Karel Košárek

Pianist Karel Košárek is known for his wide range of concert activities and is one of the most sought-after chamber players. He collaborates with famous orchestras and leading Czech singers, such as Magdalena Kožená or Roman Janál. He also accompanies renowned instrumentalists such as Jiří Bárta or Radek Baborák.

He is a valued interpreter of works of 20th-century modern music, including compositions by Benjamin Britten, George Gershwin, Dmitri Shostakovich, Bohuslav Martinů and Leonard Bernstein, and often premieres contemporary music.

Karel Košárek studied at the conservatory in Kroměříž and in Prague, then the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and the Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He is a winner of many international competitions, including the Smetanovska Corpus Christi piano competition and a laureate of the Walter Naumburg Competition in New York. Among his important solo achievements are performances at Prague Spring with the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra and the Škamp Quartet.

His recording activities include cooperation with major companies such as Supraphon or Naxos. His first solo recording contained compositions by Bedřich Smetana or Bohuslav Martinů, the highly valued album is Ciganské melodie. In recent years, he has also been involved in dramaturgy and is the artistic director of the Musica Holešov festival.