bio
Jiří Petrdlík /*1977/ is appreciated as one of the most respectable conductors of his generation. He studied piano, trombone, and conducting (1995–2000 Prague Conservatory, 2000–2005 Academy of Performing Arts Prague) with Hynek Farkač, Miroslav Košler, Miriam Němcová, Radomil Eliška, Tomáš Koutník and he took part in the masterclasses of the New York Philharmonic Principal Conductor Kurt Masur and the BBC Philharmonic Principal Conductor Jiří Bělohlávek. Jiří Petrdlík also successfully took part in several competitions (e.g. D. Flick Conductor Competition London).
Between 2002–2009 he was engaged as the Permanent Conductor in the National Theatre Brno and the Music Director and Principal Conductor in the Municipal Theatre Brno. Since 2004 he has been the Permanent Conductor in the Pilsner J. K. Tyl Theatre, where has been appointed as the Artistic Director of the Opera from the 2020/21 season. As a guest, Petrdlík regularly cooperates with many prominent opera theatres (e.g. Warsaw, Cairo, Toulouse, Odessa, Szeged, Messina, Granada, North Texas University Opera, National Theatre Prague).
In the field of symphonic music Jiří Petrdlík cooperates with the majority of Czech orchestras (Prague Symphony Orchestra, Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc, North Bohemian Philharmonic Teplice etc.) and regularly conducts prominent orchestras in Europe (Vienna, Frankfurt, Zürich, Lisbon, Porto, Warsaw etc.), North America (e.g. Toronto) and Asia (Wuhan, Nanning, Dalian, Tokio, Nagano etc.).
In the year 2010 Petrdlík has started his successful and long cooperation with the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, where he was appointed as the General Artistic Director and Principal Conductor between 2011–2015.
From the season 2015/16, he is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Podkarpacka Philharmonic Orchestra in Rzeszów (Poland) and a permanent cooperator of the American recording company Parma Recordings. Jiří Petrdlík regularly appears – together with renowned artists (Dimitry Ashkenazy, Ivo Kahánek, Karel Košárek, Jan Simon, Eva Urbanová, Ivan Kusnjer, Soňa Červená etc.) – in prestigious music festivals (Dvořák’s Prague, Smetana’s Litomyšl, Musik der Meister Vienna, Lehár Festival Bad Ischl etc.).
Beside his conductor career, Jiří Petrdlík has developed rich activities as a choirmaster (since 2009 Artistic Director of the Prague Mixed Choir), musicologist, publisher and pedagogue (Charles University Prague – Ph.D. degree, Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory Prague – Head of Conducting Department). He is the Chairman of the Jury of Praga Cantat Competition and also a member of juries of many international competiions. He is a member of the Dvořák Society, and also the Chairman of the Fibich Society.
Since 2016 Jiří Petrdlík has been the General Manager and Artistic Director of the world unique International Festival of Concert Melodrama – Melodramfest.
Petrdlík ́s wide repertory contains compositions of various musical genres, styles and periods. In the field of discography and recording activities he often turns his attention to the rare performed titles from ancient music to contemporary compositions (e.g. Gluck – Ezio, Beethoven – Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II and Cantata on the Accession of Emperor Leopold II, Foerster – Glagolitic Mass, Fibich – Missa brevis, Martinů – La Revue Cuisine, Field Mass, Moniuzsko – selection of the most popular operas, Prokofiev – Eugene Onegin, Lukáš – Homage to the Artists etc.).
