THE LITTLE CHANTER 1995 - 2006

It is very delightful that the folklore songs are been performed by children in our ensembles, in schools, and our families through the year. Of course, we are happy to hear it even more during the first months of each year, at the time of the school, local, county and regional rounds of the National Competition of the children’s folklore singers The Little Chanter. This competition is been organized for last ten years at the beginning of May by the Folklorni sdruzeni CR with help and support of many sponsors in beautiful environment of the spa Velke Losiny.

The Folklore Association of the Czech Republic supports and organizes the national program as the natural development of interest in the children’s’ singing not only in the folklore ensembles, but also in art groups, schools or art schools. Since 1993 the Association followed the tradition in competitions and concerts of children’s’ singers of the folklore music, some of those were sponsored by the Czech television or radio.

After almost 2 years of preparations the Folklore Association of teh Czech Republic organizes in 1995 the testing - later called the first - year of the National Competition The Little Chanter in beautiful park of the Spa Velke Losiny. At that time, there were already involved tens of official organizers in the local, district and regional rounds, hundreds of directors of our member folklore choirs, representatives of the regional folklore associations and representatives of the cities or villages cultural establishments. As of this year we have 50 children carefully chosen competitors from regional rounds from all Czech Republic to sing in the National round in Velke Losiny. The winners from this competition from last year and the most successful singers from similar competitions in Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and other countries will be special guests in Velke Losiny as well.

Following the Slovak model of competition Slovakian Slavik (The Nightingale), our organizers decided in 1999 to open a category of singers of folklore songs - boys and girls at the age 10-15. Since the same year the professional jury chooses 10 most successful singers and those are invited or delegated with the assistance of the main organizer to numerous concerts in the Czech republic and Slovakia.

The prestige of the competition grew significantly in the year 2000 when Peter Dvrosky became the main sponsor. In the same year the Folklore Association of the Czech Republic included to the International Festival of the children’s folklore ensembles Pisni a tancem (By the Song and Dance) in Luhacovice an entry named The Concert of the Winners. Twenty of the most successful competitors from last two years of the National Competition The Little Chanter perform at the Concert of the Winners. The following Concert of the Winners was included on the program in 2002 and it is on the program this year as well.

Peter Dvorsky opened in 2001 the possibility to have a joined concert of the competitions The Little Chanter and Slavik (The Nightingale) in Bratislava, Slovakia. Similar concert was organized in 2002 in Prague by the Folklore Association of the Czech Republic , the Kongress Center and the Municipality of the city of Prague. The main sponsor Peter Dvorsky and special guest Eva Urbanova were present as well. For this occasion the Folklore Association of the Czech Republic with the Czech Rozhlas a.s. and Radioservis issued the first CD The Little Chanter-Slavik. The joined concert was organized in 2003 in Bratislava in the concert hall of the Slovak philharmonic, Reduta. The following concerts happened in turns is Prague (2004, 2006) and Bratislava (2005).

The winners of the each years of the National Competition The Littel Chanter in Velke Losiny and the holders of the honorary titul The Golden Chanter are in the years order Miklošková Jiřina from Kuželov (1999), Kosík Milan from Moravska Nova Ves (2000), Plaširybová Klára from Veselí nad Moravou (2001), Kozieľ Filip from Česky Těšín (2002), Otáhalová Jana from Stary Poddvorov (2003), Beníček Tomáš from Bánov (2004), Macháček Libor from Želetice (2005) and Hrubošová Petra from Veletin (2006). Since 2005 there is a speciál Award of Jaroslav Jurasek which was given to Ševčíková Jarmila from Opava (2005) and Mrlinová Lenka from Liptál (2006).


PhDr. František Synek
místopředseda Folklorního sdružení ČR/deputy chairman of the Folklore Association of the Czech Republic

INFORMATION: http://www.fos.cz