Jan Kučera

Jan KučeraFoto:  archiv umělce

Conductor of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra

was born in Klatovy, Czech Republic. He began learning the piano at the age of five with M. Pulánková at a music school in Nýrsko. Later he studied the instrument under J. Toman in Prague. He graduated from the Prague Conservatory, where he studied composition with professor B. Řehoř and conducting with professors M. Němcová, M. Košler and V. Válek. Within his graduation concert in 2002 he debuted as a conductor with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (PRSO) and premiered his three symphonic poems to the motifs of Czech writers (Kundera, Hrabal, Kolář). 

As a composer, his work encompasses several genres. He has created symphonic and chamber compositions, cantatas and songs, and also written scenic music for productions by Prague and regional theatres. Extensive is his creation in the arrangement area – for the New Year’s Eve concert of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003 he adapted songs by Jaroslav Ježek and songs from Czech movies. Kučera has also been active in jazz. 

Since 2002 Jan Kučera has used the opportunities afforded to him as the assistant of Vladimír Válek, principal conductor of the PRSO, under whose tutelage he graduated the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (2006). As a conductor Jan Kučera collaborates with leading Czech orchestras, with whom he recorded or publicly presented except classical repertoire over 50 orchestral scores of contemporary music. 

He accompanied great soloists (R. Baborák, J. Bárta, M. Fukačová, B. Giltburg, V. Hudeček, E. Indjic, S. Jaffé, D. Pecková, O. Sauter, B. Schmid, J. Simon, P. Šporcl). In 2007 with PRSO in conjuction with Canadian ballet group Compagnie Marie Chouinard he performed a Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. In the same time he won a Honourable mention in the Prague Spring International Music Competition. In October 2007 he successfully conducted i.a. Dvořák´s Symphony Nr.9 in Goldener Saal of Musikverein in Vienna. During the Japan tour of PRSO he has conducted symphonies by Dvořák and Beethoven. 

Since September 2008 he is engaged as a permanent conductor of Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. For the occasion of Czech Presidency of European Union he recorded for label Supraphon anthems of 27 Member States of EU. During the celebrations of St. Wenceslas in 2010 he reconstructed the original score byOskar Nedbal and Jaroslav Křička to silent film Saint Wenceslas (1929), newly recorded this music on a DVD (with Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra) and then conducted live performance with the projection. At the end of the year he conducted in France a series of Christmas shows Mystère de Noël which were seen by over 90,000 visitors.