Festival Launches!

The Mutual Inspirations Festival kicked off last evening with a performance by Matěj Číp, known as the "Cimbalom Guy." He showed his amazing skill on the cimbalom, playing such pieces as Leoš Janáček's Blown Away Leaf, Claude Debussy's Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum, and Jan Meisl's Praeamblum e Toccata for Cimbalom. 

Through his performance, he revealed the many colors and versatility of the cimbalom - the beautiful tones, dynamic range, sustained and staccato notes, and harmonies. He performed classic, contemporary and folk songs, and ended his night with the challenging piece normally performed on violin -  Paganini's Caprice No. 5 in A Minor. He concluded the evening inviting the audience to the stage to take a closer look at the cimbalom and answer any questions. 

Recently, Matěj graduated from the prestigious Berklee NYC and is now based in New York. He previously studied at Northern State University in South Dakota, where he became the first U.S. university-level cimbalom student.

Discovering his passion for cimbalom at the age of eight, he has trained under the Czech Republic's foremost cimbalom educators. With an international vision, he hopes to continue sharing the beauty of the cimbalom with audiences worldwide.