Fund Raising & Charitable Activities
Page last updated Apr 10 2005
The Dvořák Society is dedicated to providing charitable support to young Czech or Slovak artists whenever a deserving cause is identified and our funds allow. In addition, the Society has led specific fund raising appeals for dedicated projects where the sums involved are outside our usual funding capability. These include:
Details of these initiatives are given below.
The Dartington Scholarship Appeal
Objective: to raise sufficient capital which, when invested, will provide a place in perpetuity for a Czech or Slovak student at the annual Dartington International Summer School.
Date Launched: August 1998
Date Completed: first Award September 1999 to Lukáš Bendl (organ scholar), to study with David Titterington.
Target: £10,000 (Revised upwards from £8,000 to cover reduction in investment returns due to lower interest rates).
Achieved: £5,100 as at December 2001.
Status: fund is open.
In 2004 the selected students were Slovak singer Ivana Mikesková (from Nitra) and Czech composer Tomáš Pálka (from Brno)—more details in Newsletter 69.
Ivana Mikesková and Tomáš Pálka
with Graham Melville-Mason at Dartington
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The Vysoká Project
Objective: Dvořák's summer home at Vysoká near Příbram is a place where he found solace and inspiration leading to the creation of many important works. The house, still owned by the family, was in need of significant remedial work and the Society decided to raise funds towards its preservation. This work follows three distinct phases—
Phase 1: To produce a photographic and video record of all contents and artefacts.
Phase 2: To provide sufficient funds to assist the Dvorak family in making immediate repairs to the fabric of the building. This is to include repairs to the roof and windows to make the building weatherproof and to the boundary wall for security. An on-going series of repairs and improvements is planned in order to preserve this important location and its contents.
Phase 3: Provision for longer-term preservation, repairs and security as funds allow.
Date Launched: July 1994.
Date Completed: Phase 1, July 1994; Phase 2, November 1994; Phase 3, on going.
Target: £3,500.
Achieved: £6,000.
Status: Fund is now closed with £2,300 reserve.
Dvořák’s summer house at Vysoká near Příbram.
The Society has assisted the Dvořák family to make
significant repairs and maintenance of this
important location.
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The Computer Fund
Objective: To provide the Dvořák Society of Prague with the hardware and software for the establishment of an International Dvořák Database. The system comprises computer, printer and database software in three languages (Czech, English & German) and is installed at the Dvořák Museum, Villa America, Ke Karlovu 20, Prague 2.
Date Launched: April 1991
Date Completed: September 1991
Target: £3–4,000 (revised to £7,000)
Achieved: £8,000 (£2,300 reserve for future upgrades & maintenance)
Status: Fund is now closed
Dr Markéta Hallová (Director, The Dvořák Museum,
Prague), Dr Jarmil Burghauser (President, The
Dvořák Society of Prague) and Dr Graham
Melville-Mason, (Chairman, The Dvořák Society of
Great Britain) at the presentation of the computer
at the Dvořák Museum, Prague, September 1991.
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The Society welcomes financial support from all sources towards furthering our charitable aims.
UK tax payers can make donations under the government “Gift Aid” scheme and thereby enable the Society to recover income tax paid on the sum.
For further details, please contact any of the executive officers listed on our introduction page. www.dvorak-society.org