© Petra Hajska

concertmaster & cello section leader, Czech Philharmonic

Václav Petr is one of the most prominent cellists of his generation. He is the semi-finalist of the international cello competition Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann (Germany), the winner of the 70^th Prague Spring competition (Czech Republic), and the overall winner of the Talents for Europe. He has also been awarded the laureate title in many other competitions around Europe.

He began his studies with Mirek Škampa at the Jan Neruda Grammar School in Prague before moving on to study at the Music Academy of Performing Arts in Prague with Professor Daniel Veis and graduating in Professor Michal Kaňka’s class. He developed his playing with Wolfgang Boettcher at Universität der Künste in Berlin, took part in the European Music Academy in Bonn, and was selected to Marie Kliegel’s class as part of the International Holland Music Sessions. In 2015, he completed the Carl Flesch Academy masterclass courses with a solo performance alongside the Baden-Baden Philharmonic.

He started his solo career aged only 12 and has since appeared with the Czech Philharmonic, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, PKF – Prague Philharmonia, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, and the Slovak Chamber Orchestra Bohdan Warchal, among others.

Last but not least, he is a keen chamber music player. After joining the Josef Suk Piano Quartet in 2009, he won the first prize at a chamber ensemble competition in Val Tidone and the Salieri-Zinetti Chamber Music Competition (both Italy), as well as one of the most prestigious competitions for chamber ensembles with piano, the ‘Premio Trio di Trieste’ with this quartet. They regularly perform in the Czech Republic and abroad.

Being only 24 years old when selected as the Czech Philharmonic Cello Concertmaster, he became one of the youngest musicians to hold this post in the orchestra’s history.

Václav Petr plays a masterpiece instrument from Giovanni Battista Guadagnini’s workshop, a ‘Teschenmacher’ model from 1757, loaned from a private collection.