Josef Špaček and Miroslav Sekera have been performing together for over a decade, forging a musical partnership defined by artistic unity and mutual sensitivity. Their duo playing blends deep emotional insight with technical brilliance — a synergy consistently praised by BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone, and Diapason. Critics from Opera Plus also highlighted their performance at the 2023 Český Krumlov International Music Festival for its remarkable cohesion and artistic humility.
Josef Špaček
Born in Třebíč, Czechoslovakia, in 1986, Josef Špaček is regarded as one of the foremost Czech violinists of his generation. He began playing violin at the age of three and studied at the Prague Conservatory, Juilliard School in New York, and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under the guidance of masters such as Itzhak Perlman, Ida Kavafian, and Jaime Laredo.
He is a laureate of several prestigious international competitions, including first prize at the Michael Hill Violin Competition (2009), the Carl Nielsen Competition (2008), and the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York (2011). In 2012, he was a finalist at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
From 2011 to 2020, he served as concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic — the youngest in the orchestra’s history — while also performing regularly as a soloist, particularly under Jiří Bělohlávek.
Špaček has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Jakub Hrůša, Semyon Bychkov, Manfred Honeck, Valery Gergiev, and Jiří Bělohlávek, and has appeared in major venues across Europe, Asia, and the United States, including Prague’s Rudolfinum, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Verbier Festival, and the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival.
As a passionate chamber musician, he founded his own chamber music festival, the Troja Festival, in Prague in June 2024. His musical partners include Gil Shaham, Kian Soltani, James Ehnes, Clemens Hagen, Julian Steckel, Gerhard Oppitz, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Máté Szücs, Miroslav Sekera, Tomáš Jamník, Federico Colli, Sharon Kam, Kristóf Baráti, Zoltán Fejérvári, and Suzana Bartal.
He performs on the 1732 “LeBrun; Bouthillard” Guarneri del Gesù violin.
Miroslav Sekera
Miroslav Sekera, born in 1975 in Prague, began playing piano at the age of three, while also studying violin in parallel. This dual-instrument proficiency led to his appearance as the young Mozart in Miloš Forman’s Oscar-winning film Amadeus.
He studied at the Prague Conservatory and later at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. His accolades include first prizes at the Chopin Competition in Mariánské Lázně (1991), the Academy of Performing Arts Competition (Yamaha Scholarship), and the international competition in Gaillard, France. In 2002, he won first prize at the Johannes Brahms International Competition in Pörtschach, Austria.
Sekera has performed at prestigious venues such as the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and Tokyo’s Opera City Concert Hall. He is a frequent performer on Czech Radio and has released several acclaimed recordings — including works by American composer Joseph Summer and a collaborative album with Josef Špaček on the Supraphon label.
Programme subject to change.