Dear Friends of the BBLA,

The annual mayhem surrounding the United Nations Assembly is finally over.   The street barriers are gone and New York City is entering back into its regular period of chaos, along with the excitement of fall.

September was a busy time for us as usual, with the Asia Art Fair anchoring all activities. For me though, the highlight of the month was the concert of the Mraz Trio.  I cannot remember the last time I was so mesmerized by a musical performance.  With the refined pedigree of these artists, you obviously expected their brilliance but the concert was beyond magical.  Camilla, George and Anthony Pinciotti inspired us all within the audience in an extremely profound way.  I wish more people could experience that feeling.  I hope we will persuade the musicians to repeat the concert, it was really that magnificent.

Camilla Mraz, George Mraz and Anthony Pinciotti at Bohemian National Hall. Photo: Marek Lukac Photography.   

I also would like to mention that our library and archives have been recently studied by Martin Nekola from the Czech Republic.  Martin received his doctorate in political science at the Charles University in Prague.  His research is focused on non-democratic regimes, the era of Communism, and East-European anti-communist exiles in the United States during the Cold War.  He is the author of numerous articles and has published six books, including the biography of Czechoslovak exile politician: Petr Zenkl.  In 2013, he was affiliated with Harriman Institute at Columbia University as a Fulbright Post-Doc Research Fellow.

Our library committee aims to have all of our historical files and books fully organized by the end of the year.

Joseph Balaz, President 

Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association