Smetana's Litomysl Festival Participants

Pavel Sporcl
Pavel Sporcl ranks among the foremost representatives of today's young generation of violinists. He has won many major awards, including first price in the Prague Spring International Competition (1997), Bohuslav Martinu Society Prize (1996), victory in the Holland Music Sessions World Tour Competition (1993), which was followed by a world tour (Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles); and laureateship of the ARD Munich Contest (1992). In the Czech Republic, Pavel Sporcl regularly appears at the most prestigious venues such as Prague's Dvorak and Smetana Halls in particular, and music festivals including The Prague Spring, Janacek May, Mitte Europa, Concentus Moraviae, and Moravian Autumn. Pavel Sporcl has worked with a number of outstanding soloists, including Josef Suk and Patrick Gallois. Pavel Sporcl is a dedicated performer of twentieth-century music that includes works by Sylvie Bodorov, Arvo Pärt, Alfred Schnittke and John Corigliano.
Source: www.pavelsporcl.cz. Edited.

Dagmar Peckova
Dagmar Peckova is one of the most requested renowned mezzo-sopranos. Following two years of work at Dresden's Opera Studio, she was engaged in 1987 as a soloist by the Semper Opera in the same city. A year after, Dagmar Peckova became a soloist at the Berlin Staatsoper. Dagmar Peckova is currently a guest soloist at many European leading opera houses such as those of Stuttgart, Berlin, Basel, Paris, London, Prague. On these stages Dagmar Peckova has created a gallery of major parts of the world opera literature (Carmen, Cherubino, Rosina ad.). As a concert singer Dagmar Peckova demonstrates her art in a broad repertoire ranging from classical music to works by major contemporary composers. Her British debut recital at Wigmor Hall (1995) was well received, critics there hailing her as a true Mahlerian. Dagmar Peckova is a frequent guest of the Czech Philharmonic, she has accompanied the orchestra on its tours in Japan, South Korea and Hong-Kong with a conductor Jiri Belohlavek as well as on an English tour under the baton of Libor Pesek.
Source: MusicaBona. Edited.

Eva Urbanova
Eva Urbanova belongs today among the top world's opera singers. She embarked on the career of a pop singer, failed to be admitted to the Prague Conservatory, and began to study the voice with Prof. Ludmila Kotnauerova in Pilsen. Since making her debut in 1987 at the National Theatre in Prague (as Milada in Smetana's "Dalibor"), the singer's star has steadily risen. There in 1995 with a great success, Eva Urbanova created a role of Libuse in Bedrich Smetana's opera and from that time she is the only person of Libuse on the stage of the National Theatre. In 1997 she made her debut in La Scala, Milano, where her partner was Jose Cura. In the same year she had a big success with Kostelnicka from Janacek's opera "Jenufa" in the National Theatre. In 1998 made her debut in Metropolitan Opera, New York, under James Levine. She has also appeared on the prestigious stages of Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Paris Opera.
Source: MusicaBona. Edited.

Please meet other artists and ensembles participating in Smetana's Litomysl International Open-air Opera Festival 2010:

Livia Obrucnik Venosova (soprano), Roman Janal (barytone), Jan Simon (piano), Carlo Jans (flute), Katerina Englichova (harp), Jitka Hosprova (viola), Joel Bros (chansonier), Adriana Kohutkova (soprano), Marie Fajtova (soprano), Veronika Hajnova (mezzosoprano), Miroslav Dvorsky (tenor), Otokar Klein (tenor), Peter Mikulas (bass), Edita Adlerova (mezzosoprano), Jana Drdacka (flamenco), Yfynke Hoogeveen (clarinet), Erwin Wiersinga (organ), Ivan Kusnjer (barytone)