Pavol Praženica

Biography

Pavol Praženica has been playing the piano since the age of five. From 2017 to 2021, he studied at the Gymnasium and Music School of the Capital City of Prague under the guidance of Assoc. Prof. Libuše Tichá, while also pursuing solo singing as a secondary subject in the class of Jaroslav Mrázek. He is currently studying solo piano at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Assoc. Prof. Ivo Kahánek. In addition, since 2009, he has regularly consulted with Prof. Alena Vlasáková and Prof. Ivan Gajan.

Pavol has received numerous awards at prestigious piano competitions, earning the title of laureate in countries such as Germany, France, Italy, and Austria. His notable achievements include the 3rd prize at the prestigious International Young Pianists Competition in Enschede, Netherlands, in 2018, and absolute victory at the Conservatories Competition in 2019. In 2023, he won 1st prize and a special prize for the interpretation of Bedřich Smetana at the International Smetana Piano Competition in Pilsen, 1st prize at the Elevato competition in Porto, Portugal, and 1st prize along with 3 special prizes at the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition. He has also completed numerous interpretation courses under the guidance of renowned performers such as Daniil Trifonov, Shai Wosner, Michel Beroff, Epifanio Comis, Denis Kozhukhin, Martin Kasík, and others.

As a soloist, he has collaborated with several orchestras, including the Žilina State Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK), the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava, the National Theatre Orchestra in Prague, and the PKF Prague Philharmonia. He has performed in numerous concerts both in the Czech Republic and abroad, including in Germany, Israel, Turkey, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Canada, and Slovakia.

Chamber music is his great passion, and he has performed with many instrumentalists and singers, such as Josef Špaček, Vilém Vlček, Matteo Hager, and others. He is a member of the Vyšehrad Piano Trio and the Ernest Bloch Trio. He has also served as an official accompanist at the Prague Spring International Music Competition, and collaborated with the Prague Philharmonic Children's Choir. Furthermore, he has worked as a lecturer of piano collaboration at the Ševčík Academy in Horažďovice under the direction of Tomáš Jamník, and at Franz Hawlata's vocal courses in Gustav Mahler's birthplace in Kaliště. Together with Terezie Hledíková, he founded the "Music Between Paintings" project.