The Abbey Music department is very fortunate to be supported by a vastly experienced team of peripatetic teachers. In this feature, we get to know one of them a little better:
| Name: | Alice Kreckova |
| What instrument(s) do you teach? | I teach singing and piano |
| When did you discover your love of music? | I remember listening to my father playing piano for me when I was very young. I was told I always sang and danced all the time. It feels like it is part of me; it helps me to stay sane in this fast, busy world. |
| What advice would you give to young musicians? | Open your mind to various music, no matter when it was written or performed.You might be surprised what can speak to you. Also be patient, take your time, there are no shortcuts. Music is worth your effort. And most importantly, do it for yourself. |
| What is your favourite piece of music and why? | There are so many favourite pieces of music. I always find it difficult to choose. If I had to, it would be Andante from Bach’s Double Violin Concerto, Lacrimosa from Mozart’s Requiem, and because I love jazz music, Dream A Little Dream of Me – performed by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. Why? It simply brings me peace and reminds me to have hope. |
| What is your funniest musical moment? | Probably one of the Christmas choir concerts when I was a teenager when the church bells started ringing. It was at the end of a song so a very nice addition, but we still had to wait for someone to switch them off. |
| What is your most memorable musical moment? | Martha Argerich playing a concert in Prague in 1990 |
| If you could meet any composer from any point in time, who would it be and why? | I would like to meet George Frideric Handel and hear and see his operas in real life/time. Also Miles Davis and Duke Ellington to hear them play live |