Ondrej Lenárd
Guest of the OperaBiography
Ondrej Lenárd studied at the Academy of Music in Bratislava in the class of Professor Ľudovít Rajter. In the course of his studies, he obtained valuable artistic experience whilst collaborating with professional ensembles. After completing his studies in 1962, he began his artistic career as a choirmaster and conductor with the Opera of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, where he was chief conductor in the years 1984–1986 and subsequently served as opera director (1997–1998). In 1970, he became a conductor with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra in Bratislava, where he was chief conductor from 1977 to 1990. In the following decade (1991–2001) he collaborated with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (chief conductor from 1991 and artistic director in the years 1993–2001). In the same period, he also became a permanent guest conductor of the Japan Shinsei Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo in 1978. He subsequently became chief conductor and musical director of this renowned Japanese orchestra in 1993. He was made an honorary conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000. Ondrej Lenárd collaborates with leading European orchestras and soloists (Peter Dvorský, Gabriela Beňačková, Elena Obraztsova, Mirella Freni, Piero Cappuccilli, Eva Urbanová, Sergei Kopčák among others) and has made guest appearances in Canada, Brazil, the USA and Japan. He has conducted at the Vienna State Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest, as well as the Prague National Theatre and State Opera Prague. Of his recent commitments, those to be pointed out have included conducting Puccini´sTosca during the Prague State Opera´s visit to Salzburg (2006), Verdi´s Un ballo in maschera with the Nikkai Opera Company in Tokyo (2007), and a concert series with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra (2008). In 2008 he conducted the premiere of new productions of Smetana´s The Bartered Bride at the National Theatre in Prague, and Puccini´s La bohème at the Prague State Opera.
Ondrej Lenárd had made more than a thousand radio recordings. His discography includes recordings for Opus, Naxos, Marco Polo and HNH International (for whom he has recorded 20 CDs). In 1974, Ondrej Lenárd became a prize winner at the International Conductors’ Competition in Budapest. He is a recipient of Slovakia’s Order of Ľudovít Štúr Award (1998), and he accepted an honorary doctorate from Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica in 2002. Ondrej Lenárd heads the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra as its Chief Conductor from the 2011/2012 season.
Update: April 2013