Czech Music Information Centre

The comprehensive scope of the Czech Music Information Centre covers contemporary Czech composers, musicians, musical events, and the broader landscape of Czech musical culture from 1945 to the present day.

Since its establishment in 1964, the Czech Music Information Centre has helped people navigate the Czech musical landscape by providing information through publications, online resources, and direct personal assistance. Cultural institutions, media representatives, researchers, as well as professional and amateur musicians receive answers to questions about repertoire, composers or events. The information offered by the Centre includes various formats: documentation of contemporary Czech composers and musicians, articles, archival materials, multimedia database of compositions, cultural policy documents, specialized literature and news, in addition to special collections of scores and recordings.

The Czech Music Information Centre has built its services on extensive documentation and archival work, maintaining the largest collection of scores by Czech composers from 1945 onwards, including “samizdat” items. As a specialized facility, the Centre makes use of its network of contacts with composers, libraries, publishers and festival organizers throughout the Czech Republic, as well as its partnerships with international music institutions. The Centre maintains a multimedia online database at www.musicbase.cz and provides comprehensive information about Czech classical music to audiences worldwide. At the same time, it serves as a specialized information and reference centre for enquiries from Europe and abroad seeking knowledge about Czech musical culture.

The Czech Music Information Centre produces several key publications and recordings to promote Czech musical culture: Czech Music Quarterly, a quarterly publication in English; HIS Voice, a magazine in Czech (www.hisvoice.cz), an ongoing series of CDs/digital albums of contemporary Czech composers, mainly the “Composer Portraits Edition” (czmic.bandcamp.com); as well as other non-periodical publications.

The Czech Music Information Centre is funded by the Czech Music Fund, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the City of Prague, and other public sources.