Karel Košárek

piano

Since childhood, I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by exceptional teachers and inspiring personalities. They have helped me discover my own path in interpreting and understanding music and in many other areas. Some of these relationships have even grown into lifelong friendships. The MenART Academy is an opportunity for me to express symbolic gratitude to these mentors and to try to be to young talents what they were to me.

I am extremely happy that I can be a part of this inspiring project for the fifth time and participate in supporting young talented pianists in their development. In the new year, I look forward to working with solo pianists or those dedicated to four-hand piano playing. I also look forward to those who courageously explore the boundaries of genres and bring new perspectives to piano literature. I look forward to not only discovering the magic and beauty of piano playing together with my students, but above all, to sharing the joy of playing the SI piano.

Pianist Karel Košárek has a reputation as an interpreter with an extraordinary range of concert activities, and is also one of the most sought-after chamber musicians. He collaborates with famous orchestras, but also with leading Czech singers, especially Magdalena Kožena, Roman Janál and Soňa Červená, and accompanies renowned instrumentalists such as Jiří Bárta and Radek Baborák. He is a highly regarded interpreter of works of 20th-century modern music, i.e. compositions by Benjamin Britten, George Gershwin, Dmitri Shostakovich, Bohuslav Martinů and Leonard Bernstein. He also often premieres contemporary music.

Karel Košárek studied at the conservatory in Kroměříž and in Prague under the guidance of Professor Valentina Kameníková, then at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He completed his studies in the USA at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He has received awards at many international competitions, including the winner of the Smetana Corpus Christi piano competition and the laureate of the Walter Naumburg Competition in New York. His most significant solo performances include a performance at the Prague Spring in 2003 with the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Tomáš Hanus, where he performed Sergei Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. Famous projects also include a performance with the Škamp Quartet (also at the Prague Spring), with whom he performed Shostakovich's Piano Quintet in G minor.

Košárek's recording activities for a number of major companies (Supraphon, Hyperion, Etcetera, Naxos) are also significant. His first solo recording included compositions by B. Smetana, B. Martinů, S. Barber and G. Gershwin, and the highly acclaimed album Gypsy Melodies (together with Roman Janál). Several pieces recorded in world premieres are included in the CD with a recital of piano pieces by Bohuslav Martinů, while the recording Labyrint features the premiere recording of Petr Eben's Piano Quintet. In recent years, Karel Košárek has also been intensely involved in the role of dramaturg – he is one of the main initiators and artistic director of the unique music festival Musica Holešov, which has gained a respectable reputation during its ten-year existence.

Applications are accepted until 31 March 2025.

Application requirements

7-18 years,
number of scholarship holders: max 6-7 students solo and four-hand playing,
recordings: 1 baroque or classical piece + 1 romantic or modern piece (possible Gerschwin, Ježek, 21st century) + possibly your own piece for piano
Examples must be uploaded (as a public or private link) to YouTube – see. Application conditions.