On May 23rd, as the lights rise in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, a twelve-year-old pianist from Prague will take her seat at the grand piano—poised to make history. Anna Smerdova’s journey to this renowned stage is not just a story of prodigious talent, but of music passed lovingly through generations.

Anna’s musical path began not with contest victories, but alongside her grandmother Eva, a piano teacher whose fingers first unlocked the family’s secret—a deep musical gift tracing back to Anna’s great-great-grandfather, the Czech composer Josef Bartoš. Although Bartoš passed away a century ago, his music endured in faded manuscripts and the hearts of his descendants.

Years of study and competition successes have shaped Anna into a performer praised for her technical brilliance and profound emotion. But what sets her apart is her dedication to reviving Bartoš’s forgotten works. At age ten, she discovered his unpublished “Waltz,” breathing life into notes unheard for nearly a hundred years. Her sensitive interpretation caught the attention of audiences throughout Europe, earning her top prizes in Italy, Spain, Austria, and more.

Now, for her Carnegie Hall debut, Anna plans to share this extraordinary family connection with the world. Her performance will include both classical repertoire and the previously lost “Waltz,” offering New York audiences a rare chance to witness a true meeting of past and present.

“I carry my great-great-grandfather’s story with every performance,” Anna says. “On this stage, I want people to feel that bridge between generations, and experience the love for music my family has shared with me.”

As Anna takes a bow on one of music’s most prestigious stages, her journey will honor not only her own achievements, but the enduring strength of musical heritage—a living bond, ready to inspire new listeners far beyond Prague or New York.