PRESS RELEASE
13TH ANNUAL TREBBIA EUROPEAN AWARDS
Prague, 26. February 2013 –The Trebbia Foundation, in cooperation with Czech Television and MIRO Gallery, is preparing the 13th presentation of the Trebbia European Awards andbenefit cheques. The ceremony will be held onSunday 10th March 2013 in the Smetana Hall ofthe Municipal House in Prague. The ceremony will be broadcastby Czech Television and Slovak Television.
The Trebbia European Award was created in 2000 as a recognition and acknowledgement to businessmen, patrons and artists. Personalities and institutions from all over the world submit suggestions of candidates to the Trebbia Foundation for the European Trebbia Award. The International Nomination Committee, which is composed of well-known personalities from the culture, business and political world, choose the laureates. The 13th year of the Trebbia award is under the auspices of cardinal Dominik Duka OP, archbishop of Prague and Czech primate,as well as Alena Hanáková, from the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Culture.
The Trebbia European Awards are presented in the following categories:
-Support of the culture and the arts
-Creative activities
-Contribution to national dialogue of cultures
-A special prize for lifetime achievement
Part of the ceremony is an auction of paintings made by world-famous personalities who are not professional artists. This time thepieces have beendonated by Petr Čech (goal-keeper for Chelsea, London), Oleg Tabakov (actor and director, Moscow), Sir Bob Geldof (singer, song writer and political activist, London) and Karel Gott. An aquarelle, which was on display at the polar station Barneo at the North Pole in April 2005, from academic painter Josef Wágner will be auctioned. The funds raised from this auction will be equally shared between the civil association Pomozte dětem/Help the Children (Czech television) and the Trebbia Foundation.
The Trebbia Award has been awarded to ninety laureates from forty countries around the world since it’s creation. This year the Trebbia award will be given to:
José Antonio Abreu(*1939), Venezuela – economist, politician and pianist (the prize will take over Chargé d´Affaires Gustavo Alberto Sierra Gutiérrez, First Secretary of theEmbassy of theBolivarian Republic, Venezuela)
Grażyna Kulczyk(*1950), Poland – art collector, businesswoman and patron
Vladimír Fedosejev(*1932), Russian Federation – art leader and chief conductor of the State Academic Great Symphonic Orchestra of P. I. Tchaikovsky
Jiří Anderle (*1936), Czech Republic – academic painter
Jan Saudek (*1935), Czech Republic – photographer
Sir Nicholas George Winton (*1909), London – British broker and humanitarian worker(the prize will take over daughter Barbara Winton)
Jiří Bartoška (*1947), Czech Republic – actor
Anton Hykisch (*1932), Slovakia – Slovak novelist, playwright, politician and ambassador
The prizes will be awarded by the following personalities:
Klaus von Trotha – Former Minister of Science, Research and Culture inBaden-Württemberg and President of the International Hermann Hesse Society
Eliška Coolidge-Hašková – owner of Coolidge Consulting Services and FormerSecretary offive U.S.presidents
Leoš Svárovský – composer
J. E. Sergey Borisovič Kiselev – Ambassador of the Russian Federation in the Czech Republic
Vladimír Železný – art collector, patron, businessman and politician
J. E. Peter Brňo – Ambassador of the Slovak Republic in the Czech Republic
František Mikeš – First deputy to the Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic
Karel Gott – singer and multiple holder of “Český slavík”
Benefit cheques will be awarded by:
Daniel Horský – Sales Director of the KOVOSVIT MAS, a.s.
Ján Lešták – Owner of the Eye Centre JL Prague
Roman Popov – Chairman of the Board European-Russian Bank
Sergey Mayzus – Owner of the MAYZUS Investment Company
Mohammed Al-Qadiri –businessman, diplomat andpatron
Alena Miro – Soloist of the Czech National Opera and Chairwoman of the Managing Board Trebbia Foundation
Laureates of the Trebbia European Award are chosen by the Trebbia International Nomination Committee (Trebbia INC). One of the most important personalities in Czech history was Václav Havel, who was anhonorary member of the Trebbia INC from 2007 to2011. Currently the INC is made up of these personalities:
Benke Aikell, Sweden – Owner and publisher of Leaders Magazine
Jiří Bělohlávek, Czech Republic–World famous composer
Eva Blahová, Slovakia – Art Manager of the Opera, National Theatre Brno
Michael Haas, Switzerland/Germany– Collector, gallery owner and curator
Meda Mládková, USA/Czech Republic–Founder of the Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation and Kampa Museum
Martin Jan Stránský, USA/Czech republic–Doctor, pedagogue, publisher and publicist
Klaus von Trotha, Germany– Former minister of Science, Research and Culture of Baden-Württemberg and President of International Hermann Hesse Society
Miro Smolák, Czech Republic/Slovakia–Owner of the MIRO Gallery, founder of the Trebbia Foundation and chairman of Trebbia INC
The Gala Benefit Evening will open with the world premiere of the symphonic prelude Sarabanda by Slovak composer Egon Krák. Members of the Black Theatre will perform the choreography of Jiří Srnec. On the program there is Walter Hofbauer – trumpet, Jiří Vodička –violin, Svatopluk Sem – barytone. To close this event, the Prague Philharmonia will perform Legend No. 3 by Antonín Dvořák.
The moderators of the Gala:
Jitka Novotná, Czech Television
Lubomír Bajaník, Slovak Television
The Trebbia is a European award born in Prague’s Church of St. Roch to serve the purpose of becoming the backbone of the thousand-year spiritual development at this site, and the positive relationship between patrons and creators of cultural values.
St. Roch, a French saint who lived at the turn of the 13th century, volunteered to help wherever the plague epidemic had hit. Unfortunately, he later fell ill with plague himself and to avoid being a burden to others, he withdrew to a cave located on the bank of an Italian river, the Trebbia. According tolegend, an angel visited him daily to encourage him and keep him company. One day, the dog of a nobleman, Gothard from Sarmat, found St. Roch and from that day on brought St. Roch a loaf of bread every day. With help from the dog, he was cured and was able to go back to helping others who were sick with plague. He later died peacefully in 1327.
Most of his remains were placed in the St. Rocco Church in Venice while some of his remains were placed in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. In commemoration of St. Roch and out of gratefulness that the plague did not spread to Prague, Emperor Rudolf II and Jan Lohel, who was at the time the Strahov Abbot, began constructing a church on the grounds of Strahov Monastery in 1599.
Since 1994, this unique space has beenused by the MIRO Gallery, which was established in Berlin in 1987. In appreciation of entrepreneurs, patrons and artists, the MIRO Gallery founded the Trebbia European Awards, which were named after the Trebbia river. In 2007, the gallery founded the Trebbia Foundation in support of the award.
For further information contact:
Dominika Bártová
Galerie MIRO
tel.: +420233354066
e-mail:
Galerie MIROtel.: +420233354066
kostel sv. Rochafax: +420233354 075
Strahovské nádvoří 1/132e-mail:
118 00 Praha 1