Young singer Amálka was a guest at a charity cabaret in Poděbrady: an evening full of emotion, courage, and gratitude

As the mother of 16-year-old singer Anna Amelie Keltnerová, I experienced one of the most moving evenings of my life on November 22, 2025, at the Na Kovárně Theater in Poděbrady. Amálka was invited as a “guest from the local talent pool” to the BABA Show charity performance.

She sang two songs on stage, accompanied on the piano by Martin Rufus, and gave a performance that we will remember for a long time to come. Amálka is a great singer, but she is also a fighter – after a complicated spinal surgery, she has a first-degree physical disability. I appreciate all the more her courage to stand on stage, give her all to her singing, and let the audience forget about any limitations.

Another exceptional moment of the evening was the joint performance and premiere of the new Christmas video clip Vánoční přání (Christmas Wishes), which Amálka and Simona sang on stage together with children from the Special Elementary School in Poděbrady. The video clip was filmed by students from the Secondary School of Multimedia Studies in Poděbrady, and the result is something truly beautiful – sensitive, joyful, and human. The song for the clip was sung by Amálka and Šimona, but a number of familiar faces also appear on screen, including Erika Stárková, who also performed live that evening.

It was Erika’s personal story and her singing that deeply moved Amálka. I had the feeling that we were all sitting in the auditorium with one common heartbeat – artists, children, and audience members alike. And that the courage of the disabled children, together with the professional singers, to take the stage awakened emotions in the audience that we will not soon forget.On behalf of our family, I would like to say: thank you to the Melodio Foundation.

On behalf of our family, I would like to say: thank you to the Melodio Foundation for the opportunity, support, safe space, and belief in young talent. It was a tremendous experience for Amálka, one that pushed her a step further. And for me as a mother, it reminded me why it makes sense to encourage children to have the courage to pursue their dreams—even if the path is sometimes more complicated.

Author: Valérie Keltnerová, mother and member of the Melodio Foundation team

Photo: Melodio Foundation / Josef Švehla