Dominik Rumpík - flašinet

Street art has fascinated me since I was a child, when—shortly after the revolution—I used to encounter various musicians on Charles Bridge or around Prague and Paris. As a child, I attended music school, where I learned to play the piano, flute, and guitar, but I never reached a level in any of these instruments that would have allowed me to perform anywhere. As is often the case, I eventually stopped attending the music school and didn’t play anything for years—except, perhaps, to get on my parents’ nerves. My passion for playing and my dream of doing something with my music on the street were reignited 20 years ago by my friend Jaroslav Jung “Trubadúr” from Cornelia. That’s when I started playing in the period band Paduana Hispanica and also in Jaroslav Jung’s band Trubaka, where I played what’s called “percussion” (various rhythmic instruments). We performed at castles and chateaus, at various city festivals, and so on. It was a wonderful time. After a while, I became interested in the barrel organ; I saw it as the easiest way to start performing on the street as quickly as possible. Eventually, through a series of incredible coincidences, I was able to acquire an old barrel organ from the 1930s. Since this antique instrument had suffered from being played too often, I had a new one custom-made, which I’ve been playing for about 7 years now. I can most often be found at my regular spot in front of Care Bajer; in the summer, I occasionally perform in front of the Na staré rybárně restaurant and at various events in Pardubice and the surrounding area.