Bohumil Kulínský

Biography

Was born in 1959 in Prague. He is one of the eminent representatives of the middle generation of Czech conductors. From the outset of his professional career he has been able to draw on the artistic experiences which he received from his parents, both outstanding choirmasters, first as a singer and later as the choirmaster of the famous childrens choir Bambini di Praga. He studied conducting at the Prague Conservatory and at the Janáček Academy of Music. In 1984 he began his close collaboration with the Symphony Orchestra FOK of the Capital Prague which still continues. In 1986 he became the permanent conductor of the Chamber Philharmonic in Pardubice where he was principal conductor in the 1989/90 season. These two posts gave him opportunity to develop the range of his repertory systematically both in chamber and symphonic music, especially with regard to great vocal-symphonic compositions and the music of the 20th century. He is frequently invited to conduct foreign orchestras in Europe and America (Paris, Berlin, Dresden, Lisabon, Montreal, Cracow, Nantes, Lausanne and elsewhere). Since 1996 he has been a regular guest in Japan, where he last conducted, for example, the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1997 he had a successful debut with the Symphony Orchestra of Bavarian Radio in Munich. He has been repeatedly invited to conduct subscription concerts there (most recently for 2001), alongside such names as Lorin Maaze, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Muti and Wolfgang Sawallisch. He will appear with this orchestra in Prague at the International Festival of Music Prague Spring 2001. In previous years he presented there, among others works, the premiere of the ecclesiastical opera by Petr Eben Jeremiah and conducted the concert of The Prague Symphony Orchestra with Mstislav Rostropovich. In 1997-2002 he was principal conductor of the National Theatre Opera in Prague. His productions there include Verdis La Traviata, Don Giovanni, Smetanas The Bartered Bride, Tchaikovskys The Queen of Spades and Petr Ebens Jeremiah. In 1999 he met with great acclaim as conductor of Bizets Carmen during the National Operas tour of Japan. In January 2000 he conducted of a symphony concert of the Orchestra and Chorus of the National Theatre at the International Music Festival in Hong Kong.