Tereza Válková

She studied piano at the Brno Conservatory, continued her studies in solo singing at the Academy of Early Music in Brno, choir conducting at Charles University in Prague under the guidance of Jiří Kolář and Marek Štryncl, Gregorian chant with David Eben and solo singing at the Faculty of Arts of Ostrava University. As a member and soloist of many vocal ensembles she has sung in concerts and competitions all over Europe.

Tereza Válkova is intensively engaged in the period-informed interpretation of music of earlier styles. Since 2007, she has been the principal choral director of the Czech Ensemble Baroque, under the banner of which she founded a vocal quintet specializing in high vocal polyphony and madrigal music of the 17th century.

As a choirmaster she has staged a wide range of Baroque and Classical vocal-instrumental works from chamber titles to large cantatas, oratorios and opera productions (Purcell: King Arthur, Rameau: Platée, etc.) or purely vocal programmes (Byrd: Anthems, Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli, Schütz: Geistlich Chormusik, etc.). She has also performed a number of Czech or world premieres.

The Czech Ensemble Baroque, under the direction of Tereza Válková, has been praised especially for its dynamic expression, the soloistic potential of its individual members and its considerable artistic flexibility. This is also the reason why the choir is able to effectively apply itself in 20th century works – C. Orff: Catulli Carmina (Smetana’s Litomyšl), I. Stravinsky: Weddings, L. Janáček: Rákoš Rákoczi, B. Martinů’s Bouquet (Janáček’s Máj), L. Bernstein: Mass (B-Side band and V. Dyk).

The ensemble regularly records for the Czech Radio Vltava, Czech Television, Euroradio and Eurovision, has recorded several CDs for Supraphon, performs at major domestic and international festivals and is extremely positively evaluated by professional critics.