Janáček Academy
of Performing Arts
© Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU), 2021
ISBN 978-80-7460-184-2
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
3
Table of Contents
1. A Word from the Rector / 4
2. Studies at JAMU in a new structure for students and the public / 10
3. Internal Quality Assurance System / 18
4. Festivals and Competitions / 20
5. JAMU School Stages / 24
6. Science, Research, Publications / 32
7. Internationalisation / 36
8. Congratulations / 38
9. Ensuring of activities from a material and technological point of view / 42
4
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
5
In 2020, the universities as well as the society as a
whole have been exposed to a situation that none of
us have experienced before. And just like its
affiliated academy in Prague, our academy has
begun to undergo a completely new experience in
the teaching of music and drama study programmes.
The beginning year was set so that everything could
be realised in the necessary continuity of the
continued activity and successful development of
the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno
(hereinafter referred to as JAMU). The long-awaited
international external evaluation of JAMU was
prepared and preparatory steps were initiated for
the evaluation of scientific and research activities by
an international evaluation panel. Discussions were
initiated on new strategic materials, especially JAMU
Strategic Plan 2021+. The Theatre Faculty and the
Faculty of Music carefully prepared both important
international events, which place JAMU in the
European and world context – the 30th
anniversary
year of the Mezinárodní festival divadelních škol
SETKÁNÍ/ENCOUNTER (International Festival of
Theatre Schools Encounter) and the 26th
year of the
Mezinárodní soutěž Leoše Janáčka (Leoš Janáček
International Competition), as well as other events
of international dimension. The award of honorary
doctorates to two world music personalities – singer
Magdalena Kožená and conductor Simon Rattle –
was in full preparation, and the intention was to
award an honorary doctorate to the eminent
Norwegian and European playwright Jon Fose
before the end of the year. Last but not least, the
respective Academic Senates began preparations for
the elections of the deans of both faculties, which
needed to be held in the first and second half of
2020. A long series of these and other ambitious
goals have been set to be achieved in various
spheres of JAMU life and activities...
But then in March, the first wave of the coronavirus
pandemic arrived and it was necessary to respond
promptly to the critical situation, which affected all
the school's activities. The restrictive measures have
hit hardest the vital area of personal contact
learning for the art schools of our programming, and
for the most part, the artistic outputs of our
students – especially the graduate ones –, that
depend entirely on collective contact work. Unlike
non-art schools, it was very difficult to convert a
system of study primarily based on individual or
studio teaching into any alternative forms.
Nevertheless, it was necessary to take this path,
which was a really emergency one for art
universities, and to convert teaching to online mode
within the limits of the possibilities. This was most
feasible for theoretical subjects and partly for other
methodological subjects of artistic creation, while
for all practical subjects based on and dependent on
artistic interpretation it was extremely difficult to
the point of impracticability. Teachers were faced
with questions about how to teach, for example,
playing an instrument, acting or dancing at distance,
and they had to search for answers with all their
experience, creative and mental energy. For many of
them – life experienced and renowned artists – the
necessity of online teaching was a considerable
frustration. What was particularly complicated was
the situation with the conclusion of studies as the
vast majority of JAMU students complete a specific
level of their studies with a public performance,
which includes a commission evaluation. With the
enormous efforts of both faculties, this task was
eventually successfully accomplished thanks to the
involvement of technology, the commitment of
academic staff and, last but not least, the
administrative and organisational forces of both
faculties.
With the extraordinary efforts of all, the Faculty of
Music managed to realise 60 concerts in two weeks.
Thus, even in a state of emergency, continuity and
completion of studies was maintained, although
undoubtedly the realisation of these concerts in
front of empty halls with only opponents or
committees in the auditoriums brought
considerable frustration to the performing students
because the live reaction of the audience, usually
emotionally underlined by the presence of families,
friends and potential employers, simply cannot be
replaced. Even though their operation was limited,
the Theatre Faculty managed to stage 40 theatre
performances in both school theatres, the premiere
of a remarkable student-authored production
having to be postponed from March to September
and eventually being given only two performances.
Even other productions had a limited number of
performances and the graduation festival had to be
rescheduled from May to September, but even on
this alternative date it was only half realised due to
the newly emerging pandemic.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
6
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
7
All of this has thus had a significant impact on the
most visible sphere of JAMU's activities from the
point of view of the general public – the public
presentation of the artistic outputs of both
faculties in concert halls and theatres (not only on
the territory of the school). In 2019 JAMU held
more than 250 concerts and over 170 theatre
performances per year, whereas in 2020, musical
events with public access were practically
impossible to hold and the number of theatre
performances open to the public was reduced to a
quarter, thus greatly weakening the otherwise very
prestigious third role of JAMU. In addition, for
graduating students of both the Theatre Faculty
and the Faculty of Music, the public concerts and
performances, which are also attended by
representatives of the professional sphere of both
art forms, are a gateway to artistic practice and an
opportunity to obtain offers for professional
engagements. The pandemic situation changed a
number of other ambitious plans – after the March
restrictions initiated after the outbreak of the
epidemic, the traditional April International
Festival of Theatre Schools Encounter, which was
supposed to celebrate its 30th
anniversary with a
well-prepared international cast, had to be
cancelled just a few weeks before it was due to
take place at the Theatre Faculty, and later even
the Leoš Janáček International Competition and the
53rd
Mezinárodní mistrovské interpretační kurzy
(International Musical Interpretation
Masterclasses), two prestigious events of the
Faculty of Music, had to be cancelled. The same
fate befell the Ceremonies for the Awarding of
Honorary Doctorates planned for the end of
October and November, the autumn Festival bicích
nástrojů (International Percussion Festival) and
other events presenting mainly the artistic
activities of both faculties of JAMU. While the
above-mentioned prestigious public events had to
be cancelled, the planned activities ensuring the
continuity of the school's functioning continued.
Associate Professor Mgr. Petr Francán, Ph.D.
defended his position at the Theatre Faculty and
will be heading the faculty for the next four years.
At the Faculty of Music, after Prof. Jindřich Petráš
finished his work as dean after two terms, Prof.
Barbara Maria Willi, Ph.D., a leading Czech
harpsichordist with German roots, an expert in the
interpretation of historical music and head of the
Department of Historical Interpretation, was newly
elected as dean and in mid-November picked up
the "imaginary baton". However, due to
government regulations, both ceremonial acts, the
confirmation for a second term of the current dean
of the Theatre Faculty and the inauguration of the
new dean of the Faculty of Music, had to take place
only in a private chamber version. However, in a
number of areas – such as the handling of
operational projects – work has continued
successfully despite the complicated situation.
JAMU has been implementing two individual ERDF
projects within the framework of OP RDE
(Operational Programme Research, Development
and Education) for the fourth year: “Zkvalitnění
infrastruktury studijního programu Hudební umění
na JAMU” (Improvement of the Infrastructure of
the Study Programme Musical Arts at JAMU) and
the project “Zkvalitnění infrastruktury studijního
programu Dramatická umění na JAMU”
(Improvement of the Infrastructure of the Study
Programme Dramatic Arts at JAMU) at
the Theatre Faculty. Another project of the Theatre
Faculty – “Další rozvoj vzdělávací infrastruktury na
Divadelní fakultě JAMU s ohledem na praxi”
(Further Development of the Educational
Infrastructure at JAMU Theatre Faculty with
Regard to Practice) – was added. In 2020, a total of
CZK 33,933,580 of investment funds was invested,
of which the ERDF share amounted to CZK
32,236,910. JAMU was also successful, as it has
been regularly in recent years, in competing in
centralised projects of the Ministry of Education
and Science based on cooperation with other,
mostly art universities. As an example of all the
projects, we can mention the joint activity of
selected art faculties consisting in the presentation
of the outputs of their studies in public space. The
main result of the project was a large joint
exhibition with accompanying events in the entire
space of the Brno House of the Lords of Kunštát in
November 2020. It is a shame that although it was
installed in a physically high design quality, it could
only be available to viewers online. Even so, it
provided a remarkable insight into the artistic
activities of the participating faculties. Other
projects have been affected by the epidemiological
situation more dramatically. In particular, projects
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
8
based on internationalisation or on public
presentations by students and teachers had to be
reduced or converted to alternative forms of
solutions.
In 2019, after several years of school-wide
discussions and working meetings at various levels,
the new visual style of JAMU was successfully
completed and, according to the plan, it was
followed by the creation of a completely new
website design and its gradual launch in 2020.
After a demanding preparation at the faculty level
as well as school-wide and preparatory
international communication, the international
external evaluation of JAMU was carried out by
two different evaluation agencies "MusiQue" on
the AEC platform for music and EQ-Arts on the ELIA
platform for theatre, due to the specificities of
both faculties of JAMU. Both final reports were
overwhelmingly positive and provided a number of
important suggestions for immediate decisions
and the future direction of the school. They
became one of the important bases for the
preparation of JAMU Strategic Plan 2021+, the
Institutional Plan and other fundamental
documents of our university.
While the stay of the international external
evaluation teams took place from 1st
to 4th
March,
i.e. at the time just before the first attack of the
pandemic in the Czech Republic, and the joint
working retreat of the three JAMU colleges (the
Rector's and both faculties), very important for the
internal preparation of JAMU Strategic Plan 2021+,
took place between the two epidemic waves on the
first weekend in September at the MENDELU
facility in Křtiny (besides other things an example
of a good cooperation at the level of Brno
universities), another important event in the
quality verification process of JAMU, the
evaluation under the new methodology of
research organisations International Evaluation
Panel from 22nd
to 26th
October already had to take
place fully online.
As an example of the investment actions of the
year under review, we can undoubtedly mention
the completion of the reconstruction of the
premises for the scenography studio on Bayerova
Street.
Even in the difficult conditions of the "coronavirus"
year, the students and teachers of both faculties of
JAMU achieved a number of successes, a brief
recapitulation of which can be found in the chapter
"Congratulations". A significant award went to
Prof. MgA. Alena Štěpánková Veselá, the first
rector of JAMU after 1989, who was awarded the
Medal of Merit (for the state in the field of art and
education) by the President of the Republic on the
occasion of the national holiday on 28th
October
2020. Among the outstanding personalities from
many fields of human activity, the prestigious Brno
City Award for 2020 was also awarded to Prof.
Jindřiška Bártová, Professor of the Faculty of Music
at JAMU.
In order to ensure the teaching and studying
process in the extremely difficult conditions of the
coronavirus pandemic and the resulting
restrictions in practically all JAMU activities,
extreme efforts were necessary. In order to
preserve the basic functions of the school, to
ensure the teaching and quality of graduating
classes and not to completely impede further
development, it required extraordinary work
commitment and creative ingenuity of all academic
staff and school’s employees as well as active
cooperation of the students.
A big thank you to everyone for their work in the
difficult conditions of 2020.
Prof. Mgr. Petr Oslzlý
Rector of JAMU
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
9
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
10
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
11
Teaching and its quality is the main task which is the
focus of all JAMU activities. Almost three quarters of
a century have passed since its foundation. The
system of fields of study was gradually created and
then gradually stabilised and supplemented with
new study programmes and specialisations from the
1990s onwards. In this continuous development, if it
is to have a clear positive progression, it is necessary
to pause at certain regular intervals and allow not
only an ongoing internal evaluation of the whole
school but also an independent external view,
preferably of an international nature.
And this is what happened in 2020, when an
international external evaluation of JAMU was
successfully carried out by two different European
evaluation agencies, "MusiQue" on the AEC
platform for music and EQ-Arts on the ELIA platform
for theatre, due to the specifics of both faculties of
JAMU. The final reports of both institutions were
overwhelmingly positive and provided a number of
important suggestions, not only for the study area.
The year 2020 also completed the process of gradual
transformation of individual fields of study into
study programmes and specialisations, with dozens
of original fields of study gradually transformed into
fourteen study programmes at the Faculty of Music
and six programmes at the Theatre Faculty. During
this process, the current state and development in
the artistic, artistic-teaching and artisticmanagement
professions in the field of theatre,
music and audio-vision was fully taken into account
and the fundamental structure of studies at JAMU
for the next strategic period 2021+ was fixed for a
longer period of time, which was also fully reflected
in JAMU Strategic Plan 2021+ and other related
documents.
The role of study programme guarantors has been
clarified and emphasised – in particular, they
coordinate the content preparation of the study
programme, supervise the quality of its
implementation, evaluate the study programme and
further develop it.
Applications for new accreditations and reaccreditations
of study programmes and
specialisations were submitted at both faculties.
At the Theatre Faculty, the application concerned
accreditation of the study programme Drama and
Education with the specialisations Theatre and
Education, Theatre and Education for the Deaf and
Movement Theatre and Education with the
guarantor Prof. PhDr. Veronika Broulíková and the
application was submitted as an output of the ESF II
project “Prohloubení kvality vzdělávání na Divadelní
fakultě JAMU a jeho relevance pro potřeby praxe”
(Enhancing the Quality of Education at JAMU
Theatre Faculty and its Relevance for the Needs of
Practice). The project focused mainly on the work of
the students of the artistic-teaching programme and
cooperation with school institutions in the design
and implementation of the practice. Accreditation
for this study programme was granted in 2020.
During 2020, the Faculty of Music has successively
obtained accreditation for the study programmes
Percussion and Jazz and String Instruments at the
bachelor's and follow-up master's degree levels. It
has also received accreditation of the study
programme Music Production at the bachelor's and
follow-up master’s degree levels and accreditation
of two non-sequential five-year Master’s degree
programmes Conducting, Singing and Opera
Direction and Composition. In the academic year
2020/21, the latter study programme was opened
for the first time in a newly accredited form with
three specialisations: Composition, Electronic
Music and Film Music. While Composition
continues the intentions of the former field of study
of the same name, the other two specialisations are
completely new and their creation took into account
not only the common standard in this field at
prestigious music universities worldwide but also
the application of graduates on the labour market.
In 2020, JAMU’s Faculty of Music has in addition
submitted an application for accreditation of the
study programme Historical Interpretation at the
bachelor's and follow-up master’s degree levels
(teaching in Czech) and the study programme Wind
Instruments at the bachelor's degree level.
Until the end of 2021, applications for accreditation
of these bachelor's, follow-up master's and doctoral
programmes, as well as one five-year master's
programme, remain to be submitted: Multimedia
Production, Organ Playing and Sacred Music, Piano
Interpretation, Piano Pedagogy. As far as the
doctoral degree is concerned, it is: Interpretation
and Theory of Interpretation, Composition and
Theory of Composition.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
12
The creation of new study programmes was
supported by two multi-year projects of the OP
RDE:
— Improvement of the Infrastructure of
the Study Programme Musical Arts at JAMU
(CZ.02.2.67/0.0/0.0/16_016/0002246)
The aim of the project is to improve the quality of
teaching in the field of musical instruments,
scenic, lighting, video and audio technology
through the artistic production of students of the
Faculty of Music.
– Improvement of the Infrastructure of the
Study Programme Dramatic Arts at JAMU
(CZ.02.2.67/0.0/0.0/16_016/0002469) The aim
of the project is to improve the quality of
teaching in the field of spatial conditions and
scenic, lighting, video, audio and IT technology
through the artistic creation of students of the
Theatre Faculty.
and in the harsh conditions of the
pandemic...
In mid-March 2020, about a third ow the way
through the summer term, the universities were
closed and it became necessary to start teaching
online. Towards the end of the term, the graduating
classes were allowed to return to practical teaching.
Thus, at least the graduation performances were
completed and the study of the graduating classes
was duly concluded. Online teaching in this period
can be described by the new term "emergency
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
13
teaching", when, with all the efforts of teachers and
students in a completely new and unfamiliar
situation, teaching took place in various forms (from
real online teaching to self-study assignments) and
students concluded their studies of the respective
year.
The situation is completely different in the academic
year 2020/21. The problem is that the situation has
evolved so rapidly, dramatically and chaotically over
the course of the year that it has not been possible
to test any workable system of combining distance
and contact learning. The rapidly changing
governmental decisions on the conditions of
teaching at universities brought complete chaos to
the creation of any teaching strategy. For example,
the model where theoretical teaching was to be
taught at a distance and practical teaching could be
done in contact (for which a completely new
timetable was immediately created) did not take off
at all because the practical contact teaching was
immediately abolished by another government
decision... The other model, which was based on
online theoretical teaching and online preparation of
art projects and envisaged a possible return to
practical teaching in January (again, a new timetable
was created, this time with the allocation of whole
blocks of several days for work on art projects),
became inapplicable already during Christmas
season.
Above all, however, distance learning at the Theatre
Faculty made it impossible to carry out any practical
teaching, which forms the absolute basis of study at
an art school. Skills training and artistic creation
cannot be replaced by distance learning. Therefore,
only the theory and preparatory phases of artistic
projects (script development, dramaturgical and
directorial concept, etc.) were taught. In line with the
announced government measures, teaching has
been continually adjusted with several
postponements of the start of the summer term, the
creation of new timetables for contact teaching of
practical subjects and online theory teaching, special
timetables for the possible return of graduating
classes to contact teaching and proposals for block
teaching of art projects and skill disciplines should
the possibility of contact teaching of practical
subjects occur towards the end of the academic year.
At the Faculty of Music, even very strict
governmental measures allowed for one-on-one
tutorials in the main fields of study to prepare
students for the realisation of artistic outputs from
their studies, which were, however, consistently
conducted without an audience. It is certainly not a
fully-fledged form but it has enabled the faculty to
implement the most important things throughout
the term and, hand in hand with the online
theoretical teaching, to ensure a proper end of the
term and the entire academic year. At the Theatre
Faculty, this teaching in the form of individual
consultations did not allow students and teachers to
work on artistic projects, which are always a team
affair in the field of theatre. Even the skill disciplines
at JAMU’s Theatre Faculty require, with a few
exceptions, partner and group interaction, and
individual consultations do not make this possible.
After the spring experience, both faculties have
already prepared a detailed analysis of the
possibilities of distance learning down to the level of
individual study programmes and individual subjects
taught. It is quite obvious that distance learning
cannot replace:
– a continuous and systematic training of
professional skills such as playing an instrument (not
to mention that in case of some instruments, the
student cannot even have them at home), singing,
voice and movement training and other disciplines
that require correction by a teacher (and even if
online teaching was considered, none of the
students currently have such professional
transmission equipment that would not distort their
performance)
– most of the taught subjects are based on artistic
creation and presentation of its results within the
department, studio, school, but also to a wider
audience. The results of artistic creation can only be
verified in communication with the audience.
Moreover, much of the work is team-based. This
most important part of the teaching cannot be done
online.
– most of the research carried out at art schools is of
the nature of "Artistic Research", now recognised as
full-fledged research. This cannot be realised
without creation (and it is not "only" about reflection
and analysis of creation, but about "discoveries"
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
14
during the creation, not only for creation itself, but
for the search for answers to the fundamental
questions of human existence, the functioning of
human society in a social and historical context).
It turned out that theoretical subjects can be
successfully taught at a distance, but there is also a
lack of face-to-face meetings, which create a more
stimulating atmosphere for mutual discussion. Even
though the possibility of tutorial allows very limited
contact, teaching in this way is very complicated and
highly inefficient.
Both faculties of JAMU have prepared statistical
reports on the percentage of courses that cannot be
taught online and those which can be taught online
but only for a certain period of time and provided
that the studies are finished in contact form.
The situation at the faculties and in the individual
study programmes is monitored throughout the
period of the need to switch to distance learning on
the basis of:
– information from teachers (regular meetings at
the level of JAMU, faculty management, heads
of departments and studios and within
individual study programmes and
specialisations). Due to the small number of
study programmes and teachers, it is possible to
discuss the course of teaching and problems
related to distance learning at regular and
extraordinary (if the situation requires it) online
meetings.
– information from students – due to the number
of students in individual study programmes and
specialisations (the number of students in one
study programme or study programme
specialisation in a year is usually less than ten),
we obtain very detailed information from
students in the online teaching not only about
the course and quality of distance learning, but
very often we also discuss with them their
personal experiences of the whole current social
situation. Most often, these are problems
related to artistic creation, which distance
education allows only in an unbearably reduced
form or not at all. In some study programmes,
students do not own the necessary musical
instruments and are not equipped with the
necessary technology, making it difficult for
them to prepare at home if government
measures do not allow access to the faculty
building. Many of the artistic subjects are also by
their nature based on direct communication
between the student and the teacher, and the
implementation of this contact at a distance can
lead to the development of poor movement and
other habits and ultimately to injuries. These
subjects are also based on frequency and
regularity of instruction; without these
attributes, performance only stagnates or
declines. Thus, teachers and students are faced
with strong feelings of frustration at the
impossibility of artistic creation and at the
limitations of consistent skill-based artistic
training.
Due to the described situation, in September 2020
JAMU decided to join the Centralised Development
Projects 18+ which are related to distance learning:
- Distanční vzdělávání jako nástroj rozvoje
vysokých škol (Distance Education as a Tool for
the Development of Universities), researcher
Prof. PhDr. Silva Macková
- Rozvoj standardů pro zajišťování kvality
vzdělávací činnosti pro různé formy studia s
ohledem na aktuální metody a zkušenosti se
vzděláváním na dálku (Development of
Standards for Quality Assurance of Educational
Activities for Various Forms of Study with Regard
to Current Methods and Experience in Distance
Education), researcher Prof. PhDr. Silva Macková
- Analýza potenciálu virtuálních mobilit a možností
jejich rozvoje na vysokých školách (Analysis of the
Potential of Virtual Mobilities and Their
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
15
Development at Universities), researcher
Associate Professor MgA. Vít Spilka
- Posilování akademické integrity studujících
vysokých škol se zaměřením na rizika a příležitosti
distančních metod vzdělávání a hodnocení
(Strengthening Academic Integrity of University
Students with a Focus on the Risks and
Opportunities of Distance Learning Methods and
Assessment), researcher Associate Professor
MgA. Marek Hlavica, Ph.D.
We consider participation in these projects to be
quite crucial, given that they are focused on or
related to the possibility of distance learning at
universities, which is nevertheless only minimally
applicable to art schools. It is therefore extremely
important to explain and advocate the specific
position of art schools in these projects so that the
project outputs take these specificities into account.
... and even for the public
whether professional, eager for further training,
potential applicants or even the general public
interested in interesting information, JAMU creates
a whole range of activities in the field of education
that fulfil the so-called third role of the university.
In cooperation with the Department of Theatre
Studies at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University,
the Theatre Faculty is organising the #buďjamák
(“be a JAMU student”) programme. It is aimed at
high school students and young people aged 15–20
and includes 6 sessions over the course of one school
year. The meetings take place at JAMU Theatre
Faculty or at other exceptional venues (theatre
rehearsal rooms, etc.). In the half-day programme,
the time is spent together in intensive reflection on
specific topics.
The theoretical part of the programme includes a
lecture on the forms and contexts of theatre art,
while the practical part of the programme, taking
place on the same day, provides creative workshops
led by professional theatre practitioners or students
of higher years of the faculty. Participants
experience the theory and practice of artistic
creation in an immediate dialogue. This leisure
programme is also a "laboratory" in which we look
into ways of thinking and dialoguing about theatre,
and how theatre can be explored through one’s own
creative action.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
16
This encourages the development of critical
thinking, the formulation of one's own ideas, as well
as the flowering of imagination and the opportunity
to find one's way into creative fields. In addition to
the main programme, participants are offered the
opportunity to visit selected activities of both
faculties – we inform about opportunities to attend
lectures, courses, workshops, festivals and
conferences which are also accessible to the public.
In cooperation with the Brno theatres, there is also
an audience programme.
The University of the Third Age has a growing
reputation at both faculties of JAMU. At the Theatre
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
17
Faculty, the aim of the programme is not only to
provide its audience with a way to learn about the
sources of theatre art in different historical periods,
but also to connect it with the issue of the search for
and fulfilment of the meaning of theatre in modern
society. In 2020, only one course was implemented,
a one-semester course called Jak vzniká divadlo X
(How Theatre X is Made), subtitled Kapitoly z dějin
světového a českého divadla (Chapters from the
History of World and Czech Theatre), which in 11
lectures offered the audience a cross-section of the
most interesting things that the history of theatre
has to offer. Here, too, it was necessary to adapt to
the covid pandemic. Out of the planned 11 lectures,
only four were held in the lecture hall. The remaining
7 were converted to an online format and were
enthusiastically watched (and actively participated
in the debate) via the MS Teams app by 28 dedicated
individuals out of the original 75 registered
participants.
In the past, the Theatre Faculty regularly held
summer schools of acting and musical theatre at the
beginning of the summer holidays, but – mainly due
to anti-epidemiological measures – it was not
possible to organise them in 2020.
The Faculty of Music has two activities directed
towards the wider professional public – the
Methodology Centre accredited in accordance with
Section 27 of Act No. 563/2004 Coll. on pedagogical
staff, which enables the implementation of
educational programmes aimed at further training
of pedagogical staff (in 2020, it adapted to the covid
situation and was held online) and International
Musical Interpretation Masterclasses held every
summer in a number of disciplines, led by the
teachers of JAMU’s Faculty of Music and open
especially to the most advanced students of art and
music schools and conservatories (in 2020 they were
cancelled due to the pandemic). In 2020, the Faculty
of Music held lifelong learning courses – the
University of the Third Age – for the sixth year. This
year the courses Básníci klavíru IV (Poets of the
Piano IV, summer term of 2019/2020) and Paní
hudba na Moravě (Mrs Music in Moravia, summer
term of 2019/2020) were offered. There was great
interest in the courses, especially in the course Poets
of the Piano IV, which was held in two groups. In the
context of the covid-19 pandemic, only four lectures
(out of the planned ten) were taught in each course
in the summer term. The remaining six lectures were
to be subsequently delivered in contact form in the
autumn of 2020. However, due to the worsening
epidemiological situation, they were eventually
cancelled altogether. The course Poets of the Piano
IV, under the guarantee of the Department of Piano
Interpretation, is a continuation of the successful
courses Poets of the Piano I, II and III. It focuses not
only on Czech and international piano composers (D.
Scarlatti, J. L. Dusík, F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, W.
A. Mozart, etc.), but also, for example, urtext
editions and their meaning, the interpretation styles
of the composers themselves, the creation of the
first piano pieces for children and the interpretation
of Beethoven's five piano concertos. The lectures
were led by: Prof. MgA. Jan Jiraský, Ph.D., Mgr.
Helena Weiser and Associate Professor MgA.
Daniela Velebová. The course was attended by 64
students. The lessons of the course Mrs Music in
Moravia, under the guarantee of the Department of
Music and Humanities, introduce the history of
some important musical institutions (e.g. the Music
Theatre in Opava, Brno theatres and schools) or
specific personalities (e.g. Jaromír Podešva, Vlastimil
Lejsek) in various towns in Moravia. The focus of
interest is logically mainly Brno, but interesting
activities in Kroměříž, Opava, Krnov and other places
were also to be presented. The lectures were led by
Mgr. Jana Michálková Slimáčková, Ph.D., PhDr. Petr
Lyko, Ph.D. et Ph.D., Prof. PhDr. Jindřiška Bártová
and Associate Professor Mgr.
Monika Holá, Ph.D. The course was attended by 39
students.
18
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
19
External Evaluation of JAMU
A public tender for an external evaluation of JAMU
was announced already in 2018. The subject of the
public contract was an external evaluation of the
Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno. The
main objective was to assess the educational and
creative (artistic) activities of JAMU and activities
related to them according to the Standards and
Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European
Higher Education Area, ENQA (hereinafter referred
to as "ESG 2015"), taking into account the
fundamental specifics and differences of education
in the field of arts, and to assess the quality system
of these activities at JAMU in accordance with the
requirements of the Ministry of Education of the
Czech Republic and the National Accreditation
Authority for Universities of the Czech Republic.
The agency MusiQue was selected in the tender. It
approached the agency EQ-Arts, which deals with
the evaluation of theatre schools.
Both the faculties prepared Self Evaluation Reports
as per the syllabus sent by the agencies. Both reports
were translated into English and sent to the
agencies. Along with the reports, additional annexes
were translated into English and sent to the
agencies.
The evaluation team of the EQ-Arts agency who
worked at JAMU’s Theatre Faculty consisted of:
Anthony Dean (Chair) – Emeritus Professor of
Performing Arts at the University of
Winchester, UK
Paula Crabtree – Vice-Chancellor at
Stockholm University of the Arts, Sweden
Anton Rey – Research Institute for the Performing
Arts and Film, Zurich University of the Arts,
Switzerland
Tereza Pavelková – PhD student in Theory and
Practice of Theatrical Art at the Faculty of the
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU),
Prague, Czech Republic
Laura Witt (Secretary) – Deputy Registrar
(Quality Assurance and Enhancement) at
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and
Dance, UK
The evaluation team of the MusiQue agency who
worked at JAMU Faculty of Music consisted of:
Jacques Moreau (Chair) – Director of Cefedem
Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Lyon, France
Rolf Bäcker (Review team member) – Head of
Studies, ESMUC, Barcelona, Spain
Iñaki Sandoval (Review team member) – Director,
University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy,
Estonia Miranda Harmer (Review team member)
- Masters student, Cello Performance and
Composition Master
Programme at Leeds College of Music, UK
Ingrid Maria Hanken (Review team member and
Secretary) – Professor Emeritus, Norwegian
Academy of Music, Norway
Apart from the opening and closing meetings at
JAMU level, all the meetings were held separately at
the faculties. The external evaluation resulted in
external evaluation reports (a separate report was
prepared for each faculty):
– Report Quality Enhancement Review
Janáček Academy of Music and
Performing Arts (JAMU) (Brno, Czech
Republic), Site-visit: 01–04 March 2020
– Theatre Faculty
– Report Quality Enhancement Review Janáček
Academy of Music and
Performing Arts (JAMU) (Brno, Czech
Republic), Site-visit: 01–04 March 2020 –
Faculty of Music
In October 2020, JAMU faculties received the final
version of the reports. The faculties will send their
opinions on the reports by June 2021. The results of
the external evaluation were a valuable resource in
the development of JAMU Strategic Plan 2021+ for
both the whole university and the two faculties.
20
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
21
At the Faculty of Music, due to the arrival of the
covid pandemic in March 2020 and the setting of
measures by the Czech government, international
mobility of teachers and students has been
significantly reduced. Several traditional major
international events organised at JAMU Faculty of
Music have been cancelled, including the summer
International Musical Interpretation
Masterclasses, the International Percussion
Festival, and the Interpretační kurzy pro studenty z
japonského Kyota (Interpretation Courses for
Students from Kyoto, Japan). The international
festival Setkávání nové hudby Plus (Meetings of
New Music Plus) took place in an online form, during
which a number of exceptional artists performed
and provided professional tutorials and workshops
to the students of JAMU Faculty of Music: Oskar
Varga (Hungary), Balász Rumy (Hungary), Peter Kiss
(Hungary), Jonathan Powell (UK/Poland), Andrea
Neumann (Germany), Anette Krebs (Germany),
Riccardo Marogna (Italy/Netherlands), Marek
Choloniewski (Poland), Tristain Murail (France).
From 14th
to 19th
September 2020, young
performers from all over the world were to come to
Brno to compete in the violin and string quartet
disciplines at the Leoš Janáček International
Competition in Brno. In cooperation with the Leoš
Janáček Foundation, JAMU Faculty of Music was to
organise the 26th
year of this prestigious
interpretation competition in 2020. However, due to
the situation surrounding the global pandemic
covid-19, the competition was also cancelled this
year without a replacement.
The competition was to be held in three rounds in
each discipline and take place at JAMU Faculty of
Music and at the Theatre on Orlí Street. The third
round in violin was to take place at the Besední dům
in Brno in cooperation with the Moravian
Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc and conductor
Robert Kružík. In the discipline of string quartet, a
concert of the laureates was planned at the end of
the competition in the Concert Hall of JAMU Faculty
of Music.
The winner among the young performers was to be
chosen by prominent Czech and foreign juries. In the
violin category, there was a seven-member jury
headed by Bartosz Bryła (Poland) and his
counterpart in the string quartet category was Adolf
Sýkora (Czech Republic). Other members of the
violin jury were to be: Tatiana Liberova (Russia),
Shizuka Ishikawa (Japan),
Jurgis Dvarionas (Lithuania), Eszter Perényi
(Hungary), Peter Michalica (Slovakia) and František
Novotný (Czech Republic). The function of juries for
string quartets was accepted by: László Mezõ
(Hungary), Mikael Ericsson (Sweden), Ján Slávik
(Slovakia) and Jana Vlachová (Czech Republic).
The 26th
year of the competition was announced
under the auspices of the Minister of Culture of the
Czech Republic PhDr. Lubomír Zaorálek, the
Governor of the South Moravian Region JUDr.
Bohumil Šimek, the Mayor of the Statutory City of
Brno JUDr. Markéta Vaňková, the Janáček Quartet
and the President of the Constitutional Court of the
Czech Republic JUDr. Pavel Rychetský, dr. h. c. Due
to the development of the situation regarding the
spread of the covid-19 virus and the declaration of a
state of emergency by the Government of the Czech
Republic on 12th
March 2020 for a period of thirty
days, it was unfortunately necessary for the Theatre
Faculty to take drastic measures, which made it
necessary to revise most of the planned events. One
of them had to be the cancellation of the
International Festival of Theatre Schools Encounter
2020, scheduled from 31st
March to 4th
April 2020.
Since the cancellation of the festival took place just
before the planned implementation, most of the
performances were ready. The students who
participated in the preparation of the festival during
the previous months under the guidance of the
teachers wrote their experiences with the
preparation and cancellation of the festival in their
graduation documentation. All the outputs that
managed to be implemented in the preparation
process (e.g. the new festival website –
www.encounter.cz) were handed over to the
incoming year. In addition, existing contacts with
JAMU alumni and representatives of the
professional sphere were also used. JAMU Honorary
Doctor Mrs. Emília Vašáryová accepted the
challenge to become an ambassador even for the
31st
year of the festival. And in preparation for the
next year, a podcast platform "ENC: LISTEN!" was
created, where former JAMU students share their
experiences with the festival and studying at JAMU
in general, and which is available via social networks
and the festival's website. Subsequent events that
were supposed to at least partially replace the
unrealised festival (opening parade and Meeting
Point Party/Open Air Stage, 30th
September 2020)
were cancelled a few days before the realisation due
to further tightening of government measures
towards the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The
Salón původní tvorby 2020 (Salon of Original Works
2020) took place from 6th
to 7th
March. As a result, a
collection of texts was published and is available at
JAMU Publishing House.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
22
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
23
Other events such as the festival of the Drama and
Education Studio Sítko and the festival of
audiovisual production JAMŮví could not take place
due to the persisting anti-pandemic measures. After
the successful online symposium organised by the
Prague DAMU in cooperation with students and
teachers of the Theatre Management Studio, JAMU
followed up with the symposium „(NE)RISKUJ!
EKOLOGIE, CROWD MANAGEMENT A IT ŘEŠENÍ
PRO FESTIVALY” ((DON’T) TAKE RISKS! ECOLOGY,
CROWD MANAGEMENT AND IT SOLUTIONS FOR
FESTIVALS), which was also held online on 4th
December 2020 for students of JAMU, DAMU and
VŠMU. The symposium focused on selected topics
related to the organisation of festivals. In the
individual blocks, Tomáš Fiala for Brutal Assault,
Martin Královič for the Pohoda festival, Martin
Zavadil for Dramox and many others performed.
More than 200 spectators watched the whole
symposium.
Due to the global pandemic of covid-19 disease, the
Theatre Faculty could not participate in any
international festivals and shows in 2020. Many of
the venues where faculty students were selected to
present their performances and projects were
cancelled or moved to online space due to
coronavirus measures – e.g.: ENCATC Digital
Congress (3rd
– 11th
November 2020) and ELIA
Biennial Conference: Expanding the Arts (17th
– 20th
November 2020).
24
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
25
Another characteristic feature of the art university is
its ability to carry out art projects in its own
premises. This means two stages with professional
parameters, which are used for drama and musical
projects. The historically older stage, focusing
mainly on drama, is Studio Marta, which was
founded already in 1952 and underwent extensive
modernisation of stage technology in 2018. On the
other hand, the newer opera and musical Theatre on
Orlí Street bears the "subtitle" Musical and Dramatic
Laboratory of JAMU, which describes the purpose of
the space with its main hall, rehearsal rooms,
costume production, managerial spaces, as well as a
state-of-the-art recording studio in the building's
basement. The performances, which are more in the
nature of final exams or projects, are realised
directly in the buildings of both faculties.
At the Faculty of Music, concerts and other events
are held in three venues – the Concert Hall, the
Chamber Hall and the Vaulted Hall. Larger chamber
concerts are also held in the theatre hall of the
Theatre on Orlí Street, which has the possibility of
special acoustic modification for these cases by
means of an acoustic shell above the stage. The
JAMU Chamber Opera has a tradition of more than
sixty years and has brought – under several historical
names – and still brings productions of operas of the
Faculty of Music, both for the Theatre on Orlí Street
and for its own small stage – Devítka Studio. The
stage for contemporary music is the Fórum nové
hudby (Forum of New Music), which, among other
things, takes patronage over the Studio soudobé
hudby (Studio of Contemporary Music) with a
history of more than fifty years, presenting mainly
new works by students and teachers of study
programmes Composition and Multimedia
Composition. Students of jazz interpretation often
use the premises of MusicLab, a music club located
in the basement of the Faculty of Music building, for
their performances. In addition to the abovementioned
stages, other, non-traditional locations
in JAMU buildings are used for specific projects.
In 2020, 132 concerts were held at the Faculty of
Music, including three orchestral concerts with the
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc and two
multimedia concerts. Concerts by the Janáček
Academic Orchestra did not take place. Until March
2020, the concerts were held in the normal way, but
from March onwards the students' performances
were held in accordance with the applicable
government regulations and under strict hygiene
measures. As every year, the premieres of drama,
opera and musicals were among the most watched
events.
In the case of the JAMU Theatre Faculty, 40 theatre
performances took place in 2020. Each year, one of
the biggest events is the premiere of the graduating
classes' productions.
In 2020, the JAMU Faculty of Music staged two
productions at the Theatre on Orlí Street:
W. A. Mozart:
The Marriage of Figaro
Original Plan:
Premiere: Saturday 21/03/2020, II. Premiere: Sunday
22/03/2020, Repeat performances: 23/03/2020,
24/03/2020, 25/03/2020, 26/03/2020 The original plan
was to perform the opera with the participation of the JAO
– Janáček Academic Orchestra of JAMU Faculty of Music.
In accordance with the Czech government regulation, the
production was not staged on the above mentioned dates.
Implementation limited by the measures of the Czech
government, due to the epidemic situation:
The production was realised in an economy mode with
three performances. These performances were carried out
only as final exams without the presence of the public, only
in the presence of pedagogical opponents of graduate
performances on the dates: Friday 29/05/2020, Saturday
30/05/2020, Sunday 31/05/2020. At the same time, the
performance took place without JAO, accompanied only
by piano and harpsichord.
For students and teachers of JAMU it was possible to watch
via stream and non-public YouTube channel.
Daniel Šimek / Otto Kauppinen: S.A.M.P.O.
The opera S.A.M.P.O. is the first opera work created
on the basis of cooperation between JAMU Faculty
of Music and the Theatre Faculty.
Original Plan:
Preparation and staging of the opera in June, July,
September 2020, Premiere: Thursday 15/10/2020, II.
Premiere: Friday 16/10/2020 during the Janáček Brno
International Festival 2020. Repeat performances:
Saturday 17/10/2020, Sunday 18/10/2020, Tuesday
20/10/2020, Wednesday 21/10/2020. In the original plan,
the opera was to take place with the participation of the
JAO and guests. In accordance with the Czech government
regulation, the production was not staged on the above
mentioned dates.
Implementation influenced by the measures of the Czech
government, due to the epidemic situation: The dress
rehearsal week and the premieres with the repeat
performances were postponed several times to later dates
in October, November, December 2020 and the last
scheduled postponement of the completion of the
production was to January 2021. Unfortunately, due to the
worsening epidemic situation and the consequent
restrictive measures of the Czech government, the
Dramaturgical Board of JAMU Faculty of Music decided to
terminate the project in February 2021.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
26
A total of 21 performances and 2 premieres were
staged in Studio Marta. The productions were
attended by a total of 1,289 spectators, which
means an average attendance rate of 86.8%.
Productions of two graduating drama classes, the
class of Associate Professor Aleš Bergman
(academic year 19/20) and the class of Associate
Professor I. Dostálek (academic year 20/21),
were realised. Unfortunately, the coronavirus
epidemic interfered with their implementation,
when a government decree banned the presence
of students at universities as well as the holding
of mass cultural events. During these periods, it
was not only impossible to perform repeat
performances of already rehearsed projects, but
also to rehearse new productions. The first
closure by government decree was from March
to June, and the second from October to
December. In the meantime, a production of
Raději zešílet v divočině (Better to Go Mad in the
Wild) with students of Associate Professor Aleš
Bergman was rehearsed, which had its premiere
postponed until 13th
September (instead of the
original premiere in March), followed by only two
repeat performances. This project was the first
theatrical adaptation of Aleš Palán's bestselling
book Better to Go Mad in the Wild, which became
the publication of the year 2018 and one of the
most commercially successful books according to
the Lidové noviny poll. Another premiere was the
project of Associate Professor Igor Dostálek's
class, Hády – Pokusy o minulost (Hády –
Attempts on the Past), with its premiere on 3rd
September and repeat performance on 4th
September. The author's production based on
Sylvia Richter's novel “Každá věc ať dospěje na
své místo” (Let Every Thing Grow to Its Place)
tells a story that is and is not about living in the
past regime. Once again, this is the first theatrical
adaptation of this book by an acclaimed author.
The theatre also hosted the Zvukařský workshop
2020 (Sound Workshop 2020) for students of the
Theatre Management and Technology Studio,
which ended on 9th
January with a public concert
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
27
by the bands Tajná Myškavěc, Laokoon and
Šamanovo zboží. February also saw the
traditional evening of readings by young authors
with musical accompaniment by LITERAUT.
On 24th
February, the class of Associate Professor A.
Bergman gave a guest performance of Opilí (Drunk) at
the DISK Theatre of the DAMU in Prague. On 15th
and
17th
September, Studio Marta hosted part of the
traditional Graduation Festival, which was rescheduled
from its original May date. As part of this event, which
is usually a showcase of all the productions of the
season in question, we played performances of Better
to Go Mad in the Wild (15/09) and Drunk (17/09).
Unfortunately, the remaining two performances of
Mejerchold and Poprask na laguně (The Chioggia
Scuffles) had to be cancelled for epidemiological
reasons. In mid-February, the Theatre on Orlí Street
staged a drama production of The Great Gatsby. With
students of Associate Professor A. Bergman's studio, Jiří
Liška staged it as his graduation production. Together
with dramaturge Michael Sodomka, they worked with
the current dramatisation of the contemporary German
author Rebecca Kricheldorf.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
28
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
29
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
30
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
31
The performance impressed the audience not only with
great acting performances, but also with an impressive
scene by Andrea Mužíková. Another unusual project in
February was the concert evening Pojď se mnou do
světa (Come with Me to the World) from the songs of
Jiří Bulis, which was created as part of Radka Kulichová's
student research project. Students of musical acting
from Associate Professor M. Zetel’s studio were
complemented on stage by students from the Theatre
and Education for the Deaf studio, who performed
individual songs in Czech sign language. An integral part
of the 4 evenings during which the concert could be
performed was a questionnaire survey with the
audience and filming, which are to be made into a
comprehensive publication.
The graduating class of P. Štěpán's studio presented the
premiere of David Yazbek and Jeffre Lane's musical
comedy based on Pedro Almodóvar's film Ženy na
pokraji nervového zhroucení (Women on the Verge of a
Nervous Breakdown) at the Theatre on Orlí Street. The
brisk and musically lively production provided the
students with plenty of acting opportunities, but
unfortunately had to wait until 2021 to receive its
audience response. In 2020, 19 performances took place
at the Theatre on Orlí Street, none of which had the
opportunity to be staged outside of JAMU home stage.
The productions were attended by a total of 2,275
spectators, which represents an average attendance of
95%.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
32
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
33
The most significant event of 2020 in the field of
science and research at JAMU was the evaluation by
an international evaluation panel within the new
methodology for evaluating research organisations
(the so-called Methodology 17+). It was a great
success and honour for JAMU that we managed to
get really important and often world-famous and
respected personalities on our panel: American
musicologist Paul Christiansen, French theatre
scholar Patrice Pavis, English visual artist Paul Fryer,
English director of EQ-Arts, an evaluation agency for
arts universities, John Butler, and Norwegian vicepresident
of the Society for Artistic Research Johan
Haarberg, as well as their three Czech colleagues,
musicologist Lubomír Tyllner, film scholar Petr Bilík,
and representative of the Ministry of Education,
Youth and Sports Jan Buriánek. The members of the
panel studied our self-evaluation report in detail and
were especially looking forward to a personal visit
directly at JAMU, where they planned to conduct indepth
interviews with all staff working in the field of
research. However, due to the coronavirus
epidemic, the so-called "on-site visit" first had to be
postponed from spring to autumn, and eventually
cancelled altogether, or more precisely replaced by
a series of video conferences from 22nd
to 26th
November. We will know the results of the entire
evaluation within the framework of Methodology
17+ in mid-2021, but already now we can consider it
a great appreciation of the quality of research at
JAMU that these world figures were willing to
devote their valuable time and their rich experience
to our evaluation. Apart from the evaluation by the
international evaluation panel, the most important
evaluation element of the Methodology 17+ for
JAMU is the so-called Module 1, which consists in
the evaluation of the quality of selected outputs by
experts who, on the basis of their deep knowledge
of the context of a given field, are to assess the
contribution of a given output (a monograph, a
study, etc.) to the development of knowledge or
society. So far, there have been three years of the
evaluation and JAMU has submitted a total of 10
publications, which have usually been evaluated
with a grade of "3" or "4" on a five-grade scale,
where "1" means world-leading and "5" below
average. It is positive that none of our monographs
has been rated as "below average" so far, however,
our goal is undoubtedly to achieve even "1" and "2"
ratings, i.e. to have it confirmed by the professional
community that our publications are first-rate and
compare favourably even in comparison with
foreign countries. In this context, it is very positive
that the results of the third year of the evaluation,
published in October 2020, brought JAMU a "2"
(excellent) rating for the first time, for the
monograph by Marek Hlavica Dramatická tvorba
ostravského studia Československé televize (1955–
1991) (Dramatic Production of the Ostrava Studio of
Czechoslovak Television (1955–1991)). The
coronavirus epidemic has also affected our
traditional conferences. The Theatre Studies
Conference at the Theatre Faculty did not take place
because of the epidemic, while the doctoral
research conference at the Faculty of Music had to
be moved from its original date in April 2020 to 29th
October 2020 and to be conducted online. In spite of
these complications, however, it confirmed its very
good standard, which is also evidenced by the
participation of foreign guests representing the
German Franz Liszt Universität Weimar and the
Polish Akademia Muzyczna im. Karola
Szymanowskiego w Katowicach. On the other hand,
despite the ongoing epidemic, our publishing
activities continued successfully and brought a
number of remarkable and very high quality
publications across the whole spectrum of our
editorial activities, ranging from specialised
monographs (Hana Slavíková: Cine Teatro Saura or
Miloš Schnierer: Baletní divadlo z pohledů
dramaturgie (Ballet Theatre from the Perspective of
Dramaturgy)) through scripts (Petr Janda: Pět
základních pilířů profesionální hry na trombón (Five
Basic Pillars of Professional Trombone Playing)) or
David Šlechta: Dějiny a literatura nástroje viola
(History and Literature of the Viola)), sheet music
(Leoš Černý: Smyčcový kvartet č. 2 Listy důvěrné
Leoše Janáčka (String Quartet No. 2 Intimate Letters
by Leoš Janáček)) and essays (Andrea Jochmanová:
Rekonstrukce historie divadla jako tvůrčí proces
(Reconstruction of Theatre History as a Creative
Process)) to publications reflecting the history of
JAMU (Naďa Satková et al: Osobnosti Divadelní
fakulty (Personalities of the Theatre Faculty),
Jindřiška Bártová et al.: Osobnosti Hudební fakulty
JAMU II. (Personalities of JAMU Faculty of Music II)
or Jindřiška Bártová: Co střeží karyatidy aneb
Průvodce Hudební fakultou Janáčkovy akademie
múzických umění v Brně (What the Caryatids Guard
or Guide to the Faculty of Music of the Janáček
Academy of Performing Arts in Brno)).
Proof of the high quality of research at JAMU is the
fact that we are very successful in grant
competitions of large national grant agencies.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
34
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
35
Although no new project was supported in 2020,
three projects funded by the Technology Agency of
the Czech Republic and realised at the Theatre
Faculty continued to be successfully implemented:
Komplexní skríningový diagnostický systém GIS
(Comprehensive Screening Diagnostic System GIS,
researcher Marek Hlavica for JAMU; a joint project
with MUNI), Umělecký výzkum tvorby divadelních
inscenacı́ s herci s Downovým syndromem jako
účinného prostředku sociálnı́ inkluze (Artistic
Research on the Creation of Theatre Productions
with Actors with Down Syndrome as an Effective
Means of Social Inclusion, researcher Jitka Vrbková)
and Rozvoj komunikačních kompetencí novou
vzdělávací metodikou, vycházející z objektivního
hodnocení biosignálů performera a recipienta
(Development of Communication Competences by a
New Educational Methodology Based on Objective
Assessment of Performer’s and Recipient’s
Biosignals, researcher Lucia Repašská for JAMU; a
joint project with VUT and MUNI). The internal
project competition of the Research Activities
Development Fund entered its third year of
existence, and in 2020 the implementation of four
new research projects and four projects supporting
qualification growth were supported, with a total
amount of CZK 1,151,300 allocated to support
ongoing and new projects in 2020. Within the
Student Grant Competition, 19 new projects were
supported with the amount of CZK 1,459,450 and it
was confirmed that both of these project
competitions play a crucial role in supporting the
development of research at JAMU.
36
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
37
International exchanges of artistic and pedagogical
experience are an important aspect of improving the
quality of studies and further creative activities and
are also an important element in benchmarking.
Mobility of students and teachers is an integral part
of studying at JAMU.
In 2020, a total of 46 students travelled abroad and
53 students arrived back into the Czech Republic.
The figures show that, despite the pandemic
situation, there has not yet been a significant decline
in student mobility. However, the overall situation
was not easy: several foreign partner institutions
announced their decision not to accept foreign
students and many students decided to postpone
their study visits abroad. The reasons for this
decision were often related to travel complications
and quarantine measures, but also due to the
assumption that students at a foreign institution
would not be able to complete the full scope of their
stay, including the added value of language and
social integration in an international environment.
Some of the students who already were on a study
visit at the time of the pandemic outbreak
completed their studies abroad properly, while
others, after considering the situation, decided to
return and complete their studies by distance
learning (so-called blended mobility). Teaching
mobilities allow for bringing in world-class
personalities – this is also helped by the attention
paid to funding these mobilities – where money is
pooled from several sources, e.g. Centralised
Development Projects, Specific Research Projects,
the Fund for the Development of Scientific Activities
(FRVČ), the Fund for the Development of
Educational and Artistic Activities (FRVUČ) and the
so-called Indicator D funds. In 2020, 25 foreign
guests came to JAMU and 6 JAMU teachers
travelled abroad. There is unfortunately a
noticeable drop compared to the statistics of
previous years, which was caused by the pandemic
situation and subsequent regulations of the rector
with regard to the implementation of foreign trips of
JAMU teachers. Due to these limitations, virtual
mobility gradually increased during the year,
especially in connection with participation in online
events of international networks and in connection
with the temporary need to transfer teaching and
some learning outcomes to a virtual environment.
Therefore, other planned visits of foreign teachers
were postponed or transformed into distance
learning forms such as online lecture, workshop or
musical performance.
The pandemic of covid-19 caused a drastic reduction
in other international activities – the 30th
International Festival of Theatre Schools Encounter
was cancelled, as was the 26th
Leoš Janáček
International Competition, which was to be held in
the fields of violin and string quartet. The same fate
befell the organisation of the 53rd
International
Musical Interpretation Masterclasses. The
implementation of these and other projects was
affected by the impossibility of international travel
due to their nature based on the activities of the
visiting participants. On the other hand, the
organisation of the international festival Meetings of
New Music Plus was efficiently transferred to the
online environment – all concerts and workshops
were streamed and the festival presented itself in
the virtual environment with high quality artistic
performances.
38
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
39
A significant award went to Prof. MgA. Alena
Štěpánková Veselá, the first rector of JAMU after
1989, who was awarded the Medal of Merit (for the
state in the field of art and education) by the
President of the Republic on the occasion of the
national holiday on 28th
October 2020. This year
again, outstanding personalities from many fields of
human activity were awarded the City of Brno Prizes.
The prestigious award for 2020 was awarded to Prof.
Jindřiška Bártová, professor of JAMU Faculty of
Music. A great pleasure, however, is especially the
annual publication of the achievements of JAMU
students. Let us mention at least the most
outstanding ones – laureates of international and
most important Czech competitions.
Despite the difficult situation, the students of the
JAMU Faculty of Music participated in international
competitions with excellent results:
David Šimeček (clarinet, category Chamber music –
wind quintet) 1st
prize (ODIN International Online
Competition)
Vendula Galdová (piano)
2nd
prize (The "EMIL ROTUNDU" Canto & Piano
International – Online – Contest, Romania)
Vendula Galdová (harpsichord)
Certificate of merit (Bohuslav Martinů Foundation
Competition, Prague)
Ivan Gulai (guitar)
Certificate of merit (International Guitar
Competition GUITARTALENT, Brno)
Lukáš Handrych (guitar)
2nd
prize (international competition Golden Strings,
Nikolaev, Ukraine)
Kateřina Potocká (piano)
1st
prize (Yamaha Music Foundation Europe
Competition)
1st
prize (International Performance Competition
Vienna-Klosterneuburg)
Daria Savvateeva (harpsichord)
Zorka and Jaroslav Zich Award (Bohuslav Martinů
Foundation Competition, Prague)
Aleš Tvrdík (clarinet)
3rd
prize (Silverstein Global Clarinet Contest)
3rd
prize (International Clarinet Competition Sava
Dimitrov, Sofia)
Matej Veselka (clarinet in a trio of clarinet, cello and
piano)
2nd
prize (Wiener Danubia Talents International
Music Competition)
Barbora Zonová (harpsichord)
2nd
prize (Bohuslav Martinů Foundation
Competition, Prague)
Teachers and students of the JAMU Theatre Faculty
have also achieved significant success:
The winner of the Thalia Award for 2020 is Petr
Štěpán for his outstanding performance as "Satan"
in the production Ztracený ráj (Zpráva o člověku)
(Paradise Lost (The Report on Man)) directed by
Dodo Gombár and in the dramaturgy by Miroslav
Ondra at the Municipal Theatre Brno.
Eva Jelínková was awarded the Senior Prix 2020 for
her long-term artistic activity by the LIFE OF THE
ARTIST FOUNDATION.
Prof. Alena Blažejovská's documentary Muž, který
sází stromy (The Man Who Plants Trees) was
included in the programme of the prestigious
International Feature Conference 2020, which took
place in September 2020 in an online form.
Pavel Jirásek's documentary Joachim Barrande –
ztracená moře (Joachim Barrande – The Lost Seas)
won the award for the best Czech and Slovak
popular science documentary at the Academia Film
Olomouc 2020 international festival.
40
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
41
In 2020, several students of the Theatre Faculty
succeeded in national and international
competitions. Monika Řeháková, a student of the
Audiovisual Media and Theatre master's
programme, was awarded in the Czech Press Photo
competition in the CANON AWARD (Single Winner)
category. Two students of the study programme
Audiovisual Media and Theatre were awarded in the
Czech Theatre Photography Showcase 2020. In the
student category "Free Work with Theatrical
Themes", Nikola Minářová won second place with
her photographs from the productions Nivó (Studio
Marta 2019) and Scheherazade (When the King is
Not at Home, Studio Marta 2019). The third place in
the same category went to Vendula Hlaváčková for
her photographs from the production And Suddenly
He Simply Was There (JAMU Theatre Faculty 2019).
Among the international awards won by Theatre
Faculty students we can mention Filip Gažo (Radio
and TV Dramaturgy and Scriptwriting), who won the
2nd
prize for his short play A Suicide Note in The
International One-Minute Play Contest for Students
2020 organised by The Academy of Theatre, Radio,
Film and Television at the University in Ljubljana,
Slovenia.
MgA. Tereza Reková (study programme at the
doctor’s degree) was nominated for the
international awards Prix Bohemia Radio (Best
Documentary of the Year category) and Prix Europa
(Current Affairs category) in 2020 for her radio
documentary Soudní lidé národa českého
(Reasonable People of the Czech Nation).
In 2020, Mgr. Ela Lehotská (study programme at the
doctor’s degree), was nominated for the national
film award Sun in the Net for 2019 in the category
Best Actress in a Leading Role, awarded by the
Slovak Film and Television Academy, for her role of
Zuzana Benková in Ostrym nožom (By a Sharp Knife).
The students were equally successful in the Evald
Schorm Awards 2020, which are awarded annually
by DILIA. The first place went to Tereza Agelová, a
student of the Drama and Education Studio, and
Marie Mlatečková, a student of Theatre
Dramaturgy, for their original play asi.milování
(Assimilation / Maybe Love), while the second place
went to Tereza Agelová for her original play dvě
čárky (Two Lines).
42
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
43
It is one of the basic conditions for continuous
improvement of the quality of all JAMU activities.
Just as research universities cannot do without
state-of-the-art laboratories, instrumentation and
audio, video, and stage technology is crucial for art
schools. In order to keep pace with the professional
scene, especially in technology, continuous
investment in renewal in all these areas, as well as
in the maintenance and repair of assets, is
necessary. JAMU uses funding from several
sources. The development and improvement of the
material, technical and informational resources of
JAMU is based on the fulfillment of the objectives
of the Long-term Plan 2016–2020 and subsequent
strategic materials for the next periods.
In 2020, the area of asset acquisition,
replacement and repair was funded:
– from the state budget under the new
programme No. 133 220 “Rozvoj a obnova
materiálně technické základny veřejných
vysokých škol” (Development and Renewal of
the Material and Technical Base of Public
Universities)
– from the European Structural and Investment
Funds under the Operational Programme
Research, Development and Education
– from the Centralised Development Project
– from the Institutional Plan
– from the contribution to capital expenditure
outside programme funding
– from its own investment resources, which is the
capital asset reproduction fund
Programme 133 220 “Rozvoj a obnova
materiálně technické základny VVŠ”
(Development and Renewal of the Material
and Technical Base of Public Universities) Two
projects were implemented from programme 133
220 from subtitle 133D 22I “Rozvoj a obnova
materiálně technické základny Janáčkovy akademie
múzických umění v Brně” (Development and
Renewal of the Material and Technical Base of the
Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno"):
Project EDS 133D22I000002 “JAMU – Stavební
úpravy prostor ateliéru scénografie” (JAMU Building
Modifications of the Scenography Studio)
was implemented in 2019 and 2020. Total costs
amounted to CZK 8,430,620, of which the capital
subsidy from the state budget amounted to CZK
5,983,880 and the non-investment subsidy to CZK
653,180. JAMU contributed to the total costs with
capital funds in the amount of CZK 1,751,820 and
with non-investment funds in the amount of CZK
41,740. In the current year 2020, a total of CZK
4,189,780 has been spent, of which CZK 2,821,560
came from the state budget. In 2020, JAMU
contributed to the costs with the amount of CZK
1,368,220. This includes a contribution to capital
expenditures in the amount of CZK 1,315,700.
The subject of the project is the layout and
construction modifications of the scenography
studio including reconstruction of water supply,
sewerage, heating, implementation of air
ventilation in areas without natural ventilation and
complete reconstruction of power and light wiring
including lighting fixtures. The project includes the
reconstruction of the low-current electrical wiring
common to the scenography studio and the Marta
theatre studio, i.e. the electronic fire alarm system,
structured cabling network, alarm security system
with electronic access control and camera system.
Project preparation began in 2015, with actual
implementation taking place from November 2019
to February 2020. The building was approved in
April 2020.
Project EDS 133D22I000003 “JAMU – Rozvoj a
obnova technologií 2020” (JAMU – Development
and Renewal of Technologies 2020) in the total
amount of CZK 2,477,600, of which CZK 2,105,960
was covered from the capital funds of the state
budget. JAMU contributed to the costs with the
amount of CZK 371,640 paid from the contribution
to capital expenditures.
The aim of the project is to replace and upgrade
technically and morally obsolete information and
communication technologies that are necessary for
maintaining and improving the quality of teaching
and school operation. The project provided three
servers for the central server room of the university
at the Theatre on Orlí Street as a replacement of
the existing morally and technically obsolete
servers, six 1Gb network active elements as a
replacement of technically and morally obsolete
active elements located at the Theatre Faculty,
Astorka and the rector's office and 29 new Wi-Fi
connection points located in various locations of
the school for uniform coverage of JAMU premises
by wireless connection.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
44
Operational Programme Research,
Development and Education
Within the framework of the Operational
Programme Research, Development and
Education, JAMU implements three individual
projects financed by the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF):
Project “Zkvalitnění infrastruktury studijního
programu Hudební umění na JAMU”
(Improvement of the Infrastructure of the Study
Programme Musical Arts at JAMU), project
registration number
CZ.02.2.67/0.0/0.0/16_016/00 02246, in the total
amount of eligible expenditure CZK 79,373,000, of
which CZK 69,868,000 come from investment funds
and CZK 9,505,000 from non-investment funds.
JAMU contributes to the costs by 5% of its own
resources. In 2020, a total of CZK 7,119,570 was
invested, of which the ERDF share amounted to CZK
6,763,590. The project was used to purchase
historical musical instruments (a hammer piano, a
Renaissance lute), lighting equipment, video
technology and projectors for the Theatre on Orlí
Street.
Project “Zkvalitnění infrastruktury studijního
programu Dramatická umění na JAMU”
(Improvement of the Infrastructure of the Study
Programme Dramatic Arts at JAMU), project
registration number CZ.02.2.67/0.0/0.0/16_
016/0002469, in the total amount of eligible
expenses of CZK 78,135,000, of which CZK
68,122,000 come from investment funds and CZK
10,013,000 from non-investment funds. JAMU
contributes to the costs by 5% of its own resources.
In 2020, a total of CZK 9,468,460 was invested from
investment funds, of which the ERDF share
amounted to CZK 8,995,040. The project was used
to purchase velvet coverings for classrooms at the
Theatre Faculty and Astorka, lighting technology
for the Theatre on Orlí Street, technological
equipment for musical studios, audiovisual
equipment for classrooms and studios, and
photographic technology.
Project “Další rozvoj vzdělávací infrastruktury na
Divadelní fakultě JAMU s ohledem na praxi”
(Further Development of the Educational
Infrastructure at JAMU Theatre Faculty with
Regard to Practice), project registration number
CZ.02.2.67/0.0/0.0/18_057/0013294, in the total
amount of eligible expenditures of CZK 56,960,000,
of which CZK 44,131,000 come from investment
funds and CZK 12,829,000 from non-investment
funds. JAMU contributes to the costs by 5% of its
own resources.
In 2020, a total of CZK 17,345,550 of investment
funds was spent, of which the ERDF share
amounted to CZK 16,478,280. The project was
used to purchase: a set of active elements for the
student computer network, a central online
storage, a set of multimedia workstations, video
technology in classrooms 106 and 107 at the
Theatre Faculty, HW technology for the lighting
design studio, projectors for graduate
performances and video mapping, photographic
technology, technological equipment for the
scenography classrooms, equipment for the
production and maintenance of costumes for the
Theatre on Orlí Street, a set of e-publications.
Centralised Development Projects
In 2020, a capital subsidy of CZK 570,000 was
provided from the chapter of the Ministry of
Education, Youth and Sports for the centralised
development project “Udržitelný rozvoj EIS v síti
vysokých škol” (Sustainable Development of EIS in
the Network of Universities), which is being solved
together with 25 other public universities. The
project coordinator is ČVUT in Prague. The project
included the purchase of user rights to the SAP ERP
information system and disks for the SAP ERP data
backup.
Institutional Plan
In 2020, a subsidy of CZK 7,494,000 was provided
from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
for the implementation of the institutional plan,
the amount of CZK 500,000 coming from
investment funds. Investment funds in the amount
of CZK 494,720 and a part of non-investment funds
in the amount of CZK 1,950,000 were used for the
technological development of the university
directed to the renewal and innovation of teaching
technologies. The unspent funds of CZK 5,270 were
transferred to the FRIM fund. Within the project,
capital funds were used to purchase software
updates for the camera system, upgrade of the C4
security system, cards for existing servers in the
central server room at the Theatre on Orlí Street,
and backup power supplies for the UPS at the
rector's office.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
45
The non-investment funds were used to modify the
web servers (commissioning of the new website,
migration of the project websites from the old
server and launching of the new server for thirdparty
projects, customisation and functionality of
the web portal), to configure the services and to
secure the central servers and to upgrade the mail
server. There has also been a significant renewal of
HW, mainly through the purchase of laptops for
home office work. The existing computer
equipment has been upgraded with the purchase
of new SSDs and RAM. New WIFI APs were installed
at the halls of residence.
Contribution to Capital Expenditure Outside
Programme Financing
In 2020, on the basis of an application, JAMU was
granted a contribution to capital expenditure
outside programme financing in the amount of CZK
7,494,000, of which CZK 5,133,660 has been
invested. Unspent funds amounting to CZK
2,113,340 were transferred to the FRIM fund. The
capital contribution financed the following actions:
− co-financing of the construction “JAMU – Stavební
úpravy prostor ateliéru scénografie” (JAMU –
Building Modifications to the Premises of the
Scenography Studio) covered by the state budget
within the framework of the programme financing of
the Evidenční dotační systém (Subsidy Record
System)
− co-financing of the action “JAMU – Rozvoj a obnova
technologií 2020” (JAMU – Development and
Renewal of Technologies 2020) covered by the state
budget within the framework of the programme
financing of the Evidenční dotační systém (Subsidy
Record System)
− project preparation of construction modifications
and modernisation of IVUC Astorka
− project preparation of the optical connection
between the Theatre on Orlí Street and the Theatre
Faculty via Jánská, Poštovská, Kozí and Dvořáková
streets
− completion of the Wi-Fi network on the 1st floor of
the building at Komenského náměstí 6
− modification of air-conditioning ducts for classrooms
013 and 17 of the Theatre Faculty
− execution of the velvet track covering of the back
wall of the Theatre on Orlí Street’s stage
− purchase of a multifunctional photocopier for the
Theatre on Orlí Street
− modernisation of audiovisual equipment in lecture
room 205 at the Faculty of Music
- replacement of existing lighting fixtures on the 1st
floor of the rector's office for modern LED lights
- implementation of an automatic mobile gate at the
entrance to the courtyard of the building at
Komenského nám. 6
- modification of the acoustic wall of the airconditioning
units on the terrace on the 4th floor of
the building at Mozartova 1
Capital Asset Reproduction Fund
The funds were used either separately or together
with other subsidy sources from the state budget
in the total amount of CZK 2,611,780 for the
following actions:
− payment of the price for the establishment of the
right of easement to land owned by the City of Brno
for a fibre optic cable in Bayerova Street, which
connects the Marta Theatre Studio to the electronic
communications network of Masaryk University
− co-financing of the construction “JAMU – Stavební
úpravy prostor ateliéru scénografie” (JAMU –
Building Modifications to the Premises of the
Scenography Studio) covered by the state budget
within the framework of the programme financing of
the Evidenční dotační systém (Subsidy Record
System)
− study of building modifications of IVUC Astorka
− construction modifications to the gas boiler room of
the Marta Theatre Studio repair of lifts in the
Astorka building
− completion of the repair of the elevator in the
Theatre Faculty building
− technology modernisation of classroom 205 at the
Faculty of Music
− purchase of mattresses and bed protectors for the
beds in Astorka hall of residence
− replacement of caps on the distributor in the heat
exchanger station of the Astorka building
− co-financing of investment projects covered by
public subsidies from the Operational Programme
Research, Development and Education at both
faculties
− co-financing of a centralised development project
covered by a capital subsidy from the Ministry of
Education, Youth and Sports
The above-mentioned investments have made it
possible to fundamentally upgrade JAMU's
equipment and to provide students with the
opportunity to work on top instruments and with
top technology in theatres and concert halls for
years to come.
Annual Report
on Activities and Economic Results in 2020
46
List of Used Photos
Page 6:
Rector of JAMU Prof. Mgr. Petr Oslzlý.
Photo: JAMU archive.
Page 9:
Inauguration of the Dean of the Theatre Faculty, Associate
Professor Mgr. Petr Francán. Photo: JAMU archive.
Christmas on-line concert in the auditorium of JAMU
Faculty of Music.
Photo: archive of JAMU Faculty of Music.
Page 12:
Inauguration of Prof. Barbara Maria Willi, Ph.D., the new
Dean of JAMU Faculty of Music.
Photo: JAMU archive.
Page 15:
Exhibition of the project Umění volá (Art is Calling), Photo:
JAMU Theatre Faculty, Bára Bachanová.
Page 16:
Samuel Mihálik – student of the harpsichord at JAMU
Faculty of Music, photo on the right – Samuel Mihálik as a
volunteer at the University Hospital Brno during the first
wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: archive of
JAMU Faculty of Music.
A photo from a concert at the time of the pandemic at
JAMU Faculty of Music.
Photo: archive of JAMU Faculty of Music.
Page 22:
Programme of the festival Meeting of New Music Plus
2020.
Photo: archive of JAMU Faculty of Music.
Page 23:
Genre photography. Photo: archive of JAMU.
Page 26:
This image is from the opera performance S.A.M.P.O.,
Chamber Opera of JAMU Faculty of Music. Photo: archive
of JAMU Faculty of Music.
Page 27:
A photo from the production of Raději zešílet v
divočině (Better to Go Mad in the Wild), Studio
Marta. Photo: JAMU Theatre Faculty, Šimon
Pávek.
Page 28:
Photo from the Lecoq Masterclass workshop at
the Theatre Faculty. Photo: JAMU Theatre
Faculty, Anna Turková.
This image is from the Brno Marathon Music
Festival 2020.
Photo: JAMU Theatre Faculty, Pavel Borský.
Page 29:
A photo from a composite programme by the
students of JAMU Faculty of Music in Reduta (as
part of the Janáček Brno Festival). Photo: JAMU
Faculty of Music, Marek Olbrzymek.
A photo from the premiere of Hády – Pokusy o
minulost (Hády - Attempts on the Past) at Studio
Marta. Photo: JAMU Theatre Faculty, Martin
Jakubec.
Page 30:
A photo from the graduation production of The
Great Gatsby at the Theatre on Orlí Street.
Photo: JAMU Theatre Faculty, Martina
Řeháčková.
A photo from the premiere of When are WE? at
the Buranteatr Theatre. Photo: JAMU Theatre
Faculty, Petr Novák.
Page 34:
International Doctoral Conference of the
Faculty of Music. Photo: archive of JAMU Faculty
of Music.
Page 40:
Clarinettist Aleš Tvrdík, a successful student of
the Department of Wind Instruments at JAMU
Faculty of Music.
Photo: archive of JAMU Faculty of Music.
Prof. MgA. Alena Štěpánková Veselá, the first
rector of JAMU after 1989, awarded on the
occasion of the national holiday on 28th October
2020. Photo: archive of JAMU Faculty of Music.