Pavol Demeš speaks with Ján Figel' — Slovakia’s former Chief Negotiator for EU accession, the country’s first European Commissioner, and recognized expert in the interfaith dialogue. Their conversation touches on Figel'’s personal and family ties to the United States, reflections on shifts in transatlantic relations, perspectives on the war in Ukraine, and the role of spiritual and religious leaders in today’s turbulent world.

Mirek Konvalina speaks with Czech linguist Ivana Bozdìchová, associate professor from the Institute of Czech Language and Communication Theory, Faculty of Arts at Charles University, Prague. They talk about their native language and how it is used abroad, among compatriots, in Czech schools, and among other people interested in their mother tongue.

In this podcast, within the NCSML Voices from the Homelands series, Pavol Demeš interviews Gabriela Zahoranska, executive Director of the Slovak PRO, large and very successful community-based non-profit organization which has been connecting, supporting and empowering the Slovak professional community in America.

Mirek Konvalina speaks with musicologist and Director of the Bohuslav Martinù Institute, Dr. Aleš Bøezina, who is currently finishing preparations for a major festival of the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinù in the United States, inviting us to the upcoming Martinù festival at Bard College New York – "Bard Music Festival 2025: Martinù and his World".

Aleš Bøezina is Director of the Bohuslav Martinù Institute in Prague and Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Bohuslav Martinù Complete Edition. In 1998 he reconstructed the first version of Martinù’s opera The Greek Passion. In 2016, the German Music Publishers Association awarded his edition of The Epic of Gilgamesh the Best Edition Award. In 2020, The Czech Science Foundation (GAÈR) included Martinù Complete Edition among “the five best scientific projects of the year.” Dr Bøezina is a prolific composer of film, theater and concert music.

Miroslav Wlachovský is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, an ambassador, and now is a distinguished fellow at the well-known GLOBSEC international think tank. Host Pavol Demes discusses with him the recent GLOBSEC Forum in Prague, results of the NATO Summitt in Hague, and his views on the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, IA. 

Miroslav Konvalina talks from Prague with popular Czech bass-baritone Adam Plachetka, currently the most successful Czech opera singer who is performing at the Metropolitan Opera and who has had more than one hundred appearances in the last 10 years. 

In this episode, Katarína Mathernová, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine, who was born in Bratislava before studying and working for several years in the United States, shares information on the heroism of Ukrainians defending their country from Russian aggression. She also describes parameters of her job as well as EU and US assistance to Ukraine.

After the freedom celebrations in Pilsen, which were bigger than ever, there is time to reflect on the 80 years since its liberation by US troops. Ivan Puš, Assistant Professor at the Department of History, Faculty of Arts, Palacky University Olomouc, speaks about how a young Czech historian can, from today's perspective, characterize this huge conflict which, for a long time, changed the course of Europe. 

Pavol Demes interviews Benjamin Kosnáč, the Slovak catholic priest with rich experience in pastoral work not only in Slovakia but also abroad, including many years spent in the United States of America.

Host Miroslav Konvalina speaks with Petr Kolář, advisor to President Pavel and former Czech ambassador to the US and Russia, to gauge his overall sense of what went wrong with EU-Russia relations, what Czechs can influence within the situation in Europe, and whether they can hope that American people will finally be able to persuade their leadership that it is in the United States' interest to have a strong NATO with US leadership and hopefully stay the leader of the free world.