About the founder
Jan Stadler was born on July 9, 1922, in Prague. He came from a Jewish business family that worked in the Old Town of Prague. His father František Stadler, originally from Strážov in Pošumava, worked his way up from scratch to become an important merchant of quality fabrics, silk, and wool. The Stadler family shop was located at Celetná Street 12. František Stadler was interested in music and art, and the same can be said about his wife Marta Trierová, Jan Stadler's mother. She too had an innate musical talent, which, however, could not be fully developed due to the First World War. Marta Trierová served as a volunteer nurse for the entire four years of the war. Since childhood, Jan Stadler has wanted to use his musical talent, which is why he started learning to play the violin at the age of six. However, due to a serious kidney disease, he had to give up the violin after two years. However, the doctors allowed him to play the piano, which he started playing at the age of ten. Jan's parents divorced in 1936. The difficult family situation and health problems meant that Jan's musical education was not systematic enough. In 1938, the Stadler's sent their only son to study in Switzerland, hoping that a quality and systematic education at a francophone lyceum would benefit him, which he did. Jan learned French, German, English and Latin very well and continued to study music.
In Switzerland
In Switzerland, Jan found Munich and became an emigrant. Jan was left without any financial support and was not entitled to any gainful employment. He completed his high school studies only thanks to the help of international organizations and a few dedicated friends. In the end, he successfully graduated and obtained the so-called federal baccalaureate in Lausanne and Fribourg. After graduation, however, the situation became even more complicated. Although Jan was offered a scholarship to study at the famous music academy Institute Ribeau Pierre in Lausanne, the Swiss immigration police did not give his consent. Jan was soon interned and assigned as a servant to a farm in Dizy. He was helped off this situation by the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, which provided him with a small scholarship so that he could at least study agriculture at the École Polytechnique de Zurich. After long official delays with the foreign police, until 1944 Jan could alternately stay in an internment camp, work on a farm and study in Zurich lecture halls. When he was in Zurich, he devoted practically all his free time to lectures on musicology, philosophy, literature and self-study in these fields. In the meantime, he applied for admission to the Czechoslovak foreign army, which was granted. Just before the second state exam, he joined the front in Dunkirk, where he served until the end of the war.
After the war
After the war, Jan returned home to Czechoslovakia. But the return was cruel. His parents and most of his relatives perished. František and Marta Stadler lost their lives in a concentration camp in Łódź. Only a few cousins survived thanks to early emigration. Jan found himself completely alone in Prague. Even under these difficult circumstances, he immediately threw himself into studying music while trying to keep his father's business going. He himself was not at all in favour of entrepreneurial practice, which anyway ended with the communist coup in February 1948, because of which Jan lost a family property of great value - the house at Celetná 12. In 1948, Jan became the owner of the house at Celetná 12, which at that time was working. Formally, Jan finished his studies in 1952 with a doctorate in the history of music at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University. He wrote his dissertation in French on the topic Relations entre la literature française et L'Opera jusqu'a influence educative des encyclopaedists. At the same time, he also obtained a diploma in French, which enabled him to subsequently teach this language at the State Language School. Jan knew French and German at the level of his native Czech and was also fluent in English, Latin and Italian. In addition to his work at the language school, which became a source of his regular income, Jan devoted himself to various musical projects: he prepared programs for the Music Theatre, worked as an external dramaturg for various entities, wrote reviews and gave lectures.
Emigration
In the 1950s, however, the political situation became very heated, and Jan fell out of favour with the ruling structures. He is labelled a former capitalist of Jewish origin and is prevented from developing a career as a musicologist, publicist and playwright. He refuses to join the Communist Party, which closes practically all doors to him. After years of hardship, living in poverty and changing jobs below the level of his education, Jan decides to emigrate to Switzerland in 1967, where he subsequently receives political asylum. He is also granted social financial support for asylum seekers, which allows him to start a new chapter of his life in Switzerland in modest circumstances.
In the 1970s, Jan studied music theory and conducting in Switzerland. In addition to studying music theory at the conservatory, he takes several master classes with conductors such as Hans Swarovski and Franco Ferrara. Among his teachers is the Swiss conductor, cellist, pianist and composer Hans Münch, whom Jan visits in Basel. He organizes other masterclasses with cellist Grigory Piatigorsky and violinist Nathan Milstein. He also receives several opportunities to conduct professionally, for example with the Lausanne Radio Orchestra. At this age, however, he fails to develop a full-fledged musical and conducting career. He is already 50 years old, which is too late to start a conducting career. A difficult fate in life essentially took away from him the opportunity to fulfil his potential and realize himself in what was closest to him - in professional music practice. Although Jan continues to work tirelessly on himself, intensively studying interpretation theory and conducting techniques, his efforts have no concrete possibility of public application. All that he learned while studying music thus remains only in his own rich inner world. This awareness is logically a source of intense frustration.
After the revolution
The year 1989 represents a major milestone in Jan's life. At the age of 67, he is anxiously following the political and social changes in Czechoslovakia. He reconnects with some old friends in his home country. He gradually becomes familiar with the new situation and decides to fight for the return of his family's nationalized property. Within a few years, the Hrzánský palác at Celetná 12 was returned to him as part of the restitution. After 2000, Jan finds himself at a very advanced age and lacks the physical and mental strength to personally take care of the resituated family property, which was returned to him in a desolate state. With the help of several people, the house in Celetná is maintained and partly rented out, but it no longer has the energy for the much-needed general reconstruction. Due to the pain of his family's difficult fate and the emotional burden associated with the fate of the house in Celetná, Jan will never return to the Czech Republic. However, he is certainly not indifferent to the fate of the Czech Republic, especially Czech music and Czech musicians. That is why for many years he has been thinking about the vision of a music foundation that should be created after his death. Its aim should be to support young musical talents from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland. Especially those who lack the resources and key contacts, so necessary for the development and successful application of exceptional talent. The vision of the Music Foundation thus reflects everything that Jan needed and lacked in his youth: the opportunity to develop his musical talent in a free, democratic, open and functioning society, unaffected by war, perverted ideology or totalitarianism. And how did the Hrzánský palace come to life? See for yourself.
Board of Directors
Born in Geneva, where he lives, he earned a doctorate in economics, specializing in econometrics and statistics. In 1983 he was awarded the Wilsdorf Prize (high quality doctoral thesis) for his work on energy demand modelling. After a career as a researcher and teacher that took him from the University of Geneva to the Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne via the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he specialized in the field of investment, promotion and real estate management, where he has been active for 30 years. He is Vice-Chairman of the Institute d'Etudes Immobilière's and Vice-Chairman of the Edmond de Rothschild Real Estate SICAV, a company with real estate assets of more than 1.3 billion euros, which is listed on the Swiss stock exchange. He is also a member of RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors).
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Born in Geneva, where he lives, he earned a doctorate in economics, specializing in econometrics and statistics. In 1983 he was awarded the Wilsdorf Prize (high quality doctoral thesis) for his work on energy demand modelling. After a career as a researcher and teacher that took him from the University of Geneva to the Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne via the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he specialized in the field of investment, promotion and real estate management, where he has been active for 30 years. He is Vice-Chairman of the Institute d'Etudes Immobilière's and Vice-Chairman of the Edmond de Rothschild Real Estate SICAV, a company with real estate assets of more than 1.3 billion euros, which is listed on the Swiss stock exchange. He is also a member of RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors).
Nováčková
She comes from Prague, where she also lives. She studied music production at HAMU and cultural management at Université Bordeaux III in France. She gradually gained experience first in foreign institutions (Embassy of Canada, French Institute in Prague) and then in domestic non-profit and artistic organizations (Leontinka Foundation, Czech Philharmonic and Charter 77 Foundation). Prior to founding the Stadler-Trier Music Foundation, she worked for several years at the Prague Spring International Music Festival as Sponsorship and Partnership Manager. Under the guidance of musicologist Prof. Petr Daňek, she completed her doctoral studies in music production in 2020. The focus of her studies and scientific interests are music sociological and music psychological topics related to the dynamics of human life at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. These topics are also the focus of her publications, where she clearly prefers the interview as an authentic testimony of the musician's life and soul. Magdalena Nováčková's family had a long friendship with Jan Stadler that lasted for several decades.
Board Member and Director of the Foundation
She comes from Prague, where she also lives. She studied music production at HAMU and cultural management at Université Bordeaux III in France. She gradually gained experience first in foreign institutions (Embassy of Canada, French Institute in Prague) and then in domestic non-profit and artistic organizations (Leontinka Foundation, Czech Philharmonic and Charter 77 Foundation). Prior to founding the Stadler-Trier Music Foundation, she worked for several years at the Prague Spring International Music Festival as Sponsorship and Partnership Manager. Under the guidance of musicologist Prof. Petr Daňek, she completed her doctoral studies in music production in 2020. The focus of her studies and scientific interests are music sociological and music psychological topics related to the dynamics of human life at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. These topics are also the focus of her publications, where she clearly prefers the interview as an authentic testimony of the musician's life and soul. Magdalena Nováčková's family had a long friendship with Jan Stadler that lasted for several decades.
Wuarin
Thierry Wuarin also comes from Geneva, which is his current home. After studying law, he became a lawyer and practised under the Barreau de Genève until 1996. (In Switzerland, judges are elected and not appointed, as in the Czech Republic.) He served in this capacity for nearly twenty years. In 2016 he left the ranks of the judiciary and returned to the legal profession. Music, especially Czech music, is one of his long-standing hobbies, which he pursues with great intensity and is a true musical expert. Thierry Wuarin chairs the committee of the Swiss Ethnomusicology Association, a publicly funded organisation whose mission is to disseminate, teach and promote music and dance from different parts of the world. He is also president of the Geneva International String Academy Association, a non-profit organization that strives to provide ideal educational conditions for students and young professional musicians in the field of stringed instruments.
Member of the Board of Directors
Thierry Wuarin also comes from Geneva, which is his current home. After studying law, he became a lawyer and practised under the Barreau de Genève until 1996. (In Switzerland, judges are elected and not appointed, as in the Czech Republic.) He served in this capacity for nearly twenty years. In 2016 he left the ranks of the judiciary and returned to the legal profession. Music, especially Czech music, is one of his long-standing hobbies, which he pursues with great intensity and is a true musical expert. Thierry Wuarin chairs the committee of the Swiss Ethnomusicology Association, a publicly funded organisation whose mission is to disseminate, teach and promote music and dance from different parts of the world. He is also president of the Geneva International String Academy Association, a non-profit organization that strives to provide ideal educational conditions for students and young professional musicians in the field of stringed instruments.