The period of large-scale migration from Europe to North America into the 20th century coincided with the invention of recorded sound. Through obsolete media such as phonograph cylinders and shellac records, advertisements in local newspapers, or family stories and memories, Filip Šír of the Czech National Museum Sound Lab will present a curated historical soundtrack of the famous networks of music sellers in Bohemian Chicago.
Focusing on stories of migrants, including personalities like Jiran, Kosatka, Holub, Solar, Vitak and other Bohemians, as well as historical events and music, he will show an American story from the early 20th century and bring the audience to a time when New York, Baltimore, Cleveland, and especially Chicago, were new homes for immigrant of Bohemians/Czechs.
Come listen to the history of sound.
Currently stationed at the National Museum (Prague, Czech Republic) in the newly established National Museum’s Sound Lab, Filip Šír takes charge of coordinating audio document preservation efforts as a multifaceted professional: a librarian, project manager, and researcher. Positioned as a front-runner in preserving the historical audio legacy of the Czech Republic, he has played a pivotal role in establishing a portal that serves as an informational hub for all historical audio documents in the Czech Republic. From instigating national surveys across various institutions to actively coordinating efforts on a national scale, his focus is on uniting institutions and individuals. With the mantra of “Collect, Connect, Collaborate,” he is committed to pioneering the art of audio preservation globally.