Soprano Zdena Kloubová belongs to prominent Czech singers. Her repertoire includes more than twenty lead coloratura and lyrical roles in operas. She has also performed soprano parts in cantatas and oratorios as well as songs. Her recordings include more than twenty compact discs for Supraphon, Unicorn, Decca etc.
Zdeněk Plech was born in Brno in 1977; he studied at the Brno Conservatory and the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU) with Marta Beňačková. He is currently perfecting his technique under leading soloist at the National Theatre for many years, Václav Zítek. During his studies he was a prize-winner of the M. S. Trnavský International Singing Competition (1998) and a finalist in the prestigious Ferrucio Tagliavini Bel Canto Competition in Graz (2002). Noted composer Ilja Hurník wrote a one-act opera especially for Zdeněk Plech's voice.
This native of Prague (1979) studied at the Jan Neruda Secondary School with focus on music, and at the Prague Conservatory with Jarina Smoláková-Svolinská and Antonín Švorc. He took part in the Rossini Opera Festival in the Italian city of Pesaro and continued at that time to gain further experience under the guidance of Daniela Barcellona, Raul Gimenéz, Bruno de Simone and Marco Spotti.
Eliška Weissová was born in Moravská Třebová in 1979. She studied singing at the Brno Conservatory and at Prague's Academy of Performing Arts with René Tuček. She also attended master classes held by Naděžda Kniplová and Peter Dvorský.
Martina Bačová belongs to the most successful artists of her generation. She began playing the violin when she was five years old. She subsequently studied with several teachers, eventually joining the Janáček Conservatory Ostrava. She then studied with Prof. Ivan Ženatý at the Prague Conservatory and after successfully passing entrance examinations in Dresden spent two years at the Carl Maria von Weber Hochschule für Musik there. One of her teachers was also Prof. Zdeněk Gola at the Art Faculty of Ostrava University.
This internationally recognized artist has propagated good name of Slovak musical culture all over the world for a number of decades. His unique career is ornamented by a vast range of accomplishments and awards. The most recent ones include the Supraphon Prize and Gold Harmony for a CD with music of Rachmaninov, Schnittke and Pärt (1995, together with cellist Jiří Bárta), Classic Prize for the recording of Fibich's piano cycles Moods, Impressions & Reminiscences (1997), Daliborka Prize for the Best Czech Recording of 1998 (Leoš Janáček compositions) or the prestigious Gustav Mahler European Prize (2002).
In the course of his artistic career, he has conducted up to 170 orchestras of four continents, including the most prominent ones (Boston, New York, London, Berlin, Vienna). He appeared at major European and American music festivals (Luzern, Edinburgh, Vienna, Montreux, Prague, Athens, Besançon; Ravinia, Tanglewood, Wolf Trap, Hollywood Bowl) and cooperated with leading opera houses (La Scala in Milan). His recordings can be found under a number of labels, including Delos, Koss, Sony, EMI, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Supraphon or Octavia Records. In 2004, he was awarded the Presidential Merit of the Nation Medal in the Field of Music.
Felix Slováček (born 1943) graduated from Kroměříž Music Conservatory in clarinet, piano, double bass, percussion instruments and conducting. After that, he continued his clarinet, conducting and composition studies at Brno-based Janáček Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts. In 1968 he took up a position with the Armed Forces Symphony Orchestra, at the same time performing with leading big bands of that period. Between 1969 and 1985 he performed as a soloist with Karel Gott as well as giving his own recitals. Since 1985 he has been Chief Conductor of Czechoslovak Radio Dance Orchestra, renamed Big Band Radio Prague after 1989, later Czech Radio Big Band (2000), and Felix Slováček Big Band.
Graduated from Prague Music Conservatory and Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts; studied with Alois Čoček and, in the course of his studies, participated successfully in several contests. His most noteworthy award comes from Dušek Contest where he won the First Prize.
Milan Muzikář (born 1974) took up music at the age of six. When he was nine, he began playing bassoon under Václav Hubálek at People's Arts School in Liberec. Then, he continued at Teplice Music Conservatory with Jiří Spěvák. In the course of his Conservatory studies, he took part in three contests with a hat trick. After that, he studied at Music School of Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts with Jiří Seidl and František Herman, graduating in 1998 with Ondřej Kukal's Bassoon Concerto. The piece was composed at a special request of the performer.