Stanislav Kotyza
(*1952), USA
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Czech-American businessman, arts patron and opera singer Stanislav Kotyza was born in Humpolec. He emigrated to the United States in the 1980s. In 2001, he was one of the founders of the Harmony Foundation, a major cultural organisation in Rye, New York, which supports artistic activities in music, theatre, visual arts and other disciplines in America and Europe. He is a great promoter of Czech and Slovak music. He discovered, recorded and staged several forgotten Czech Christmas carols. He repeatedly and tirelessly presents the music of important composers to the world. In 2022, he organised and supported the Juraj Filas Memorial Mass so that American audiences could discover his beautiful music. He financed the reconstruction of the unique organ in the Church of St. Nicholas in Humpolec. He also financially contributed to a concert by the Band of the Castle Guards and the Police of the Czech Republic in Carnegie Hall, which paid tribute to all New York City police officers and firefighters for their courage demonstrated on September 11. He collaborates with number of important cultural institutions, such as the Metropolitan Opera and the Czech Center New York.
