Jiří Bělohlávek

The Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek (1946–2017) was one of the world's leading performing artists from the turn of the millennium. He studied at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He attracted the attention of the musical community in 1971 as a finalist at the Herbert von Karajan International Conducting Competition. He gained the invaluable experience as Václav Neumann's assistant conductor with the Czech Philharmonic. In the years 1977–1990, Maestro Bělohlávek was chief conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra. During this time, the orchestra started taking on even the most demanding artistic tasks at home and abroad. He moved to the Czech Philharmonic in 1990 and left the post of chief conductor in 1992. In 1994 he founded the Prague Philharmonia, a major undertaking, and he remained its leader for many years. Even while working abroad (BBC Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic etc.), he returned regularly to “his own” former orchestras. His remarkable career as a concert artist was still developing promisingly when it reached its apex with the Czech Philharmonic, to which he returned as chief conductor and as an experienced musician of worldwide fame in 2012, beginning an era that took the orchestra to new successes on stages around the world. Sadly, fate would allow Jiří Bělohlávek only five more years of life with the Czech Philharmonic. In 2017, he succumbed to a grave illness.