Julie Svěcená, violin
"I would like to emphasise the immeasurable knowledge of the piece and artistry in the colourful violin playing of Julie Svěcená."
— Hudební Rozhledy Czech Classical Magazine, 2014
BIOGRAPHY
Czech violinist Julie Svěcená is celebrated as one of Europe’s most gifted young violinists, and, since winning the International Radio Competition 'Concertino Praga' in 2010, she has been performing extensively throughout Europe, Asia and North America.
As soloist, Ms Svěcená has performed with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, North Czech Philharmonic Teplice, and the Virtuosi Pragenses and Musica Cassovia chamber orchestras, amongst others. She has also performed at festivals, including the Cambridge International String Academy (UK), Zakhar Bron Academy (CH), Janáček May, Radio Autumn, Moravian Autumn, Smiřice Easter Music Festival, Klášterec Musical Springs Festival and Czech Touches of Music (CZ). In 2014, she performed at the prestigious Prague Spring International Music Festival and was the youngest performer to present a solo recital that year.
Ms Svěcená’s musical collaborations include prestigious artists such as, Semyon Bychkov, Sir Mark Elder, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Trevor Pinnock, Gabor Takács-Nagy, and Clio Gould. In addition, she has played in masterclasses for Maxim Vengerov, Ida Haendel, Zakhar Bron, and György Pauk. In 2017, Svěcená led the Royal Academy Symphony Orchestra in a triumphant performance of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony under the baton of Semyon Bychkov at Royal Festival Hall.
Julie began her violin studies in Prague at age four under the tutelage of Hana Metelková. In 2013, she graduated from the Prague Conservatoire under the guidance of the renowned Czech pedagogue and chamber musician Dana Vlachová (Czech Trio). She continued her studies in London, graduating in 2017 with a Master of Arts degree from the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded the 'Regency Award' prize for notable achievement. She is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Royal Academy of Music in the class of Mr Rodney Friend, MBE.
Having recently received 3rd Prize at the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, Julie is a prizewinner and laureate of several international competitions, including the Kocian International Violin Competition and the International Georg Philipp Telemann Violin Competition in Poznan, Poland. She also competed in the Concertino Praga International Radio Competition for young musicians, marking an end to the forty-year wait for the next Czech violinist to win this competition in the solo violin category.
At age sixteen, Ms Svěcená released her debut album Julie, which included works by J. Brahms, P. de Sarasate, M. Ravel, O. Ševčík, F. Ondříček, and E. Ysaÿe. For this recording, she collaborated with the renowned Czech pianist Václav Mácha, with whom she performs regularly across the Czech Republic and abroad. She has also recorded for Czech Radio, Classic FM, Radio Wave and BBC Radio 3 in London, and has performed on numerous occasions for the Czech Television stations TV Nova, TV Prima and TV Barrandov.