Biography:

Blanka Kulínská , née Bicanová ( 11 January 1935 Chlaponice – 29 June 2022 Prague ^[1] ), ^[2] was a Czech choirmaster and teacher. In the years 1954–1973 and then from 1992 she was the choirmaster of the Children’s Choir of the Czechoslovak and Czech Radio , and in the years 1973–2011 she was the choirmaster of the Bambini di Praga choir .

Biography

In 1945, Blanka Kulínská’s parents enrolled her in the emerging Children’s Choir of the Czechoslovak Radio . She gradually became the leading chorister of this choir. In 1954, she married Bohumil Kulínský, the choirmaster of the DPS ČsRo , and became the choirmaster of the choir. She took part in many foreign tours (for example to the Vatican ) and important concerts with the choir. She prepared regular broadcasts of music education for elementary schools, participated in the preparation of radio recordings of compositions by contemporary Czech composers.

During normalization, in 1973, for political reasons, the Kulín family ended cooperation with the Czechoslovak Radio and founded their own choir, Bambini di Praga (in translation, children from Prague), where most of the members of the original radio choir gradually moved.

After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, she and her son, Bohumil Kulínský Jr., founded the Choral Singing School at Bambini di Praga. In addition, in 1992 she was offered the position of principal choirmaster of the Czech Radio Children’s Choir , which she accepted and gradually passed Bambini di Praga over to her son (she herself remained the second choirmaster). Both choirs became top ensembles under her leadership, which were invited on foreign tours, for example to Japan .

Blanka Kulínská’s life was significantly affected by the case of her son Bohumil Kulínský , who was accused in 2004 of sexually abusing choir girls. From this year, due to Kulínský’s arrest, Blanka Kulínská once again took over the leadership of the entire choir. Due to its tarnished reputation ^[3] , however, the choir gradually lost its singers. In 2011, after the release of Bohumil Kulínský from custody, the choir’s activities were therefore terminated. ^[4]

In 2010, Blanka Kulínská received the award for lifetime contribution to the development of children’s choral singing from the Czech Music Council. ^[5]

Blanka Kulínská then concentrated only on the management of DPS ČRo. She remained the head choirmaster until 2015, when she handed over the leadership of the choir to her long-time assistant Lukáš Jindřich . However, he did not remain the choirmaster of the choir for even half a year, and since January 2016 Věra Hrdinková , also a longtime collaborator of Blanka Kulínská, has been the choirmaster of the choir.

Subsequently, Blanka Kulínská was a professional adviser to the choirmaster of the DPS ČRo, and was still involved in its activities. ^[6]

Credits: