• Civil Musical Ensemble: participating ensemble
• SVOBODA, František Václav: director of ensemble, conductor/violin

Mercy’s Anzeiger 18/11/1854 published news that ‘Mr Swoboda [Svoboda], Kapellmeister of the new Civil Orchestra has arranged tomorrow, Sunday 19th November, on the Žofín Island at 5pm a Production.’

Der Tagesbote 19/11/1854 reported that ‘Kapellmeister F.W. Swoboda [Svoboda] arranges today for the nameday of Her Majesty the Empress a musical Soirée in the Hall of the Žofín Island, at which his newly founded Civil Musical Ensemble will play favourite pieces. Following the success that Mr Swoboda has just a few days ago gained from the first Soirée, the next promises to gain a numerous attendance.’ No further details of this event were given by this source.

A review of this event was also published by Mercy’s Anzeiger 20/11/1854. The correspondent, not identified but the text was prefaced by the mark ‘*|*’, related that ‘The second concert of the Civil-ensemble [Civil-Capelle] of Mr Swoboda, which took place yesterday on the nameday of Her Majesty the Empress Elizabeth, despite the unfavorable weather gratifying a very numerous audience, served as proof of the favourable endeavour of the Kapellmeister. For the most part, the execution of the mostly self-composed pieces was a great success. The strings were proficiently skillful and self-sufficient. Though as a whole it seemed there were deficiencies in the ensemble, it is to be hoped that soon these will one by one disappear. So it seemed to us, for example, that the bass drum in the Waltz „Aetherträume“ by Strauss was too strongly prominent and also the ritardando in the same number was over-stressed. In the Concerstück by Fürsternau Mr Růžička testified to being a virtuoso of his instrument. The March and Chorus from „Tannhäuser“ is in terms of its instrumental effects very effectively arranged by Mr Swoboda. All numbers with the exception of the last-named had to be encored.’