Singing group "Nostalgia"
This singing group, today already a choir, has grown from a group of enthusiasts and fans of Czech traditional songs, who started to come together and sing for their own pleasure. Out of love for Czech songs they started to sing, and the wish to share the beauty of traditional songs with others led them to their first public appearances.
That is how the mixed singing group, later named "Nostalgia," came into being. Until now, it has performed many times on stages in Primorsko-goranska county, in the mountain region (Gorski Kotar), Opatija, Rijeka, and in many towns all around Croatia (home towns of other Besedas), as well as in the Czech Republic (Bílovice nad Svitavou, Němčice nad Hanou, Římov, Chomutov, Hostěradice, Ostrava…).
In the fall of the year 2000, Mr. Petr Trunec of the Czech Republic began to work with the group. This musician and recognized choir conductor opened the door into the world of choir singing for them, was their first conductor, and the results of his work left a permanent mark. After Mr. Trunec left Croatia, choir leading and conduction was taken over by Tony Řehák, who still leads the choir today.
Choreographer Ms. Zetová gave a tape of Croatian Czech songs made by this group to Czech musician Miroslav Císař in the year 2000, asking for his professional opinion of these songs. The first song book “Songs of Czech people in Croatia” was published based on Mr. Císař’s recommendations.
Czech Beseda Rijeka organized the first Zpěvánke, a festival of Czech singing groups and choirs from Croatia, in September 2001, under sponsorship of the Czech Union in Croatia. The second Zpěvánke were held in 2003, also in Rijeka, and the sponsor was the Mayor of the City of Rijeka, Mr. Vojko Obersnel.
