The second season of Prague Proms concerts wrapped up over the weekend, again putting the lie to the notion that serious classical music can't thrive in the city during the summer months. Of course, "serious" is a relative term with a program of hits from West Side Story and The Godfather. But the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) was quite good with warhorses like Carmina Burana and Dvořák's New World Symphony, and the audiences were substantial and enthusiastic.

Credit goes to CNSO General Manager Jan Hasenöhrl, who organized the festival and has the ensemble touring Europe with Andrea Boccelli later this summer. Besides being a business whiz, Hasenhörl plays trumpet and turns up at Jazz Club Akord for after-concert jam sessions.

"That guy's amazing," marveled another impressive musician, Chris Brubeck, who joined the jam at the club after his appearance at the July 7 concert. Brubeck reprised his Concerto No. 1 for Bass Trombone, which he premiered here two years ago and dedicated to Prague. Then the stunningly powerful Morgan State University Choir performed selections from Porgy and Bess, remaining in the loft and performed an impromptu half-hour of joyful acapella singing after most of the audience had left.

Brubeck was here with his wife, Tish, and between sessions with the jazz group Efterrätt, they were kept busy greeting friends. But they didn't hang around long, departing the next morning for a week's vacation in Venice and Florence.

Film is also on the minds of Praguers this week, with joyful crowds turning out for screenings on Střelecký ostrov, the Vltava River island opposite the National Theater. A cinematic vibe also accompanied the Captain Morgan tent set up on Wenceslas Square over the weekend, which was transplanted fresh from the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it's become a tradition in its ingenious location next to the otherwise dismal Hotel Thermal.