June 2008 compared with May 2008, seasonally adjusted industrial production1 remained unchanged in the euro area2 (EA15) and grew by 0.1% in the EU272. In May3 production fell by 1.8% and 1.3% respectively.

In June 2008 compared with June 2007, industrial production decreased by 0.5% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU27.

These estimates are released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

Euro area and EU27 production, total industry excluding construction 10710810911011111211311406-200607-200608-200609-200610-200611-200612-200601-200702-200703-200704-200705-200706-200707-200708-200709-200710-200711-200712-200701-200802-200803-200804-200805-200806-20082000=100Euro area, seasonally adjusted seriesTrendlineEU27, seasonally adjusted seriesTrendline

In June 2008 compared with May 2008, production of energy increased by 1.0% in the euro area and by 0.6% in the EU27. Non-durable consumer goods grew by 0.9% and 0.7% respectively. Durable consumer goods fell by 0.1% in the euro area and by 0.4% in the EU27. Intermediate goods declined by 0.2% in the euro area, but remained stable in the EU27. Capital goods decreased by 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.

In June 2008, among the Member States for which data are available, industrial production rose in eleven and fell in ten. The highest increases were registered in Portugal (+3.0%), the Netherlands (+2.9%) and Poland (+2.8%), while the largest falls were recorded in Ireland (-5.3%), Denmark (-3.7%) and Bulgaria (-2.4%).

In June 2008 compared with June 2007, production of capital goods increased by 1.4% in both zones. Non-durable consumer goods fell by 0.6% in the euro area and by 0.7% in the EU27. Energy declined by 0.8% and 0.3% respectively. Intermediate goods decreased by 1.1% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU27. Durable consumer goods fell by 5.3% and 3.7% respectively.

In June 2008, among the Member States for which data are available, industrial production rose in twelve and fell in nine. The highest increases were registered in Poland (+7.3%), Slovakia (+6.3%) and Ireland (+6.1%), while the largest decreases were recorded in Spain (-9.0%), Latvia (-5.2%) and Estonia (-4.7%).

The seasonally adjusted euro area and EU series are calculated by aggregating the working day adjusted series from individual Member States and performing an adjustment for seasonal effects on these series. Therefore the seasonally adjusted figures for total industry (excluding construction) is based directly on the working day adjusted series coming from the Member States and not on an aggregation of the seasonally adjusted indices from the Member States. The euro area and EU seasonally adjusted growth rates might differ from the weighted growth rates of the individual Member States (see Methodology of the industrial production index). This procedure also implies that the aggregation of the overall figures is not based on the published details (intermediate, capital, durable, non-durable goods, energy).

Issued by: Eurostat Press Office

Eurostat news releases on the Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat  

Selected Principal European Economic Indicators:  http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/euroindicators

Many probably remember the uproar in the press and academia in 2005 when Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers suggested that the lack of female scientists in the USA is due to the “innate” differences between men and women. A lot has been said and written on this topic, but it does statistically appear that there are more men than women in science in the United States.

The female students at the USA/USA Program do not pay attention to these numbers; many of them actively pursue undergraduate degrees in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Biochemistry etc., and then continue on a PhD track. One of many such students, Olga Davydenko, 22, is from Sevastopol. Double-majoring in Biochemistry and Bioengineering, she will be graduating Magna Cum Laude from Union College in June of 2008. She will start a PhD program in the fall. Union College is an independent, highly selective undergraduate institution that has educated prominent bankers, inventors, writers, scientists, diplomats, lawyers, and a former President of the United States - Chester A. Arthur. Located in Schenectady, a small town in upstate New York, this is a perfect place for young minds to focus on their academics.

After trying in vain to shove her old high school interest in Chemistry and Biology under a rug, and pursuing a degree in accounting, Olga came to Union. I asked Olga about her prospects in “soft sciences.” The energetic, effervescent and witty young scientist replied, “Well lets see, if it wasn’t for USA/USA I would have now graduated with a degree in accounting from Sevastopol National Technical University, which does not sound bad at all, except I hated economics and loathed working a boring job for the rest of my life. I would also be married now. Shudder.”

Once given a chance to study something she really loved, Olga used every opportunity to learn more and be a leading example in her field. She is President of the Chemistry Club at Union. All three of her campus jobs are directly related to learning more and encouraging others to learn as well: She works 20 hours a week as a tutor for the Biology Department, is a tutoring supervisor for The Academic Opportunity Program (AOP) and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), and a lab technician for one of her Biochemistry professors. This girl does not seem to stop working even during her summer breaks. “ Every summer during my undergraduate career I did research. After my freshman year I was in Ukraine working on the USA/USA seminar and conducting research in the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas located in Sevastopol. The summer after my sophomore year I completed an Endocrine Society Fellowship while working in a reproductive endocrinology lab at the Wadsworth Center in Albany, NY. The past summer before my last year of college I was a Union College Summer Research Fellow working on the project that was to become my senior thesis (which it did).”

After her acceptance as one of the 10 USA/USA Program scholars in 2001, Olga has been actively giving back to the Program. She worked without monetary compensation for three summers at the USA/USA Seminars where, together with other volunteers, she instructed the new USA/USA scholars on how to write essays, study for the SATs and fill out financial aid forms. Besides teaching scholars about the technicalities of the application process, the USA/USA Seminars turn into galvanizing gatherings for young Ukrainian talent, inspiring them to reach high and work hard. Not every USA/USA scholar ends up coming to the United States, but each of them remembers their Seminar and is “never the same” after they’ve completed it.

Young scientific minds like Olga would not have had an opportunity to pursue their passion in science in Ukraine: they all confess that it’s a sad situation with inadequate equipment in the labs and low salaries for scientists. If they stayed back in Ukraine, these students would most probably have chosen other career paths, the same way Olga tried accounting, and their gift to science would be completely lost, both for Ukraine and for humanity. After coming to the United States they can work on their research and become true leaders in the field, and then set up world-class research labs in Ukraine. The USA/USA Program serves exactly these motivated, talented students, opening the doors of opportunity to regular Ukrainians from ordinary families who are eager to learn in a world-class environment.

I asked Olga in private whether she came to the USA to stay, to which she responded that she likes being in this country solely as a science student because “the labs are fantastic,” but she misses “the general atmosphere of Ukraine.”

To find out more about the USA/USA Program and its students please contact Yevheniya Krutko, the Executive Director of the organization.

USA/USA Program
80 Maiden Lane, suite 606
New York, NY 10038
Tel: +1-212-785-4170
Yevheniya@ukrainianscholarships.org

One part of the exhibition space is dedicated to a documentary portrait of the 419 advanced fee fraud, featuring books, CDs, objects, document portfolios and reproductions of documents and images, as well as scambaiter merchandising and a computer where links might be explored. This portrait includes an analysis of the internet culture that facilitates the success of 419, its legal ramifications, the world of anti-scam activism and scam-baiting, as well as a view into present day Nigeria and the cultural dynamics of Lagos where the scam originated.

Pep Dardanyà contributes the video installation "Correlation 1.1", which astutely points up the contradictions and ambivalences of culture contact between post-colonial Nigeria and the First World.

A full overview of the documentation to be exhibited and internet links related to the show have been posted here. A more complete press release from the previous venue in Vic is available here .

A video of the exhibit in Girona can be viewed on YouTube.

The article published in the Spanish daily El País on November 23 can be found here.

Project produced in collaboration with Centre d'Art Santa Mònica, Barcelona

Culture Minister George Voulgarakis announced on Tuesday that an indication will be placed at the Acropolis on March 26 that this emblem of Greek cultural heritage will be proclaimed the top monument on the European Heritage Monuments List being prepared. He was speaking here at the end of the informal meeting of European Union culture ministers.

The theme of the informal council was "The economy of culture", meaning economic activity about culture that produces income and jobs and constitutes a new dimension.

"We are still at the beginning. It is a policy in the making," Voulgarakis told Greek reporters, underlining the different starting points of rapprochement between countries whose "cultural" interests concern, for example, a developed cinema industry and others, such as Greece, whose "heavy artillery" of cultural interests lies in the utilisation of their cultural heritage.

The Greek minister also referred to the European Heritage Monuments List being prepared, that was scheduled recently at the initiative of France, Spain and Hungary and was supported by Greece, stressing that the ultimate aim of the undertaking is its inclusion in a programme of the European Union to enable funds to be found for the preservation of monuments.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is in Brussels for a General Affairs Council meeting, today opens an exhibition on "The International Charlemagne Prize of the City of Aachen" in the Council's Justus Lipsius building.

On display are portraits of the 48 people who have been awarded the prize from 1950 to 2006, including the founding fathers of Europe and personalities who have played a key part in promoting European unity such as Alcide de Gasperi (1952), Jean Monnet (1953) and Konrad Adenauer (1954), continuing through to present-day laureates like Valéry Giscard d’Estaing (2003), Patrick Cox/Pope John Paul II (2004), Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (2005) and Jean-Claude Juncker (2006).

In December 2006, the board of directors of the Charlemagne Prize Society decided that the 2007 International Charlemagne Prize would go to former Spanish foreign minister and ex-NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana Madariaga, now High Representative and Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union. Solana's great-uncle, Salvador de Madariaga, was also awarded the Charlemagne Prize in 1973. Traditionally, the award ceremony takes place in Aachen on Ascension Day. In 2007, this falls on 17 May.

The exhibition is one of the events in the Cultural Programme organized by the German EU Council Presidency.

The exhibition has been organized by the Foundation for the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen and the city of Aachen in cooperation with the German Foreign Office, the German Permanent Representation to the European Union and the Goethe-Institut, and has been co-sponsored by Deutsche Telekom.

Note for the media: This event is open to the media. If you are interested in attending, please contact the Council's Press Office.

Meeting of the European Union Troika and Afghanistan in Berlin

On 29 January 2007 a meeting between the European Union Troika and Afghanistan will take place at the Federal Foreign Office.

The talks will centre on the development of the situation in Afghanistan during the past year, the EU's activities in Afghanistan and Afghanistan's relations with its neighbours. The European Union is one of the most important promoters of reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Javier Solana, High Representative for the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for External Relations, will represent the European Union at the meeting, which is to be chaired by Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Foreign Minister Rangin Spanta will head the Afghan delegation. Portuguese Foreign Minister Luís Amado will also participate in the talks within the context of the incoming presidency.

(OPENPRESS) January, 12, 2007 Moscow, Russia -- Over 1,000 college and university students in Europe are highly motivated, dedicated, and reliable employees who are looking for a U.S. employer for the summer of 2007.

"We provide employers with English-speaking international students for unskilled service industry positions such as kitchen help, housekeepers, lifeguards, amusement park workers, and similar jobs. These are highly motivated college or university students who are all 18 and over. They all speak and understand English very well," explained Alex Lazarev, from the J-1 Jobs Group.

The J-1Jobs Group was founded by former participants of the Work and Travel program. They specialize in helping qualified students and American employers find each other. They do not charge employers for their placement services.

"The workers we provide all have the proper J-1 visa and are anxious to live and work in the U.S.A. for the summer. All of our participants are eager and motivated because they can earn more in the U.S. than in their homeland. The experience enables them to develop their theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as to enrich their command of the language and improve their communication skills. Students build their future and are patient, thoughtful, and very smart," said Lazarev.

More than 500 students have received jobs through the program in the past two years. More than 40 companies have hired the students, including McDonalds, Seven Eleven, Continental Pools, College Pro, Gabby's Kitchen, Squire Tarbox Inn, and LAM Enterprises amusement park.

"To get workers for next summer, you need to fill out a request now. Students must apply for a visa very soon, and to do so they must prove they have a job. That's why students need job offers from U.S. employers right now," said Lazarev.

Employers can find more information, and a form to request student employees by visiting http://www.GetSummerStaff.com on the Internet.

About J-1 Jobs Group:
The J-1 Jobs Group is a placement service for highly qualified, motivated, and reliable European college and university students who want summer jobs in the U.S.A. There is no fee to employers for the service.

Press Contact:
Alex Lazarev
U.S. Phone: (617) 326-3842

Press release services provided by http://www.ThatPRGuy.com.

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