The opening concert of the festival will belong to the violinist Josef Špaček and the cellist Tomáš Jamník. For this concert, they chose The three-movement Duo for Violin and Cello No. 2 by Bohuslav Martinů, the newly composed arrangement of the second string quartet “Kreutzer Sonata” by Leoš Janáček, the Czech composer and violist Jiří Kabát. Works by Gideon Klein and Ervín Schulhoff will also be heard.

Josef Špaček has gradually emerged as one of the leading violinists of his generation. His performances of a wide range of repertoire demonstrate his “astonishing articulation and athleticism” (The Scotsman) and “a richness and piquancy of timbre.” (The Telegraph)

Josef Špaček studied with Itzhak Perlman at The Juilliard School in New York, Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He was laureate of the International Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.

He has served as concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the youngest in its history. The orchestra named him “Associate Artist” as of January 2016.

Tomáš Jamník is a Czech cellist, currently residing in Berlin. Tomáš has established himself as a celebrated soloist in both classical and contemporary music.

In 2006 he won the Prague Spring International Music Competition and was awarded a number of special prizes. He premiered his own version of Dvořák’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 1 in A major at the Dvořák Prague festival and played the world premiere of the “Narcissus” Cello Concerto by Jan Ryant Dřízal.

Tomáš begun his musical training in the Czech Republic under Mirko and Martin Škampa and Josef Chuchro. He continued in Berlin under Jens Peter Maintz and at the Karajan Academy.