That melody with a bow in the hair will pop into your head even if you swear you never listen to Heidi Janků. "Když se načančám" has burrowed so deep into Czech pop culture that people who couldn't name the singer hum it without thinking. And here's a fun fact: one of the songs from a TV fairy tale, sung by Princess Babetka, was performed by Heidi Janků, with music by Jiří Zmožek and lyrics by Zdeněk Borovec - except Heidi really didn't want to do it. That very song is exactly why people search for Heidi Janků & Heidiband Hluboká nad Vltavou - a concert beneath one of the most photogenic castles in Bohemia.

And there's another surprise that few people know. Heidiband was never meant to be Heidi's backing band. In 2016 an offer came from Adam Pavlík for a joint tour with Věra Špinarová, and on that basis the band Supernova was to be revived, but in 2017 Věra Špinarová died first and then Ivo Pavlík followed, so neither the tour nor the revival of Supernova ever happened. Out of that family tragedy grew the project that brings Heidi back to the stage today.

Heidi Janků & Heidiband Hluboká nad Vltavou: what to expect from the concert

If a Heidi Janků & Heidiband Hluboká nad Vltavou concert is on the schedule, expect an hour-long block of eighties hits in new arrangements, a live band, and the certainty that "Když se načančám" will be the highlight.

The format is fairly consistent with this lineup. A 45 to 60 minute block features the best of Heidi's repertoire and the programme is built for outdoor events: it suits town celebrations and cultural events of an outdoor nature in particular. A castle town fits perfectly, because it is exactly the kind of open-air stage where generations gather, from those who remember the original hits to their grandchildren.

Heidi doesn't keep her distance on stage. She has been singing for decades, still loves it, and is positive, energetic and herself. She admits that playing with a band has a different energy than her earlier solo appearances. Her husband didn't want her to sing with a band because turning up solo was simpler, but with a band it has a completely different dimension. And one thing is certain regardless of the venue: the mega-hit Když se načančám must be played at every concert. Anyone who wants to compare what is being performed elsewhere around the country can browse the concerts section.

Who is Heidi Janků: from Ostrava via Hamburg to the stage

Heidi Janků is a singer, presenter and actress who has been a fixture on the Czech pop scene since the early eighties, and her career started before that one defining hit arrived.

Her roots are in the Ostrava music scene. In her third year of school she started singing with the band Proměny, formerly known as Majestic, with whom Marie Rottrová and Věra Špinarová also got their start. A decisive turning point came just after her school-leaving exams. She found out that the then-popular Pavel Novák was holding auditions for a singer for his band Proto, which he wanted to take to bars and clubs in Germany, she won the audition, and that was how her professional singing career began. She looks back on it with humour, because at eighteen she mainly knew the Beskydy mountains and suddenly found herself on a stage abroad.

A fateful encounter was waiting for her shortly afterwards. After returning home, Ivo Pavlík spotted her at a joint performance at Ostrava's Černá louka and soon got in touch to ask whether she might want to try a career as a solo singer; this meeting took place in 1982. A working relationship became a personal and professional partnership lasting decades. From 1982 to 1990 they had their own band, Supernova, which they disbanded when they moved to Monaco, where Ivo composed and recorded music for a children's animated series.

But singing is not the whole story. In recent years Heidi has also ventured into theatre, in a way she genuinely enjoys. She received an offer to join the longest-running play Dívčí válka, in which František Ringo Čech plays Ctirad and Heidi, at her age, plays the maiden Šárka - something she herself describes as bizarre. The theatre then expanded its repertoire with the piece Pravda o zkáze Titanicu. As she sums it up, outside the summer it is the Advent season that keeps her in front of audiences: in summer she is invited to festivals and in winter she sings at Advent markets. You can find more names from Czech music in the artists section.

Heidiband: the band put together by Adam Pavlík

Heidiband is Heidi Janků's band, led by the composer's son Adam Pavlík. It grew out of a family story intertwined with two legends of Czech music, Věra Špinarová and Ivo Pavlík.

The background matters for understanding why he is the one leading the band. Since 2018 Heidi Janků has been performing with the band Heidiband, founded by her stepson Adam Pavlík, son of singer Věra Špinarová and director Ivo Pavlík, who later became Heidi Janků's husband. Originally Adam was supposed to put the lineup together for his mother. He was founding the band for Věra Špinarová, but when Ivo also passed away in time, they agreed to work together, he chose the musicians specifically for Heidi, and just as things were slowly getting going, covid shut everything down in 2020.

Heidi herself doesn't look back on this new chapter as a fallback solution. With a touch of irony she says that she and Adam were left with each other in a way, and she is surprised by what an excellent producer, manager and bandleader he is. He holds the role of project head throughout: since 2019 the band Heidiband has been active, put together by Adam Pavlík, who became its bandleader, manager and producer.

Who stands behind Heidi on stage? Heidiband consists of Adam Pavlík on keyboards, Dalibor Glomb on guitar and vocals, Marek Fulneček on bass guitar and Jarda Sivák on drums. Each of them has their own musical history. Dalibor Glomb reportedly came to the guitar at twelve when he literally stumbled over one, taught himself to play, and as a graphic designer he also takes care of the band's visual identity. This is a group of professionals, not a hastily assembled backing band. The urge to see more names from this era of Czech pop music live can also be satisfied in the concerts section.

Když se načančám: the hit the singer didn't want to sing at first

The backbone of the show is hits from the eighties complemented by newer material, but everything builds towards one song. And that song has a funnier backstory than even many fans would expect.

Let's return to the opening story, because it is worth telling in full. The song appeared in 1986 in the TV fairy tale Co takhle svatba, princi? At the time Heidi was not at all in tune with the feel of a sweet fairy-tale number. She was touring with a band and had a rockier image; posters even billed her as a rock singer from Ostrava, Heidi Janků. In the end she took a practical approach. She accepted it as a commission, recorded it, and in the eighties they played it with the band as a bonus at the end of the show, with Heidi always putting a bow in her hair and having a laugh about it.

That laugh turned into an evergreen that has stayed with her ever since. She has lost count of how many times she has sung it; it has become a phenomenon that didn't exist at the start of her career, only emerging towards the end of the eighties, and she has sung it at every performance since. Given that she has been in the business for forty years, that is an impressive number. Today Heidi sees it clearly: she can no longer imagine a show without this song.

The repertoire is more varied than a single hit would suggest. The playlist features the biggest hits such as Dívčí internát, Kuře na grilu, Fotka, Ztracený ráj, Jen tak žít neumím and of course Když se načančám. All the songs come with new, more modern arrangements, and newer material and a surprise or two are also planned. Don't expect faithful retro, then, but old songs in a contemporary sound.

Hluboká nad Vltavou castle as a concert backdrop

Hluboká nad Vltavou stands or falls by its white castle, one of the best-known Romantic buildings in the country. That backdrop is what turns a summer open-air concert into something more than an event on an ordinary village square.

The castle's current appearance came relatively late and was inspired by a specific source. In July 1838 Prince Jan Adolf II of Schwarzenberg returned from the coronation of Queen Victoria of Britain enchanted by English Gothic architecture and wanted the castle rebuilt in exactly that style. The design was drawn up by Viennese architect Franz Beer, who directed the construction work for twenty years from 1840, and the new buildings were created in the Tudor Gothic style modelled on the English Windsor Castle. The extensive reconstruction in the Romantic Neo-Gothic style took place between 1840 and 1871, including the landscaping of the park and surrounding countryside.

The scale of the building only sinks in when you say the numbers out loud. The castle has 140 rooms, 11 towers and bastions. And it is not merely a local attraction. Hluboká ranks among the most visited castles in the country and is often described as the most beautiful castle in the Czech Republic. Interestingly, the admiration it enjoys today was accompanied at the time by criticism. The attempt to imitate English Gothic castles was already seen by some experts of the day as kitsch, a detail that puts the period Romanticism in a different light.

If you combine the concert with a day trip, the place itself will take care of the programme. The castle is surrounded by a landscape park covering 58 hectares, founded by the Schwarzenbergs in the 1850s with a dendrologicaly valuable collection of exotic trees. Inside you can today follow six routes: the state rooms, private apartments, the kitchen, guest rooms, the tower and a winter tour route. And if the scenery looks familiar, that is no coincidence. Hluboká castle is known from the fairy-tale film Pyšná princezna. The events calendar is a good place to keep track of what is coming up in the regions, as outdoor concerts usually appear there well in advance.

How to find the date and not miss out on tickets

For outdoor concerts, dates and venues are set by the organiser, so it pays to monitor official channels and buy tickets only through verified sources. A few concrete steps will save you unnecessary mistakes.

First, check which event you are actually looking at. The name Heidi Janků is prominently registered with organisers and fans alike, so it appears in many places and it is easy to mix up two different dates. Second, keep seasonality in mind. Heidi tends to be invited to festivals in summer and sings at Advent markets in winter, so an outdoor concert beneath the castle logically falls in the warmer part of the year. Third, buy through the official organiser or a verified seller, not second-hand via social media. Official information about the band and their dates can be found at heidi.cz.

A practical note about Hluboká itself, once you head there: the main car park is roughly 900 metres from the castle and a sightseeing train runs between the two. Keep an eye on what is playing where by checking the events calendar and the concerts section regularly. If you are planning a cultural day out and the concert is just part of the programme, tips on theatre or a comparison with major summer events in the festivals in Prague overview may also come in handy. Profiles of performers can be found among the artists.

Frequently asked questions

Who makes up the band Heidiband?

Heidiband consists of Adam Pavlík on keyboards, Dalibor Glomb on guitar and vocals, Marek Fulneček on bass guitar and Jarda Sivák on drums. The band was founded by Heidi Janků's stepson Adam Pavlík, son of Věra Špinarová and Ivo Pavlík. Adam also serves as its bandleader, manager and producer.

Will Když se načančám be played at the concert?

Yes, practically without question. According to the band, this mega-hit must be played at every concert, and Heidi herself says that she sings it at every performance. She cannot imagine a show without it, even though she once didn't want to sing it at all.

What other songs are on the programme?

Alongside the biggest hit, other well-known tracks can be expected. The playlist features hits such as Dívčí internát, Kuře na grilu, Fotka, Ztracený ráj and Jen tak žít neumím. All the songs also come with new, more modern arrangements.

Where can I find the exact date and buy tickets for Hluboká?

The date, exact venue in Hluboká and prices vary depending on the organiser for outdoor events, so check directly with them and buy tickets only through verified channels. Official information about the singer's performances can be found at heidi.cz, and upcoming events in the region can be followed in the calendar and the concerts section.

Is the concert suitable for families with children?

For outdoor performances of this type, usually yes. The programme is designed for town celebrations and cultural events of an outdoor nature in particular, which people regularly attend with children. Specific entry conditions can always be found in the information provided by the organiser of the given event.

Sources

  • heidi.cz, the singer's official website (About Heidi and Heidiband sections)
  • Český rozhlas, Střední Čechy and Ostrava: interviews about the founding of Heidiband and the collaboration with Adam Pavlík
  • richart.cz and topvip.cz: band lineup and repertoire overview
  • Deník.cz: interview about the hit Když se načančám and how it came to be
  • Wikipedia, zamek-hluboka.cz, hrady.cz, kudyznudy.cz and turistika.cz: history and facts about Hluboká nad Vltavou castle
  • kdykam.com: events calendar, concerts, artists