News from Berlin
Gala Concert - “German Sky – Slovak Stars”
June 25th, 2014
News from Berlin - The Slovakian Ambassador to Germany, His Excellency Igor Slobodoník and Dr. Viera Polakovičová, the director of the Slovak institute, hosted a gala concert with the name “German Sky – Slovak Stars” at the St-Hedwigs Cathedral in Berlin yesterday. The organist Bernadetta Šuňavská played music from German and Slovak composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Adrej Očenáš and Ján Levoslav Bella, as well as famous composers from other countries such as Mozart and Mussorgski.
Šuňavská is originally from Slovakia but now lives in Stuttgart. She is one of the most famous slovak organists and has studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and in Stuttgart with Jon Laukvik, where she received her Soloist Diploma with distinction in 2006. She has won multiple awards including the International Organ Competition in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Perhaps one of her most interesting achievements is an award she received from the Slovak Minister of Education in 2001. Receiving recognition from a politician proves, that music goes beyond sound and can change things for the better.
This was a great opportunity for Germans and Slovaks to celebrate their cultures through their music and famous composers. As we have seen in the past with the US Jazz Ambassadors or the Eurovision Song Contest, music is a fantastic way to practice Cultural Diplomacy.
News from Berlin – Berlin Global