About
Jan Páleníček, a cellist, is a successor to a great musical tradition within his family, initiated by his father, Josef Palenicek, a renowned pianist, interpreter of Janáček, and founder of the first Smetana Trio. Jan Páleníček studied with some of the greatest Czech cellists of his generation, including Sascha Vecnotov and Miloš Sádlo, and also studied chamber music with Professor Josef Vlach. His collaboration with Paul Tortelier, a world-renowned French cellist, was a culmination of his artistic training. He won numerous awards and accolades in early competitions. He has recorded over 20 CD albums for domestic and international labels, including works by Dvořák, Čajkovskij, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, as well as complete sets of Brahms, Martinů, and Rachmaninoff cello works. Chamber music is particularly close to Jan Páleníček's heart. He grew up in an environment of exceptional chamber music. He is a member of the world-renowned Smetana Trio, along with violinist Jan Talich and pianist Jitka Čechová. He has also taught at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts. He is also a well-known artistic director and organizer of cultural events. Jan Páleníček plays on a unique French instrument made by F. Delanoy in 1829. Jitka Čechová graduated from the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. Her innate musical abilities flourished during her postgraduate studies with Eugen Indjic in Paris and Vitali Berzon in Freiburg. She also honed her skills during masterclasses led by Rudolf Kehrer and Eugen Indjic and Lazar Berman. She is a winner of numerous international competitions. As a soloist, she enjoys particular recognition in most European countries, as well as in South Africa, North America, and Japan, where she collaborates with leading orchestras and conductors, and performs in chamber ensembles. She is regularly invited to prestigious concert halls and major festivals (including Prague Spring, Graz, Paris, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Baden-Baden, Bodensee Festival, Edinburgh, Bamberg, and Ticino Musica). Jitka Čechová is deeply devoted to the works of Czech composers – Smetana, Dvořák, Janáček, and Martinů. She has recorded over 25 albums for the labels Supraphon, Intercord, BMG, Lotos, and Cube. In 2014, she completed the recording of all of Bedřich Smetana's works for Supraphon, consisting of 8 CDs, which received praise from leading music critics and magazines in the country and abroad – Diapason, Répertoire, International Record Review, and Harmonie. She has also recorded all three piano concertos and the concertino by Josef Palenicek with the Czech Symphony Orchestra. She has also held masterclasses in Prague, London, Northern College of Music in Manchester, Brasilia, and Campos do Jordão, Colburn School University in Los Angeles, and Eau Claire in Wisconsin.
