LVMF 2024 Final Gala

Last 20 years of the Czech Republic’s history have been closely linked to its membership of the European Union. Let us celebrate this anniversary with the European anthem in its original form as part of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9.

Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava

Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava is a sought-after and successful ensemble, with which conductors (Ch. Arming, D. Raiskin, A. Boreyko) and musicians (G. Capuçon, L. Batiashvili, A. Netrebko, S. Trpčenski) of world-class stature collaborate on regular basis. From the 2020/2021 season, the chief conductor and artistic director is Vassily Sinaisky.
The JPO follows the tradition of the Ostrava Radio Orchestra and was founded as such in 1945. It has quickly built a good reputation, played on world stages (New York, Seoul, Paris, Beijing, etc.), collaborated with major music persona (V. Neumann, K. Ančerl, Ch. Mackerras, P. Domingo, D. Ross) and its recordings have been released on many prestigious record labels.
During the 2022/2023 season, the orchestra’s home venue is the Vesmír cinema in Ostrava, as the House of Culture of Ostrava is undergoing reconstruction. The orchestra is looking forward to be residential in a concert hall with world-class acoustic parameters, designed by Steven Holl Architects from New York.

 

Valentin Uryupin

Conductor and clarinettist Valentin Uryupin graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 2012 and became the permanent conductor of the MusicAeterna Orchestra during his studies. During his career he has conducted orchestras all over Europe (Teatro Real in Madrid, RTE Symphony Dublin, Mariinsky Theatre, Russian Philharmonic, Transylvanian Philharmonic, Deutsche Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Haydn Orchestra in Bolzano) and collaborated with major performers (T. Currentzis, Y. Bashmet, J. DiDonato, A. S. Mutter). He is also a winner of the Sir Georg Solti Conductors’ Competition and the Russian Conducting Competition and was awarded third place in the prestigious Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition. In addition, he continues to pursue a career as a clarinettist, performing throughout Europe, America and Asia.

Gaudeamus Brno

Gaudeamus Brno is a mixed choir that has been active on the Czech choral scene since 1996. In 1999-2003 it was the official choir of Masaryk University Brno, currently is an independent choir. The choirmasters are Dáša Karasová and Martina Kirová.
The choir is a permanent part of Brno’s cultural scene, organising annual concerts and participating in choral festivals and competitions at home and abroad (Germany, Poland, Slovakia, France, Portugal). The concert repertoire includes choral works by Czech and international composers from the Renaissance to contemporary works. He has recorded several CDs and regularly collaborates with Czech and foreign ensembles and orchestras. Members of the choir are mostly students and graduates of Brno universities.

 

Veronika Rovná

Soprano Veronika Rovná graduated from the Janáček Conservatory and the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ostrava under the direction of Eva Dřízgová. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre and has appeared as a guest at the National Theatre in Prague, State Opera in Prague, National Theatre in Brno and Silesian Theatre in Opava. In 2014, she performed at the Opera de Lyon in France and is a regular guest of the International Music Festival Les Musicales de Louvergny. She has taken part in several singing competitions (Concorso internazionale “Musica sacra” in Rome, A. Dvořák International Singing Competition) and won the Jantar Award.

Veronika Hajnová

Mezzo-soprano Veronika Hajnová graduated from the Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. During her studies, she worked in the opera company of the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen and she has been a soloist of the State Opera Prague since 2004. Currently, she is part of the National Theatre in Prague and the National Theatre in Brno. She performs at international music festivals and is invited to collaborate with major orchestras. In addition to opera, her repertoire also includes oratorio and song works (Janáček’s Diary of One Who Disappeared, Verdi’s Requiem, Schumann and Chopin’s Songs, Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder). In 2002 she was a semi-finalist of the Belvedere International Singing Competition in Vienna and was nominated twice for the Thalia Award.

Richard Samek

Richard Samek is a graduate of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno, after which he studied privately with Natalia Romanová.
Currently he has a permanent engagement at the J. K. Tyl Theatre and regularly performs at the National Theatre in Prague, the National Theatre in Brno and the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. He has been a guest at L’Opéra de Reims, Staatsoperette Dresden, Theater Magdeburg, Staatsoper Hannover, Aalto-Musiktheater Essen. He has made recordings of Strauss’s A Night in Venice, Smetana’s Dalibor and Fibich’s The Bride of Messina. He is a laureate of numerous international competitions, collaborates with major chamber and symphony orchestras (BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra) and regularly performs at major international music festivals.

Roman Janál

After graduating in violin at the Pilsen Conservatory, Roman Janál was accepted to the singing department of the Music Academy in Sofia. After a successful debut at the National Theatre, he was engaged as a soloist and has performed dozens of roles there to date. The domain of this singer is not only the operatic world, but also chamber music, especially songs by German Romantic authors.
Roman Janál successfully performs at domestic and international festivals, regularly collaborates with domestic and international orchestras under the baton of the world’s leading conductors (C. Richter, J. Fiore, H. Griffiths, J. L. Koenig, C. Hogwood) and has released many CDs on Czech and international labels (Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, Supraphon, etc.). He is a sought-after teacher and juryman, as well as a recipient of the Thalia Award.