Mutual Inspirations Festival Launch and Concert with Pianist Katelyn Bouska

Sept. 6, at 6 pm

Embassy of the Czech Republic
3900 Spring of Freedom Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008

RSVP required

The Embassy of the Czech Republic presents the launch of the Mutual Inspirations Festival with a special concert and the presentation "A Life Reflected in Music - The Story of Eliška Junková, 'Fastest Women in the World'" featuring pianist Katelyn Bouska.

Je?ek’s Bugatti Step (1930) remains his most performed work, famous for its driving motoric rhythms and glittering virtuosity. In it is perfectly reflected Czechoslovakia’s First Republic with its desire for dizzying speeds, daring new fashions and architectural innovation. Equally interesting but lesser-known is the inspiration behind the piece, Eliška Junková (1900-1994).

After becoming the first woman to win a Grand Prix event in the 1920s in her Bugatti, Junková’s racing success earned her the title “Fastest Woman in the World.” Her racing highlights, however, are but a small segment of a remarkable life spanning the entirety of the 20th century. The program traces her life as it winds through the many cultural and political changes. Each period is brought to life by the music of her contemporaries and that of her own composition teacher, Leoš Janáček.

Composers featured: Otilie Dvořáková-Suková, Leoš Janáček, Jaroslav Je?ek, Vítězslava Kaprálová, Ivana Loudová, and Sláva Vorlová.

Katelyn Bouska is currently based in Philadelphia where she serves on the Music Studies Faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music. Her commitment for informed and personal musical expression extends beyond her piano studio into seminars on performance practice, continuo and period repertoire, and bringing to light music covered by the passage of time. Her unique programming combining rarely heard Czech and American music with music written specifically for her by rising composers has found an audience throughout the U.S. and on the international stage.