About the Artist
Bob Rychlik is multi-instrumentalist and internationally recognized player and teacher of fujara, koncovka and other overtone flutes. Among notable performances you would find Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, TEDxNaperville, World Flute Convention in Eau Claire, National Flute Association Convention in San Diego, but also many Folk Festivals in Washington D.C. and Maryland, ethnic festivals in Baltimore, Miami, San Diego, New York, Chicago, Milwaukee, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Arkansas, NATO Headquarters at Norfolk, Embassies of Slovakia, France and Czech republic.. He established, co-organized, and performed at International fujara festivals in Slovakia, and was teaching fujaraworkshops in US, Slovakia and Czech Republic. He appeared with fujara in film, on TV, and radio in US, Czech and Slovak republic, and has been teaching fujara and koncovka week course at Common Ground on the Hill at McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland every year since 2011.http://www.commongroundonthehill.org/twhome.html
Maryland Art Council recognized fujara as a localtraditional instrument and sponsored Bob teaching a fujaraapprentice for one year. In 2016 he played solo concert at NFA convention in San Diego, and also played fujara withclassical flute orchestra. In 2017 he played 7 concerts at Chicago area high schools, followed by performance at prestigious TEDx talk at Naperville “Fujara and Freedom” describing his personal and musical journey: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=rtAmvk024TI
Bob plays both traditional Slovak and current repertoire, but also composes for fujara, guitar, keyboard and other instruments. He has been promoting the fujara and its music in the USA and Europe, and connects the worldfujara makers and players through his database. Bob’s love for American acoustic blues and Slovak overtone flutes intersected when he discovered that blues can be played also on the koncovka, and he has been performing acousticblues with the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundationfor many years. (How to jam blues when you don’t know the song?): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z93uksrLSnI
Bob was born in Czechoslovakia, and in 1983 escaped the former communist country with his family, through Yugoslavia and Austria. He has been playing guitar, banjo and piano since his childhood, and later played in bands, organized country and blues festivals, and was teaching classical guitar in State Music School, later he continued teaching guitar and banjo after arriving in Maryland, where he has been living since 1984.
To watch web-cast of his Library of Congress fujara lecture /performance, search “Library-Congress-Fujara” (in Library archives and YouTube)
Or click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y5fonktBzQ
Bob Rychlik website View Website
