The Youth Choir Permonik is the main body of the Choral Studio Permonik, an organization at the Bedrich Smetana School of the Arts in Karvina, in the Czech Republic. The choir, which consists of some seventy young people, was founded in 1966 by its choirmaster, Eva Šeinerová, who is also the founder and artistic director of the Choral Studio and director of the School of the Arts. The Permonik was awarded first prize in choral competitions in Llangollen (Great Britain) and the Olomouc (Czech Republic) Song Festival and was invited three times to attend the Japan International Youth Musicale as the European representative. In recent years the choir has focused on premiere performances and recording works of contemporary composers. Among these compositions are Oratorio for Girl’s Choir, Organ, Piano, and Percussion (Igor Vitaljevic Katajev), Du Er Elska (Magnar Åm), and Singing from the Bottom of My Heart (Masaru Kawasaki).