Choral Studio Permonik

Choral Studio Permonik from the Bedrich Smetana School of Arts in Karvina, Czech Republic, has built a great tradition of choral singing. It was founded in 1966 by Eva Seinerova and Ivan Seiner. Both of them still stay in the leading positions of the studio - Mrs. Seinerova as the Artistic Director, Mr. Seiner as the Honorary President. They actively ran the studio for the whole 50 years until they passed their roles to the successors who grew up in Permonik as well – to the current Choirmaster Martina Jurikova and the current Executive President Petr Kazik.

Choral studio Permonik is beeing attended by approximately 220 singers, age 5 to 60. Therefore the studio is divided to the particular choirs according to their age and experience. All the children are going through the hours of rehearsals, stage preparations and concerts until they get into Youth Choir Permonik, where are the most experienced singers who spread the name of the choral studio all over the world. The purpose of the choir is to bring the arts, joy, and hart to audiences home and abroad. Spectators from Sweden to Greece, Great Britain to Russia, in Japan´s Fuji and Schizuoka, at concerts in China, South Korea, Sydney, the United States, and the Czech Republic have appreciated the choir´s performances.

The purpose of the choral studio is to bring arts, joy, and hart to audiences home and abroad. Spectators from Sweden to Greece, the United Kingdom to Russia, in Japan´s Fuji and Schizuoka, specators at concerts in China, South Korea, Sydney, the United States, and the Czech Republic have appreciated the choirs’ performances.

Youth Choir Permonik

Youth Choir Permonik performs choral literature for children's, girls' and women's chorales, yet it is not focused on a strictly defined genre or a musical style or period. Both foreign and domestic contemporary composers participate in the choir’s performances and dedicate their compositions to the choir, including Petr Eben, Ilja Hurnik, Jan Jirasek, Ivana Loudova, Otmar Macha, Jan Vicar, Irena Szurmanova (CZ), Alexandr Fljarkovskij, Igor V. Katajev (Russia) Ofer Ben-Amots, Paul Salerni (USA) or Masaru Kawasaki (Japan).

Recent awards include:
  • Golden award – international competition Golden Nightingale, Carmarthen, UK (2008)
  • Laureate of the 2nd grade – international competition and festival The Singing world, St. Petersburg, Russia (2009)
  • Absolute winners – New York Choral Festival, Alice Tully Hall, USA (2010)
  • Absolute winners – Australian International Music Festival in Sydney, Sydney Opera House (2011)
  • Absolute winners – New York Choral Festival, Carnegie Hall, USA (2013)
  • Golden award – Busan Choral Festival and Competition, ethnic and a capella categories, South Korea (2014)
  • Golden award – New York Sounds of Spring International Music Festival, world’s premiere of Jeremy Van Buskirk’s Closer to Home in Carnegie Hall, USA (2016)
Youth Choir Permonik has been honoured to cooperate with significant Czech orchestras and Czech and foreign conductors. The choral studio has released 17 CD recordings, mainly with contemporary music performed by Permonik. Concert activities of Permonik are substantially supported by the Statutory City of Karvina as well as by other partners. Running of the studio is provided by four main elements - Artistic Board, Foundation Board, Parents Council and Executive Office.

Highly proffesional level of performances is provided by six choirmasters and five pianists with a kind custody of Mr. and Mrs. Seiner. Our most appreciated devision is that all the choimasters grew up in Permonik and hence they are bound by the same musical opinion and choral philosophy. However, they wouldn’t be able to work without a perfect organizational background which is provided by Vera Pazderova who runs the Executive Office of the studio.


And for the curious ones… Why Permonik?

There are coal mines around our hometown. The legend says that deep under the surface miners are being helped and protected by little good pixies called permoniks. Therefore in 1972 our choir was symbolically given this name from miners of Karvina, for music can bind, calm and protect, same as permoniks do.