Our founder

Žďaráček children's choir was set up in 1973 by our dear colleague PaedDr. Jiří Libra, who was the artistic director of the choir up to 2000. His selfless 27-year-long work brought unprecedented growth of choir singing in Žďár nad Sázavou. Here we have an interview provided by Mr. Libra in October 2016.

“Dear Mr. Libra, I am glad, that you are doing this interview with me and you remembering about your early life in Žďáráček. At the beginning, could you, please, tell me something about yourself, about your musical beginnings?”

“My dad was the country teacher. When I was young we lived in small remote village called Odranec. Well I was quite late in getting into music, because of the war. I was only ten years old, after the war, I had the opportunity to hear live and real music played. I watched the musicians during their performances and I started learn to play the violin. Coincidentally, I found a trumpet and decided to teach myself to play on it. Mine -not a lack of knowledge – I tried to to apply in the student orchestra in New Town Primary School, who was led by teacher Ferkl. I fell in love with music. When I was fourteen, I founded my own band and I thought about the military music school. When I was studying grammar school in Jihlava, I started to singing in the choral.”  

"Is there any personality that influenced you as a choirmaster? In your opinion, which qualities are significant for a choiremaster?"  

"One of my influences was Josef Mátl, my teacher in Jihlava who led the choir and folklore company there - I participated in both of them. When I started working with children choir, my ideal was Josef Kštica from Bytřice nad Perštejnem. But the most significant influence was indisputably Mr. Čestmír Stašek, the choirmaster of the choir of Czech Radio. Under his leadership I graduated in Children's Choir Singing at the folklore conservatoire in 1976-78."

“What qualities make a good choiremaster?”

"Besides the necessary music assumption, the good choiremaster should be patient, persistent, and mostly understanding of the needs and interests of children in the choir.