Viktor Mazáček

He was born to a family of musicians 179 years after the death of his favourite composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His father worked his way up from a rank-and-file percussionist to the solo timpanist of the Czech Phil where he played for 45 years. His mother, a piano teacher, later became an office worker but both his parents are now retired, enjoying well-deserved rest at their cottage.

From an early age, his destiny was determined by his musical talent. After proudly announcing to his parents that he could sing, they waited impatiently for him to start walking, learn to hold things in his hands and pay attention, accept a stranger to teach him and then gave him the violin.

He was not very keen but got used to it. At the Music School Voršilská in Prague, he attended classes of Erika Váchová, Otto Lébr and Magdalena Micková. When it came to the crunch and he had to choose a path for his future studies, he took pity on his parents who bravely faced the squeaking of his violin and suggested that he would apply to a conservatory. At that time, he had already been playing in the non-professional Chamber Orchestra of Dvořák’s Region from Kralupy nad Vltavou which his father, the ensemble’s founder, still conducts today.

He won a place at the conservatory and studied for six years with Professor Jaroslav Štětina, graduating with the 1^st movement of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s concerto with the Prague Conservatory Symphony Orchestra.

After graduation, he liked the idea of playing in an orchestra but felt he needed to spend a bit more time studying. He did not have to serve the then-compulsory military service and joined the Vít Nejedlý Army Orchestra in Prague – Pohořelec while studying for the Academy of Performing Arts entrance exams with Professor Ivan Štraus. It was Professor Štraus who managed to make him a violinist capable of playing difficult virtuosic compositions.

During his studies at the Academy of Performing Arts, he entered a number of auditions, finally succeeding in the Czech Philharmonic in 1994. At that point, he already knew that he would not move without his violin, it became his bread and butter as well as a hobby. Playing symphonic music has never been enough for him. He is interested in various styles and genres, making guest appearances in Ondřej Havelka’s Swing Orchestra, in many chamber ensembles, having been part of a piano trio, baroque ensemble Musica Veronica and Capella Regia Prague which focus on historically informed performance. He has also been a member of Classicon XX and the composer association Konvergence which concentrate on contemporary music. Over the past ten years, he has been busy working in the Czech Philharmonic Quartet (www.czechphilquartet.com). He also likes to do piano recitals, having had the pleasure of appearing alongside Yukie Ichimura in Prague and Japan.

His musical family keeps growing. His sister plays the flute and teaches at the Music School in Kralupy nad Vltavou. His nephew studies the cello and conducting at the conservatory and his niece, though having chosen a different career, has not forgotten her flute. His daughter Anna studies the recorder and traverso at the conservatory, son Martin finds time for the drums alongside his secondary school studies but fell for hard rock music rather than his grandfather’s timpani.