The online Romani musicians program BAŠAVEL on ROMEA TV offered unique guests and clips from the best performances of 2020 in the closing episode of the series. In addition to performances, the program features an interview with Miro Bartoš, a Romani opera singer who spent part of his childhood in a children's home in the Czech Republic and is now a professional soloist with a theater ensemble in Plzeň.
"Leaving home changed my life and that of my sister. If we had stayed at home we would never have gone to college and gotten the jobs of our dreams," the singer told ROMEA TV.
Milan Kroka, a musician who is a favorite on the Romani music scene in the Czech Republic, is interviewed about what music means to him. "I haven't always just been a musician. I had to do manual labor too. When things were the very worst, I went to work in a factory as a tool grinder. Music is my life. It's a difficult craft, and when it's not done with love, honestly, people can tell," the composer, producer and vocalist told ROMEA TV.
The final episode of BAŠAVEL for 2020 also featured Terezie Ondičová alias Tessie, who has competed in the nationally televised singing competition The Voice; the young Romani musician from Slovakia Richard Adam alias Vajdis; Karin Cinová, Robert Boldi, Ondrej Ferko & Ondra Gizman, Jr; and the Galiani Gypsy Jazz band. Big thanks go to Ladislav Cirok and his recording studio, EL CIROX PRODUCTION, for collaborating on producing several episodes of the series.
