Beroun, the Home of Ateliér 57
According to Wikipedia: “Beroun is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers… The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. First mentioned in 1265.” On paper, it sounds like a very normal, quiet small town in the Republic. So how exactly has it slowly transformed into a vital, roaring destination on the international jazz circuit?
The main reason Ateliér 57 has established such a massive reputation for high-standard jazz music is, of course, due to its unique founders: a Czech-American married couple drawing directly from the global jazz scene. We are talking about The Simpsons (sorry guys, I just couldn’t resist! 
). Co-founder Jesse Simpson is an internationally recognized jazz drummer, allowing the venue to pull high-profile musical connections straight from New York and the global touring circuit. But a world-class project like this cannot run on music alone; it takes an immense mountain of daily behind-the-scenes magic. That is where the incredibly hardworking Bára comes in, holding down the entire fort, managing everything else, and taking care of their two toddlers on top of it all to ensure the artistic dream stays alive.
). Co-founder Jesse Simpson is an internationally recognized jazz drummer, allowing the venue to pull high-profile musical connections straight from New York and the global touring circuit. But a world-class project like this cannot run on music alone; it takes an immense mountain of daily behind-the-scenes magic. That is where the incredibly hardworking Bára comes in, holding down the entire fort, managing everything else, and taking care of their two toddlers on top of it all to ensure the artistic dream stays alive.It is also clear that the visionary minds within the Beroun City Council possessed incredible foresight when deciding to support Ateliér 57 and its artistic efforts. Seeing a local municipality actively champion independent culture is a rare, refreshing sight in today’s political world. The entire setup is a textbook example of a win-win situation. For us, the audience, it provides a unique, warm, and friendly environment to catch world-class music. For the Simpsons, it provides a physical space to make a dream come true. And for the City of Beroun, it fosters immense community pride and promotes high-quality tourism. Ateliér 57 proves that a town does not need a million citizens to foster world-class art. It only needs vision, exceptional curation, and space for creative expression to thrive.
This upcoming Sunday, July 19th, Ateliér 57 is hosting the highly anticipated Vápenicefest Brazil! The heavy-hitting lineup features the Tuomo Uusitalo Trio, the Zeuritia Quartet, and the Fernanda Santanna Quartet, with the outdoor kick-off starting early at 18:00. This is where the real players are. Get your hips in shape for some vibrant Latin American rhythms, because there is a very high probability this festival will be the talk of the town for months to come.
But here is my ultimate insider tip: give yourself a couple of hours before the music starts to get acquainted with Beroun itself. On a Sunday, the historic Old Town is peaceful, quiet, and absolutely beautiful to explore. If you are traveling from the capital, you will deeply appreciate the relaxed, less stressful lifestyle Beroun has to offer. Granted, it can sometimes be a little too quiet on a Sunday afternoon, and it might require a tiny bit of legwork to find an open local restaurant or café. But as the saying goes: Seek, and ye shall find! Just make sure you track down your dinner in time, because for dessert, you need to have your hips ready for the Jazz à la Brazil
To see all the pictures click HERE!
Jesse and Barbara. Are the best.
Love these guys.
Can’t wait to see them again.
Beroun lucky to have them.