Thursday, August 12, 2010
August 12, 2010
Join us at the Czech Center Museum Houston in Brno Gallery for Cocktails and Networking. Bring your recently engaged friends and anyone who would love to entertain in a Baroque-Styled Palace. Once on a kind in the prestigious Museum District.
My Catering Company will provide free hors d’oeuvres and you will have the best opportunity to discuss menu pricing with this reputable company.
My Catering Company and The Czech Center Museum Houston invite you to meet and mingle.
What more could you ask for on a Thursday Summer night?
5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
COVA Wine Networking Event
Wednesday, April 14, 2010. 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Email: ericlawhon@covawines.com for more information
http://www.covawines.com/
Tom Hrncirik and Helene Baine Cincebeaux Commemoration
6:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. Brno Gallery.
CCMH reception honors Texan Tom Hrncirik and New Yorker Helene Baine Cincebeaux for their co-editing achievement for sixteen years on Krasna Morava, a beautiful publication on Moravia, Czech Republic and special guest Josef Ivaska, International vocalist, the man of a thousand songs you will remember from our grand opening February/March 2005.
Free to the public.
Arts & Artists of the World
One day only. 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Brno Gallery.
Sandria Hu, Professor of Art, University of Houston Clear Lake presents 
Arts and Artists of the World. The works of Czech Republic’s, Xenia Hoffmeisterova; from Serbia, Aleksandar Mladenovic and Aleksandra Kekovic; and from Mexico, artist Carlos Torralba.
Meet the artists at a food and beverage reception which follows. Free to the public.
RSVP to: hu@uhcl.eduThe Three Magi
The three Magi, who will be the focal point of Dr. Carolyn Sumner‘s presentation Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at our Star of Wonderment Eve celebration, are most prominently mentioned in the Bible passage below from Matthew:
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this he was disturbed…Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared…they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” -Matthew 2:1-12
On this twelfth night of Christmas January 6 we will have the opportunity to find out what was actually going on in the night sky as the three magi made their way to the baby Jesus.
Please make sure to RSVP as soon as possible for this magical event. 713-528-2060 or valerie@czechcenter.org
Star of Wonderment Eve
The Czech Center Museum Houston is excited to host a glorious top Star Event to start out the new year Wednesday, January 6, 2010 from 6:30-8:30pm in “Galaxy Hall” in the CCMH. This is a celebration of the twelfth day of Christmas of song and lore. We have a sneak preview of an upcoming “unveiling.” We will also hear Dr. Carolyn Sumners, Vice President of Astronomy and the Physical Sciences at Houston Museum of Natural Science and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University present just what was really going on out there the evening the three Magi were following that Star “in Wonderment.” It will be a Star event and we expect to attract interesting and interested people. We hope you will be with us.
Admission of $35.00 includes dinner, presentation and musical entertainment. There will be a beverage bar as well as complimentary valet parking.
Please contact us at 713-528-2060, valerie@czechcenter.org or look online at www.czechcenter.org for more information.
Thanks and we hope to see you here!
Construction
There's been a lot of commotion on the third floor these past weeks!
Being a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, the Czech Center Museum relies upon its wonderful patrons to share in and support this grand vision of creating an institution that not only educates the public on Czech and Slovak heritage, but also serves as a catalyst in the exploration of all heritages as we push for a more global community. For some time now, the CCMH has had its first two floors finished out with Wenceslas Chapel and the historic Brno Gallery on the first floor and the gorgeous Prague Hall on the second. In the past several weeks we have gotten a little closer to finishing out the whole Baroque Palace, as construction continues at a furious pace on the third floor, which will eventually become a library and rotating exhibition space. Although the first crucial steps are underway, there is still a long ways to go. To add your support to the cause, you can always email us at czech@czechcenter.org!
The CCMH and Jitka Frankova
As posted below, Jitka Frankova will be performing at the Czech Center Museum Houston Monday, December 14 at 6:30 pm with reception to follow. The CCMH has known Jitka for quite a while; in fact Mrs. Effie Rosene recently sent out this memory of Jitka in our e-newsletter:
It’s a beautiful story. In 2001 Rice University piano faculty director Dr. Robert Roux called me for help in finding lodging hopefully with a Czech family for a brilliant young pianist from Ceśke Budejovice, Czech Republic. We were still in our location at Northwest Mall at the time working hard to build the CCMH someday. I broadcast an SOS first to our Board of Directors, Beatrice Mladenka Fowler whose home had just been vacated by her daughter Catherine and son Michael off to school out of state, connected immediately with Jitka. Not long after son Michael began noticing Jitka and vice versa. We remember Jitka’s fundraiser concert in the Fowler home with a delicious buffet dinner with a huge turkey in a Tux stuffed with delectable chicken salad and Jitka’s career only went up from there. We remember the night she finished her master’s recital at Rice Stude Hall. In fact I remember it really well. We at CCMH were feting Jitka with a celebration reception. In my 
excitement I ran down Stude’s steps to open the Reception Room only to misstep with a really big sliding “whap” on my back at the bottom of the landing. Stunned and in fear of paralysis I managed to get up and out the door, stood against the outer corridor wall and very graciously slid down it in a dead faint. I awakened to lots of people around me. I understand I was busy introducing people from right there on the floor! The party started without me, a real success as I was told, for the brilliant young pianist! I was spending five hours in Hermann Hospital Emergency Rooms, not near “emergency enough” to be seen, with so many serious cases around, i.e. shootings and stabbings. Eventually I was told I probably suffered a trauma to my Sciatic nerve from the fall and went home with a Tylenol. Yes, I do remember Jitka’s musical successes! Her doctorate two years later including another beautiful performance, she has such a lovely, personal performing style! The next big chapter included a story book wedding to Michael in a castle in her hometown of Ceske Budejovice and many months in European travel, then back to the states to work in a University Music Department in Fredonia, New York while Michael taught. The last several years in Prague she has continued an international career with multiple performances in various countries, symphonies, orchestras and solo concerts. We will get to meet Jitka’s parents, hear her on KUHF’s Front Row interview on Monday, the day of her concert. We hear the magnitude of her concert music requires a Grand Steinway so that is really exciting to experience. In the meanwhile we do have two baby grand Petrofs of which we are duly proud.
You really ought to come out for this performance. The price is right, there is a reception and it may well be the greatest you will ever hear—Jitka Fowler Frankova’s Return to Houston with another concert at the Czech Center Museum Houston in Prague Hall. Yes, we really feel Jitka is one of our own! So is Michael.
For booking contact Valerie quickly at 713-528-2060, Valerie@czechcenter.org or online in our calendar section at www.czechcenter.org.
Jitka Frankova Returns to Houston Concert
Monday, December 14 at 6:30 pm in Prague Hall the CCMH is pleased to present Jitka Frankova who will enchant us with music from the masters including Czech composers Dvorak, Smetana, Janacek and Martinu.
Concert pianist Jitka Frankova
To RSVP please contact us quickly at 713-528-2060, valerie@czechcenter.org or online in our calendar section at www.czechcenter.org.
St. Nicholas Visits the CCMH
The time is upon us for the Czech Center Museum Houston’s annual St. Nicholas Celebration. This year the festivities will be held this Friday, December 4 with a Free Family Children’s Hour from 6:30-7:30 and dinner and entertainment following. Tickets to the dinner portion of the evening are $50 per guest, to be paid in advance. You may RSVP to Valerie at 713-528-2060, valerie@czechcenter.org or online at http://www.czechcenter.org/calendar/calendar.asp. We hope to see you here!
St. Nicholas
The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time, the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.
Obeying Jesus’ words to ‘sell what you own and give the money to the poor,’ Nicholas used his 
whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man.
Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.
Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. He was released later, died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day. St. Nicholas is patron saint of sailors and protector of children and ferrymen.
We look forward to seeing you here!
