STYLE INTERVIEW

anymore because I don‘t have the right age,

but I can sing it at events. There are other

roles I would like to do, but I tend to just let it

happen. I‘ve got Sweeney Todd: The Demon

Barber of Fleet Street coming up now, and

I‘ve also got the female lead, Mrs Lovett.

That‘s a big challenge for me.

My big wish is to have a live band behind me,

because to have live energy behind you is

probably the best thing a singer can ask for.

change

“theI wouldn‘t

Ostrava theatre

for any other.

”

You‘ve lived in Ostrava since your

childhood. What is your relationship to

the Moravian-Silesian region? Aren‘t you

tempted by Prague?

I had the opportunity to sing in Hybernia in

Prague because I was a guest in a performance

there. It was a good experience, but

I wouldn‘t change the Ostrava theatre for

any other. I am happy here and I have a lot of

friends here. Prague as a city doesn‘t attract

me at all. It‘s too big, too crowded. The older

I get, the more I escape to the quiet.

I have read that in your free time you

like to go tramping, sometimes you

ride horses, and you have tried rock

climbing. Is that right?

I only got a whiff of mountaineering and

I climbed difficulty 4 or 4+, those who are

familiar with it will understand. That‘s my

ultimate peak. I loved it and everything

about it. However, that whiff is gone and

I don‘t climb anymore.

I don‘t go tramping regularly either, but

on the rare occasion I do go. Recently, my

daughter took me on a “mini-tramping trip“

and I really enjoyed it. It was wonderful to

see the world again from horseback and let

my hair flow as I galloped. I love that feeling.

The last time I saw you, you told me that

you had recently traveled around the

Middle East. How was that?

Yes, that was about five years ago. By an

incredible coincidence, I was invited by my

colleague and friend, Tereza Kavecká, to

join her and her friend on a trip to Israel.

They arranged my ticket two days before

the departure and I flew with them. It

was at the invitation of her relative Mark

Halfar, who is a war cameraman. It was an

incredibly amazing five days, Mark gave us

his full attention, taking us to places where

we would normally have waited a long

time, or would have found them difficult to

find. He knew everything there perfectly

and showed us everywhere. For me it was

a huge spiritual experience that I will never

forget. We also met twice with Jakub Sántó

and he took us with him on a war report to

the Gaza Strip. That was a huge adrenaline

rush, and we even witnessed an Israeli base

shooting down a rocket just a short distance

from us. That was an incredible experience

for me and I didn‘t even realize what was

actually happening in that moment. Yet the

most powerful experiences were spiritual,

the visit to Jerusalem, the holy Jordan River

and several other places. I am very grateful

to Terka Kavecká for that; I probably would

never have gone to Israel on my own.

Your singing is about emotion. You carry

that over into your charity projects,

I remember a photo of you on your knees

in front of Bishop Lobkowicz. What‘s

your message to people of goodwill?

That‘s a nice question. I‘m probably going to

repeat myself, but I would say that the family

is the foundation. I know it sounds archaic,

something to show the person that they are

not alone, that there is someone who can

help. I‘m no Mother Teresa and I don‘t do this

regularly. However, if someone approaches

me with a good idea, like the Ondrášek

mobile hospice, of course I‘m open to it.

You work also as a teacher. What is it

like to pass on your experience to the

young promising generation that will

one day replace us?

I‘ve been teaching for about 11-12 years now,

but I feel like it‘s barely been three years. I got

into it by chance, a colleague who knew me

from Red Hats recommended that I should

audition to be a musical theatre voice

teacher. I didn‘t think it was a good fit, but

I gave it a shot and the director took me on.

Along with my students, I started to learn as

well. Since I‘d never taught before, I started

from scratch. I had, and continue to have,

a personal relationship with each of the

“kids“ there, although I don‘t know if that‘s

maybe even pathetic, but family really is

everything. Family relationships are taught to

the child from a young age, and this is then

passed on, all the good and bad qualities.

We all know that when things don‘t work out

in the family, one often carries that on into

life. One has to show tremendous courage

and will to change it. And then there‘s hope.

That is such an incredibly encouraging word.

It‘s perhaps even more powerful to me than

love or faith. Where there is no hope, there

is nothing. Let there be hope everywhere,

and may no one ever lose it. I know it‘s often

hard, wading through problems and not

even having the strength to see it. But when

you see it, that‘s what it‘s all for.

right. I think of them as my children, I love

them, even if I am sometimes strict. I don‘t

praise so much, I criticize more because

I feel it motivates them more, as it does me.

I‘m happy when I see that a student is spoken

about and I see them on a poster and I think

to myself “yeah, that‘s my kid“ (laughs).

Is that what your charity projects are

about? Spreading hope?

I think a little bit yes, you need to help with

small things or money. Even though you

can‘t buy health and life. At least we can do

Hanka, thank you for the interview.

Is there anything you would like to wish our

readers for Christmas and the New Year?

I would like to sincerely wish our readers

a peaceful and beautiful Christmas. May

they not chase material gifts so much, but

rather give their fellow man gifts of the soul.

And that they do not lose hope and have it

firmly anchored in their hearts and souls.

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