The Colorful Singing World of Jaromír Nečas 2026: They Live with a Song

Concert of the Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments and its soloists as part of the 2nd edition of the international cross-genre radio showcase The Colorful Singing World of Jaromír Nečas 2026.

A leading figure not only of folk song, cimbalom player, composer, and above all lifelong radio editor Jaromír Nečas (1922–2015) introduced several generations of radio listeners to music that carried a powerful message—whether through the energy of the music and lyrics themselves or through the personality of the performer. In 1952, he was among the founders of BROLN, a professional ensemble dedicated to the interpretation of folk music in various degrees of stylization. Over more than seventy years, thanks to the creative work of its members, many songs have been revived or have even entered popular tradition. The long-term, informed work of BROLN’s dramaturgs, arrangers, and musicians has significantly shaped and influenced the form of musical folklorism and the perception of folk song in our country.

The concert will feature the current generation of musicians from the Brno Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments, led for the past ten years by primáš Petr Varmuža. One of the orchestra’s greatest strengths has always been its vocal soloists, who convincingly present the song traditions of their respective regions. In the concert program They Live with a Song, we will hear soloists who represent not only their regions but also different stages of life. The program will include songs reflecting the playfulness of childhood, the boldness of youth, and expressions shaped by life experience. Emotions, of course, will not be missing—most notably love, which in its many forms runs through both our lives and song traditions.

The orchestra will be joined by winners of the children’s singing competition Děti a píseň, as well as experienced resident soloists of BROLN. The program will include arrangements not only by Jaromír Nečas, but especially by Pavel Trkan, who has been the orchestra’s leading arranger for nearly twenty years. Vocal soloists will include, for example, Kamila Tomšejová, Lucie Fabišíková, the Juračák sisters, Alexandra Pokorná, Aleš Smutný, Michal Janošek, Pavel Ptáček, František Černý, and others.

The concert will be hosted by radio editor and music dramaturg Jaroslav Kneisl.

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