Noach

vocal group

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The Ostrava vocal ensemble Noach is engaged in interpreting Hebrew songs. The main sources are songs of Hasidic Jews.

The ensemble currently consists of those men:

Leoš Ryška – headmaster of TV NOE, catholic priest
Lukáš Zielina – teacher
Peter Galvas – specialist in railway vehicles reparation
Vít Sommer – druggist
Jan Sieber – technician of maintanance
Daniel Ševčík – printer
Tomáš Novotný – religionist, biblist, docent at University of Ostrava
Jiří Friml – student of VŠB Ostrava
Václav Moravec – mechanical engineer
Jaroslav Krupa – electrical engineer
Vojtěch Drnek – student at conservatory and JAMU
Brett Grey – cofounder and agent of “1st International School of Ostrava”

Ensemble is accompanied by a klezmer duo consisting of Ráchel Polohová (clarinet) and Anežka Gebauerová (accordion). Both of them are graduates of the Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava. Ráchel studies Jewish Studies and religionistics at Charles University in Prague and Anežka studies the accordion at the Music Academy in Katowice. This duo brightens up concerts with pieces of klezmer music, which is a folk music of Eastern European Jews.

Noach is conducted by doc. Tomáš Novotný, a Jewish music specialist, who is known (among others) as a founder and conductor of the vocal ensemble Adash – www.adash.osu.cz. Doc. Novotný studied at the Conservatory of Prague (composition, conducting, French horn), before acquiring a doctorate at the Department of Old Testament Studies at the Theological Faculty in Prague, after which he was habilitated as a religionist. He currently teaches at the Philosophical Faculty of Ostrava University.

The ensemble has chosen the name Noach because its members are sons of Noach – Bnej Noach in Hebrew – which is a Jewish expression for those who are not of Jewish origin. The word Noach can also be translated as “relaxed, calm“ – and this is exactly the mood that the members of the ensemble want to create not only for themselves, but mainly for their listeners.

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