The founder of the Akademická Banská Bystrica festival has left us forever.
Prof. PaedDr. Milan Pazúrik, CSc. He was a co-founder of the Akademická Banská Bystrica festival, the first year of which took place in 1985. He was part of the festival from 1985 to 2023 in the positions of festival guarantor, artistic director, chairman of the preparatory committee and as an active participant of the festival with the University Choir Mladost'. We believe that his legacy will still be alive in this event, which will be a living and revived memorial of this personality.
Prof. PaedDr. Milan Pazúrik, CSc., was born on 26 July 1950 in Banská Bystrica. In his hometown he acquired the foundations of his education, which he developed at the Faculty of Education in Banská Bystrica from 1974. From the beginning of his teaching career he was fascinated by choral singing, through which he became a well-known personality not only at home but also abroad. In 1981 he received the degree of Doctor of Pedagogy (PaedDr). His next steps towards education led him to Charles University in Prague, where in 1989 he defended his doctoral dissertation in the field of choral singing and was awarded the degree of Candidate of Sciences. In 1997 he habilitated in the field of choral singing at the university and finally in 2007 he received his title and the decree of university professor from the hands of the then President of the Czech Republic, Václav Klaus.
He was Secretary of the Department of Music Education from 1985 to 1992, and then Deputy Head of the Department from 1999. From 2005 to 2009 he was the head of the Department of Music Education.
In 1987 he completed a study stay at the Institute of Music and Pedagogy in Kiev with prof. Avdeevsky and doc. A. G. Bolgarsky and in 1993 at the Higher Pedagogical School in Bydgoszcz under prof. S. Matczak, where he also gave concerts with the local academic choir.
One of the main ensembles in which he has acted as a conductor is the University Choir Youth at the Pedagogical Faculty of Matej Bel University, which he led for an incredible 41 years. He was also active in the Collegium Cantus Chamber Choir of the Matica Slovenska House in Banská Bystrica and in the Brezno City Choir, where he was also the artistic director. On 1 January 1984 he took over the artistic leadership of the Brezno choir from Ján Soušek, the founder of the choir. Under his leadership, the choir grew in quantity and developed musically, as evidenced by the awards for this artistic ensemble at various festivals and choir shows at home and abroad. Since 1978 he was also a member and chairman of the board of the Slovak Teachers' Choir at the Slovak Teachers' Choir Home in Trenčianske Teplice.
Professor Milan Pazúrik is a co-founder of the festival Akademická Banská Bystrica, where he has been the professional guarantor and artistic director since 1985, and he was also the founder of the Horehronské festivals of choral singing in Brezno, where he has been the guarantor since 1994. He is also associated with the Festival of Slovak Matrix Choirs in Banská Bystrica. He was a guarantor and chaired the preparatory committee of the Viliam Figus-Bystrý Festival of Choral Singing in Banská Bystrica. He prepared the international symposium on choral singing Cantus Choralis Slovaca, where since 1993 his name has been associated with the professional guarantee of this event.
He also demonstrated his professional knowledge as an expert advisor for the Festival International de Musique Universitaire - International Festival of University Music in Belfort, France, for the region of Central Europe and the V4 countries. For many years he worked as a lecturer for conductor training at home and abroad.
Prof. M. Pazúrik has been awarded several times for his work. A significant role in his life was played by the millennium year, when he received the honour of the Director General of the National Centre for Enlightenment. He was awarded the Daniel Lichard Memorial Medal, the Matica Slovenská Matica Memorial Medal and a letter of thanks from the Music Department of the Matica Slovenská Matica. In 2008 he was awarded the Mayor's Prize of the City of Brezno, which was awarded by prof. M. Pazúrik was awarded on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Brezno City Choir for outstanding results achieved in the field of choral singing, for many years of leadership of the choir and successful representation of the city of Brezno at home and abroad; in 2011 he was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Brezno.
Prof. PaedDr. Milan Pazúrik, CSc. died in Banská Bystrica 22.5.2025.
Honour his memory!