Kühnův dětský sbor - Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir

Artistic Management

Prof. Jiří Chvála
art director and choirmaster

Professor Jiří Chvála (b.1933) followed his studies of conducting at Prague’s Academy by work as chorus master of the then Czech Choir (today the Prague Philharmonic Choir). He engaged in building up systematically the ensemble’s repertoire to encompass a broad range of choral works, oratorios and cantatas, performing them in production mounted in collaboration with leading composers.

Since 1967 he has stood at the head of the Kühn Children’s Choir, which he has to date taken on several dozen international tours. No less significant has been his career of many years as an educator at Prague's Academy of Performing Arts, where he is Professor of conducting and choral disciplines. With the Kühn Children’s Choir, he has appeared regularly at music festivals in the Czech Republic and abroad, as well as working with Czech and international opera houses, and conducting a wide variety of other domestic and international choral and orchestral ensembles. As a teacher, he has lectured at various international choral seminars (Vienna, Tokyo, Grasse, Helsinki, Singapore, Princeton, Tolosa), and has sat on numerous international choral competition juries. He has to his credit an imposing list of recordings for the radio, and over 30 discs. In 2003, Professor Chvála received from the Czech Minister of Education the Award of Merit (Second Degree) for lifelong educational endeavour, and in October 2009 from the Czech Singing Choirs Union and the Association of Choirmasters the Bedrich Smetana Prize, the most prestigious choirmaster esteem for the long term praiseworthy activities in the area of choral singing.

Mgr. Světlana Tvrzická
choirmaster

Mgr. Světlana Tvrzická, born Moscow, in 1964 - 1974 attended the English Language School and Children School of Choir Singing. Then she attended the training institute of the Moscow Academy of Music, studying conducting and choir-mastership and she graduated in 1979.During her studies she was practising in children´s choir of Moscow radio and TV with prof. Popov. Afterwards she started her studies at the Russian Academy of Music, faculty of conducting - choir singing. At the same time she was working as a choir-master in the Children‘s Music School of Choir Singing in Moscow. In 1987 she worked as a choir-master in the Children´s Music Theatre.

In March 1988 she moved to Czechoslovakia. In January 1989 she was admitted to the Kühn Children’s Choir where she works as the second choirmaster. With the choir she participates at concerts, theatre performances, radio recordings, TV, films, cooperates with outstanding composers and musicians at home and abroad (Austria, Germany, Poland, USA - Colorado). In 1999 she moved to Klánovice where she founded the children´s choir "Claireton Chorale". She is married and has got two children.

Tereza Bystřická
choirmaster

Tereza Bystřická studied the music pedagogy and choir-mastership with prof. Jiří Kolář at the Charles University. She graduated on the Faculty of Education in 1999. Since 1994 she has been active as a choirmaster and voice adviser, originally in the Laetitia Prague choir. Since 1996 she has been cooperating with the Kühn Children’s Choir as a second choirmaster. Along with this long-term dedication to the Kühn Children’s Choir she cooperated with the Choir of the Prague’s teachers and the Dvorak chamber choir Kralupy nad Vltavou.

Tereza Bystřická is an active participant in the artistic life around the choral singing. Since 1998 she has been member of the Šumava-BayerischerWald spiritual music festival committee and since 2003 of the Musica Coniuncta Pragensis festival committee. Additionally, she is a member of the Association for the active preventive education and of the Union of the Czech singing choirs. Since 2003 she has been head of the office of the František Augustian Urbánek foundation. Tereza Bystřická is regularly sitting at juries of the various choral competitions and festivals.

Petr Louženský
assistant art director and choirmaster

Petr Louženský undertook his studies of flute play at Prague's Academy of Performing Arts with prof. Jan Reidelbauch and in conducting with prof. Miroslav Košler and Miriam Němcová. He went on to study Hebrew and Arabic at Prague’s Faculty of Arts and Philosophy where he is currently finishing his post gradual studies. Additionally, he is engaged in studying conducting at Prague’s HAMU in the class of prof. Jiří Chvála and Tomáš Koutník.

He has been acting as a conductor of Hostivař Chamber Orchestra with which ensemble he became the multiple laureate of radio Concerto Bohemia competition and laureate of national-wide competition of Elementary art schools. Recently he conducts the Prague Students Orchestra. He cooperates regularly with Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Roxy Ensemble, Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra of South Bohemia and others.

In 2010, under conduct of Petr Louženský, Kühn Children’s Choir was awarded the first prize in the category of children’s choirs at one of the greatest competitions in choral singing in the world in Arezzo, Italy. On the same occasion, Petr was also awarded a special prize for the best conductor of the whole competition.

Eliška Hrubá Toperczerová
voicemaster, stage manager and choirmaster

Eliška Hrubá Toperczerová was a member of the Kühn Children’s Choir for many years and it was the choir that brought her to the stage. Already at the time of her studies at Prague Concervatory she appeared as a guest artist at F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec. In 1992 she won 2nd prize in M. Schneider-Trnavský competition in Trnava. She graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under Professor M. Hájossyová in 1995. During her studies she cooperated with Chamber Opera Praha and has appeared as a guest artist in City Theatre in Ústí na Labem. She also made her production début with The Land of Smiles by F. Lehár there. She completed her studies of production in the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under Professors O. Ševčík and J. Kačera.

She is a laureate of E. Destinova’s International Singing Competition in České Budějovice. She won the afore mentioned competition in 1998. Besides this, she was awarded many other prizes. In summer 2000 she appeared as a guest artist in State Opera’s performance Don Giovanni by W. A. Mozart as Elvíra. The performance took place at Stavovské Theatre in Prague. In April 2006 she produced a world premiere of children’s opera "The Emperor’s New Clothes" by the composer J. Teml written for Kühn Children’s Choir and "The Animals and the Robbers" by Otmar Mácha.. In March 2008 she directed opera "Broucci (Little Beetles)" by V. Trojan. She also worked as The Kühn Children’s Choir voice advisor and in September 2008 she bacame a choirmaster of the choir’s preparatory division.

She likes producing her own dramatic musical programmes (e.g. Dream about Dream of A. Dvořák, Dear Amadeus! and others). She made her successful debut in the classical comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest" by O. Wild. She is a soloist in demand by many local and foreign orchestras and conductors because of the charming timbre of her voice. She cooperates with outstanding organists and conductors, studied and performed various major oratorial works. She often sings pieces by contemporary composers. In 2000 she recorded her profile CD with Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by J. Bělohlávek.

Stanislava Jirků
voicemaster

Mezosoprano Stanislava Jirků completed her studies in singing under professor Jitka Slavíčková’s leadership at Teplice Academy of Music in 1998. In the same year she went on to study at faculty of music of Prague's Academy of Performing Arts in the class of the National Theatre soloist Ivan Kusnjer. She participated in international vocal interpretation courses under Gabriela Beňačková for opera and oratorio and under Peter Mikuláš (song production) in Piešťany. In 2000 and then in 2002 she was awarded a scholarship by Internationalen Sommerakademie Prag-Wien-Budapest in Austria, where she appeared in several concerts under professor Ralf Döring’s leadership. In December 2002 she won the second prize (first prize was not awarded) in the International Singing Competition of Spiritual and Concert Production in Kroměříž.

Since 2005/2006 opera season she has become a soloist of the National Theatre Opera. She often receives invitations to the Brno National Theatre and F. X. Šalda Opera in Liberec.

She also appears in concerts (e.g. Smetana’s Litomyšl and Prague’s Spring Musical Festival). She regularly participates in concerts in Spain, Germany, Netherlands and France. She often cooperates with Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, North Bohemian Philharmonic Orchestra, South Bohemian Philharmonic Orchestra, Zlín Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra "Berg", Prague Symphonic Orchestra, Zagreb Soloists and many other orchestras and chamber ensembles.

Michaela Bartlová
Kühňátka choirmaster

During visiting the basic school, Michaela Bartlová studied singing and dancing in the basic music school of V.Talich in Beroun. After entering the dancing conservatory she continued in studies of singing with professor V.Tichá. Michaela is currently visiting The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, department of pedagogy of the dance, folk dance specialisation with professor M.Vurmová.

Since her finishing the conservatory she has been specialising in dance and singing education of the pre-school children, focusing on interconnection of the folk music and dance. During the years 2008/2009 she was employed as a teacher in the nursery school in Prague, working with children since 3-4 years of the age. Since 2007 she has been acting as a schoolmaster in the HO TA PO dancing group. Since 2005 she has been visiting the St. Jakub Church Choir in Beroun under leadership of organist Mgr. L. Petřvaldský and choirmaster Ing. J.Beščec.