Mitchell, Tereza
Tereza Mitchell (born Tereza Holíková), 1981
Tereza Mitchell was born in Zlín (known at the time as Gottwaldov) in 1981 and grew up in nearby Fryšták. Her father, a former cyclist and trainer for the Czechoslovak national team, worked as the director of a power supply company while Tereza was growing up, and now owns a similar business. Her mother stayed at home to raise Tereza and her three siblings, and more recently has held jobs in a school library and other offices. At gymnázium in Holešov, Tereza sang in a choir that traveled throughout Western Europe for performances and competitions. She studied English in school for nine years. Following her graduation from high school, Tereza applied for scholarships in the United States on the recommendation of her brother who had attended college there. A violinist since the age of six, Tereza was awarded a scholarship from Western Michigan University (WMU) in 2001 and graduated with a degree in music performance. She then received a masters degree in arts administration from Florida State University.
Three years ago, Tereza moved to Chicago with her husband Andy, whom she had met in the music program at WMU. They have a nine-month old daughter named Stella. In addition to giving lessons, Tereza worked part-time for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and is currently employed at the Merit School of Music as the music librarian. Tereza says that she was not shocked at the differences between the Czech Republic and the United States; however, she misses the ease of living in a small town and being close to outdoor activities such as hiking and biking. Tereza enjoys Czech culture in Chicago and plays violin in a Moravian folk group. She visits the Czech Republic yearly, and intends to raise Stella to speak Czech and appreciate Czech customs. Tereza lives with Andy and Stella in Chicago.
When Tereza first arrived, how different was the United States?“Very. Very different. Can you imagine coming from a village in the Czech Republic to the U.S.? I don’t think I was really shocked. You know what to expect, you know what’s going to be different, but it sure was different. I guess the biggest things I did not like were I had to drive everywhere in a car here. I kind of miss just commuting by bus or walking around and just being able to walk wherever I want to. Here, there’s only certain areas you can walk. I just miss that freedom. So it was quite different.
“I really like the ethnic diversity here. I have friends from many different countries and I really enjoy that. You learn about different countries and you hear firsthand from those people who are from India – I have really good Indian friends – or South American, American friends too. So that I really, really enjoyed. Also different foods, which in Czech Republic are hard to get.”
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Tereza is a skilled violinist and is part of a Czech folk group in Chicago:“I play in a folk group here in Chicago with guys mainly from Moravia and we play Moravian folk songs. It’s a dulcimer group, so we have a dulcimer, bass, viola, two violins, and a clarinet. A lot of fun; I could never even dream that I’ll be able to do this in the U.S., because that’s the music of my heart for sure. I love classical music, I love everything else, but when it comes to folk music, something is just very, very warm right here. As I said, I could never dream that I’d be able to do this in the U.S.”
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Tereza talks about her Czech heritage and citizenship:
“I like my accent. My husband tells me I have not as much anymore of it, and I don’t like that idea; I want to keep some of my accent. I like it. I’m proud being Czech and I always will. People ask me if I have my citizenship yet and I say I don’t. I don’t want it. I want to be Czech. I have my green card and I always want to stay a Czech citizen.”
Can you be a dual citizen?“I think so, actually. So if I ever find a good enough reason to be American I might get dual citizenship, but I am happy the way it is now.”
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Tereza is able to find Czech culture living in Chicago:“If you want, you can find it and get involved, definitely. I do go hang out with the Czech community and play in my group, so I get my Czech fix for sure. You can go to Czech restaurants and be in that environment. I also used to play in Veselica, which is a Slovak folk group so I have a lot of friends and we hang out a lot. My husband has a lot of Czech and Slovak friends so it makes me happy that even he is getting to hang out with Czech people, and he enjoys that.”
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A short violin performance by Tereza:Top of page>>Tags: American citizenship; Arts; Community life; Cultural traditions; Post-1989 emigrant; Holikova; Zlin; Frystak;