Prof. Jiří Petrdlík

Czech Republic

Jiří Petrdlík /1977/ is appreciated as one of the most respectable European conductors of his generation. He studied piano, trombone, and conducting (1995-2000 Prague Conservatory, 2000-2005 Academy of Performing Arts Prague) with Miroslav Košler, Miriam Němcová, Jiří Bělohlávek, Radomil Eliška, František Vajnar and others. He completed his studies in the masterclasses of the Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Kurt Masur and the Principal Conductor of thePrague Philharmonia and BBC Philharmonic Jiří Bělohlávek. Jiří Petrdlík also successfully took part in several competitions (e.g. Praga Cantat – Golden Award and Special Award, American Opera Competition – 3rd Award, D. Flick Conductor Competition London - finalist). Between 2002-2009 Jiří Petrdlík was engaged as the Permanent Conductor in the National Theatre Brno and the Music Director and Principal Conductor in the Municipal Theatre Brno. Since 2004 he has been the Permanent Conductor in the Pilsner Theatre and as a guest, Petrdlík regularly cooperates with many prominent opera theatres (e.g. Teatro di Messina, Theatre du Capitol de Toulouse, Mazowian Music Theatre Warsaw, North Texas University Opera, National Theatre Prague, Prague Chamber Opera, National Theatre Szeged, Cairo Opera House, Alexandria Opera House a.o.). In the field of symphonic music, Jiří Petrdlík conducts many prominent Czech and foreign orchestras (Prague Symphony Orchestra, Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc, North Bohemian Philharmonic Orchestra Teplice, Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra Katowice, MTM Orchestra Warsaw, KSO Toronto, Podkarpacka Philharmony Rzeszow, Philharmonic Orchestra Iwasaki a.o.). Jiří Petrdlík regularly appears in prestigious music festivals in Europe, China, Japan, Canada and USA. In the year 2010 Petrdlík has started his successful and long cooperation with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, where he was appointed as the General Artistic Director and Principal Conductor between 2011-2015. In the season 2014/15 Petrdlík made his successfull debut in Alte Oper Frankfurt, from the season 2015/16 he is the Permanet Guest Conductor of Podkarpacka Philharmony Orchestra in Rzeszow (Poland). In December 2015 he conducted the China New Year Tour of the Moravian Philharmony Olomouc and in April 2016 he was invited to Musikverein Vienna to conduct the concert of the cycle "Musik der Meister"in Vienna Philharmony Hall. Beside his orchestral conductor career Jiří Petrdlík has developed rich activities as a choirmaster (between 2002-2010 Choirmaster of the Charles University Choir, since 2009 Artistic Director of the Prague Mixed Choir), musicologist (Charles University Prague - Ph.D. degree), publisher and pedagog (Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory Prague). Since 1998 Jiří Petrdlík has been a permanent member and chairman of the Jury of Praga Cantat Competition, and member and deputy chairman of the Dvořák Society Committee. He is also founder and member of Committee of the Fibich Society and Music Director of the world unique International Festival of Concert Melodrama. Petrdlík´s wide repertory contains compositions of various musical genres, styles and periods. In the field of discography and recording activities he often turns his attention to the rare performed titles (e.g. Gluck - Ezio - world premiere recording of Prague version of the opera, Beethoven - Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II and Cantata on the Accession of Emperor Leopold II, Foerster - Glagolitic Mass, Fibich - Missa brevis, Arend – Astral Travels, Martinů – La Revue Cuisine, Prokofjev – Eugene Onegin a.o.).