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Radoslav Kvapil

Czech Republic

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Radoslav Kvapil was born in Brno (Moravia) and was taught privately from the age of six by Dr. Ludvik Kundera, Janáček´s successor and Director of the Brno Academy. He later became a graduate at the Academy under the guidance of Dr. Kundera. He is considered by many international critics to be the most important Czech pianist and the finest exponent of Czech piano music. He has specialised in the performance of the Czech repertoire world-wide during his whole lifetime. His knowledge and understanding of these works remain unrivalled.

In 1967-69, R. Kvapil recorded Dvořák's complete piano works for the first time in history. The complete piano works by Janáček, and the complete piano works by J. H. Voříšek followed in 1975. A second complete recording of Janáček's piano works followed in 1989, and in 1990, the first two volumes of Martinů's complete piano works were released. He has also recorded piano and chamber music by V. Novak, F. Schubert, V. Ullmann and F. Chopin.

Radoslav Kvapil has performed in major concert halls throughout the world, in 47 countries and in 26 States in USA. He has given concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican Centre (London), Carnegie Recital Hall (New York), the Théatre des Champs-Elysées, the Auditorium du Louvre (Paris), Concert Hall of The Seoul Arts Center, the Henry Crown Symphony Hall (Jerusalem), Theatre NCPA (Bombay), the Rudolfinum and the Smetana Hall (Prague) and so on.

He has frequently been invited to be a member of the jury of eminent piano competitions, which include the Schumann Competition in Zwickau, the Gina Bachauer in Salt Lake City, and the American Pianists Association in Indianapolis. He is the Chairman of the South Bohemia Music Festival, Vysočína Music Festival and International Dvořák Society. In2002, the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the title of "Chevalier dans l´Ordre des Arts et des Lettres". In 2004 he was elected an SVU Fellow by The Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in Washington D.C.