On the Music Wings of Sibelius

Josef Špaček

Josef Špaček is a violinist whose playing captivates audiences all over the world. Therefore, he ranks among the most outstanding talents of his generation. His playing is distinguished by technical certainty, virtuosity, distinctive expression and a wide range of sound colours.
He began his studies at the Prague Conservatory under Jaroslav Foltýn, subsequently studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and at the Juilliard School in New York.
He has performed with major orchestras all over the world, most recently with the Czech Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Bamberger Symphoniker, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra.

He is also active in chamber music – with cellist Timothee Gavriilidis-Petrin and pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu he forms the international Zimbalist Trio, which tours the USA and Europe every year.
His most recent discography includes an album of works by B. Martinů with Miroslav Sekera and the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, he has recorded the album “Paths” (Cesty) with cellist Tomáš Jamník, and with the Czech Philharmonic and Jiří Bělohlávek he has recorded Dvořák and Janáček Violin Concertos and Suk’s Fantasy.
He is a laureate of the world-famous Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition in Brussels and a winner of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand.
For nine seasons he was concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and since 2016 he has been its Artist-in-Residence.

Miroslav Sekera

Miroslav Sekera has been considered one of our best and most interesting pianists for quite a time now. His playing impresses with “excellent technical preparation, focused performance, humble expression without unnecessary stage affectations and understanding of the works he presents” (Harmonie magazine).
He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician at many prestigious venues, including the Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Tokyo’s Opera City Concert Hall, and local and “his home” of Rudolfinum.
He regularly collaborates with leading Czech orchestras and festivals. In 2019, he toured Japan with legendary cellist Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and in the same year he performed as soloist at the Karuizawa International Festival in Japan, where he performed Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2.
The most recent discography includes the highly acclaimed album “Martinů” with Josef Špaček and the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra with conductor Petr Popelka, a solo album with works by F. Liszt and B. Smetana and an album of sonatas by W. A. Mozart, E. Ysäye, P. I. Tchaikovsky, S. Prokofiev and F. Kreisler for violin and piano with Olga Šroubková.
His extraordinary talent was relevant at the age of three when he began to play piano and violin simultaneously. This is the reason why he was chosen to play the role of little Mozart in the Oscar-winning film Amadeus directed by Miloš Forman. He completed his piano studies at the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts with Associate Professor Miroslav Langer.