Dear Friends of the BBLA,

I trust your Thanksgiving festivities were delicious, warm and happy. 

The prior week, I spent time in Washington DC, accompanied by our trustees Georgina and Aja, all while participating in the celebration of 25 years of the Velvet Revolution. Our sister organizations, the Vaclav Havel Library Foundation [VHLF] and the American Friends of Czech Republic [AFoCR] arranged for the placement of Vaclav Havel's bust in the last available spot of the National Statuary Hall of the Capitol. Havel is only the fourth non-American honored that way and his sculpture was placed next to Churchill's. U.S. Representatives John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi presided over the ceremony.

The highlight of the events was the packed Gala Dinner fundraiser at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C., which grossed almost half a million dollars for VHLF and AFoCR. The dinner program was moderated by Madeleine Albright and Wendy Luers. Czech Prime Minister, Mr. Sobotka, and the Speaker of the Czech Senate, Mr. Hamacek, were delighted to be able to participate. The celebration started with a magnificent performance of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra lead by maestro Belohlavek at the Carnegie Hall, followed by a concert at the National Cathedral.

Photo: Ondrej Nemec 

I would also like to thank our DAHA and the Czech Center for the exhibition of the original manuscript of Dvorak's "Novosvetska".

This is perhaps our busiest season yet and I hope you will find the time to visit with us. For instance on December 9th, we have the gallery opening of Celebrating Print 2014, an exhibition featuring thirty artists with BBLA awarding one outstanding print. You also should not miss the encore concert of the Mraz Trio if you want to experience truly world-class music. 

Joseph Balaz, President 

Bohemian Benevolent & Literary Association