By ANITA HIRSCH

Special to The Press

In August 2021, Matej Pinkas, a student from the Czech Republic, enrolled in Parkland High School as a junior exchange student for the school year.

Matej lives in Prague and wanted to live in the United States for one year to study.

Dr. Joseph and Emily Vincent of South Whitehall heard that Matej wanted to attend a school in the United States through their membership in the Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem.

They spoke to Matej’s parents and they spoke to the Exchange Student Organization which enrolled him in Parkland High School for the year.

Matej, an accomplished pianist, specializes in playing music by Rachmaninoff.

The Vincents were eager to have Matej live with them for the school year.

He already had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and arrived eager to attend school, although he did contract COVID-19 virus while attending high school.

In Prague, Matej attended a music school with 300 students enrolled. Parkland High School has 3,000-plus students, which he found overwhelming.

During the year, Matej’s father who is one of the four men in the Bennewitz String Quartet from Prague, came to the Lehigh Valley to perform with the Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem at Christ Lutheran Church, 13th and Hamilton streets, Allentown.

Matej played the piano, accompanied by his father Jiri Pinkas, who plays the viola.

The other three members of the quartet are Jakub Fiser, who plays the first violin; Stepan Jezek, the second violinist; and Stepan Dolezei on the violoncello.

Matej also played the piano with the Parkland High School Orchestra choosing a piece by Rachmaninoff at a concert presented at the First Presbyterian Church of Allentown.

The featured artists were members of the Parkland senior class.

The year was quickly over for Matej and he returned to the Czech Republic on June 20 after saying goodbye to the many friends he made.