Vesna

**Vesna** is a Czech folk band from Prague. The band consists of four members: vocalist and songwriter Patricie Fuxová, violinist Bára Šůstková, Russian pianist Olesya Ochepovskaya and drummer Markétka Vedralová. Previously members were Bulgarian pianist Tanita Yanková and flautist Andrea Šulcová. The group represented the Czech Republic at The Origin Song Contest 07 in Minsk, Belarus with the original cast.

## History

### Formation

The band was formed by Patricie Fuxová in 2016. The idea of celebrating Slavic culture and femininity was created during her studies at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory. Originally the group consisted of Patricie herself, Bára Šůstková, Andrea Šulcová and Tanita Yanková; however, the last two were replaced by Olesya Ochepovskaya and Markétka Vedralová in 2018. Together the four band members represent the Slavic goddesses of the four seasons.

### 2017: First singles and EP release

Vesna's first single was called "Morana" and was released in 2017. It was named after the goddess of winter and death. It was recorded together with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. “We wanted to do our best from the beginning. We requested the Czech National Symphony Orchestra to collaborate and surprisingly they said yes,” Patricie comments.

Later that year three other singles called "Mokoš", "Vesna" and "Živa" were published. They were named after the Slavic goddesses of the autumn, spring and summer respectively. The four singles were included in an EP (extended play) called "Bohyně" ("Goddesses"). In November 2017, Vesna released another single called "Světlonoš" ("Torchbearer"), which featured Czech singer Terezie Kovalová.

### 2018: New members, new singles and *Pátá Bohyně*

In 2018, flautist Andrea and pianist Tanita were replaced by pianist Olesya and drummer Markétka. Together with the new members, the band new singles, some of which featuring other musical formations and singers. The singles recorded in 2017 were revamped and re-released. In November that year, Vesna's first album called "Pátá Bohyně" ("Fifth Goddess") was released. It featured 13 songs.

### 2019-20: The Origin Song Contest

The group continued recording singles with the new members. In June 2019 they released the song "Bílá laň" ("White hind"), featuring Czech singer Věra Martinová. The following month they released another single called "Bečva". It was named after a river which lies between the Moravian and Silesian regions and featured vocals from Slovak singer Zuzana Smatanová.

Earlier in 2019, it was announced that the band will reunite with the two old members Andrea and Tanita in order to take part in Song for the Origin 02, the Czech national selection for The Origin Song Contest 07. On 11th July 2019, they were confirmed as one of the participants in the selection with their song "Morana". On 4th September 2019, they won the selection with 117 points, thus becoming the Czech representatives for TOSC 07 in Belarus. At the contest, they finished 7th in the final with 97 points, mere 6 points away from pre-qualifying for the next edition.

On 18th November 2019, the band released a new single, called "Nezapomeň" (Never forget). On 12th February 2020, Vesna were announced as one of the 11 entrants in Song for the Origin 03, the Czech national final for The Origin Song Contest 08. They competed with their song "Světlonoš", again joined by old members Andrea and Tanita, as well as by Terezie Kovalová. On 28th March 2020, they finished third with 111 points.

## Discography

### Albums and EPs

* "Bohyně" (EP) (2017)
* *Pátá Bohyně* (2018)

### Singles

* "Světlonoš" (featuring Terezie Kovalová) (2017)
* "Kytička" (featuring diVize) (2018)
* "Láska z Kateřinic" (featuring Vojtěch Dyk) (2018)
* "Bílá laň" (featuring Věra Martinová) (2019)
* "Bečva" (featuring Zuzana Smatanová) (2019)
* "Nezapomeň" (2019)

## See also

* Czech Republic
* The Origin Song Contest 07