Michael Kocáb

Michael Kocáb (born 28 July 1954) is a Czech composer, singer, and political activist. He is the leader of Pražský výběr, a popular music band suppressed by the Czechoslovak communist regime in the 1980s.

At the spring 1989 Kocab with Michal Horacek founded the "Bridge" initiative; after founding of Civic Forum (CF) on November 19, 1989, he organized together with Horacek all negotiations of CF with the communist Prime Minister and his cabinet.

On behalf of CF, Kocab was also responsible for negotiations with representatives of the Czechoslovak army. Using the significant political influence, he managed with several people to put through Vaclav Havel as the sole candidate of CF for the duty of the president – as Havel spoke of this in February 1990 in his speech to the US Congress in 1990.

From 1990 to 1992 he was a member of the Federal Assembly of the CSSR and the CFSR. In his first speeches during joint meetings of the House of Commons and the Chamber of Nations of the Federal Assembly Kocab repeatedly demanded an end to the Soviet occupation and declared the Treaty on the temporary stay of Soviet troops in Czechoslovakia invalid. Kocáb led a parliament commission which negotiated the repatriation of Soviet soldiers from Czechoslovakia.

From 2009 to 2010 he held the position of Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities in the Government of the Czech Republic.

He has composed music to more than 60 films:

Feature film music:

Music to animated films:

Music to short films:

Kocab has also been involved in musical compositions for a number of audiovisual projects and plays, for example:

Audiovisual projects:

Laterna Magika:

Drama:

Solo discography:

Book:

In April 1990, together with Oldřich Lichtenberg and Miloslav Zapletal, Kocáb founded a company called Art Production K, where he served as chairman of the board. In May 1991 he became board member of newly privatized building company Montované stavby Praha (MSP). In January 1992 MSP founded Investment privatization fund TREND (IPF TREND) and Kocáb became chairman of its board. Another board Member was his brother-in-law Martin Kratochvíl. In January 1993, the companies Art Production K (27.5%), Bonton (27.5%), MSP (10%), and Bankovní dům SKALA (35%) founded a limited liability investment company IC TREND to manage the IPF TRENT portfolio for a fee. In February 1995 the managers of IPF TREND founded a closely owned corporation IC TREND for the same purpose. In August 1995 Kocáb, Kratochvíl and other owners of IC TREND sold the company to broker Královéhradecká brokerská společnost (KBS) for a substantial amount of money. The new owners of IC TREND used the acquired company as a vehicle to strip dispersed shareholders of IPF TREND from its assets. After a first fraudulent transaction by KBS managers, used to cover the costs associated with purchase of IC TREND, Kocáb and Kratochvíl resigned from the board of IPF TREND.