Concert of the Celetná Salon on 4 February: David Hernych (violin) and Pavol Praženica (piano)

David Hernych is a violin student at HSLU Musik in Lucerne, Switzerland, in the class of Professor Igor Karšek. His notable achievements include first prizes at the Josef Micka and Jaroslav Kocian competitions, the main prize at the Summer Music Academy in Kroměříž and victory at the Václav Hudeček Academy in Luhačovice. He attended master classes with Václav Hudeček, members of the Vienna Philharmonic, Pavel Vernikov and Fedor Rudin.

As a soloist, he has collaborated with a number of leading Czech conductors and has performed with the Czech Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has performed with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the SOČR, the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc and the FBM Zlín. He is the principal of the Siebeneichener Quartett, which won the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation competition and participated in the prestigious Juilliard String Quartet Seminar in New York.

This season David Hernych will also appear as soloist with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava under the baton of Robert Kružík. He is a scholarship holder of the Stadler-Trier Music Foundation.

Pavol Praženica studies solo piano at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of doc. Ivo Kahánek. He is a laureate of a number of international piano competitions including awards in Germany, France and Italy. His achievements include absolute victory at the conservatory competition and a number of first prizes, including the Smetana Piano Competition in Pilsen, the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition and the Yamaha Artist Competition. Last year he received the award for the most successful student of the Academy of Performing Arts.

He has attended masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Daniil Trifonov, Shai Wosner, Michel Béroff and Denis Kožuchin. Jako sólista spolupracoval s předními orchestry, například s PKF – Prague Philharmonia, Symfonickým orchestrem hl. m. He has performed with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra FOK and the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava, and has given concerts in many European countries as well as in Israel and Canada. He is also intensively involved in chamber music and participates in the Music Between the Pictures project, supporting young artists.