Marek Šedivý
Czech conductor Marek Šedivý, born in Prague in 1987, was appointed as Principal Guest Conductor of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra in December 2017, effective from the 2018/19 season. Previously, he was appointed Chief Conductor of the Silesian Opera Company in Opava, Czech Republic, effective with the 2016/17 season.
Marek Šedivý studied conducting at the Prague Conservatory and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In his homeland, he collaborates with many leading orchestras, including the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK), the Prague Philharmonia (PKF), Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra (SOČR) and the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice.
His early engagements included work with the Toronto Canadian Opera Company for its production of Wagner´s Tristan and Isolde, where he was invited by Jiří Bělohlávek as Assistant Conductor. Maestro Bělohlávek, with whom he studied privately, was his key mentor. He also conducted Janáček´s Cunning Little Vixen with the University of British Columbia (Canada) summer opera studio in Teplitz, Czech Republic.
He has also conducted at important national and international music festivals such as the Prague Spring Festival, the Dvořák Prague Festival and the International Festival “Gluck 300” in Nuremberg, Chopin Festival Marienbad, Young Prague, Pardubice Music Spring, Mozartfest Würzburg.
In January 2015, he recorded a CD of two Beethoven piano concertos with pianist Yuan Fang and the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Sony).
Mr. Šedivý’s repertoire is already extensive, and includes the major Czech composers from Dvořák and Smetana to Janáček, Suk and Martinů. He has also premiered several works by young Czech composers. He has conducted works by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky, as well as leading composers of the 20th century including Mahler, Ravel and Stravinsky. Opera also features strongly in his repertoire, including Mozart´s Don Giovanni, Dvořák´s Rusalka and The Jacobin, Smetana´s The Bartered Bride, Verdi´s La Traviata and Rigoletto, Wagner´s Tristan and Isolde and more.
In the season 2016/17, his first new production as Chief Conductor of the Silesian Opera Company Opava was Dvořák´s Rusalka, which gained huge success and received positive reviews from public and critics. He conducted Verdi´s Macbeth at the Prague National Theatre, Verdi´s Macbeth and Khachaturian´s Spartacus in Pilsen, and prepared a new produciton of Fibich´s The Tempest at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre Ostrava. He also conducted the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Elementary Schools of the Arts concert. His new productions continue in 2017/18 at Silesian Opera, where he conducted Verdi´s Falstaff this past autumn. Upcoming titles there include Janáček´s Cunning Little Vixen and Gluck´s Iphigenie en Tauride.
With the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, he will conduct a studio recording in March 2018, and a major Rudolfinum series concert with an interesting programme including Bartók´s Concerto for Orchestra as well as the premiere of "Narcissus" for cello and orchestra by Jan Ryant Dřízal in May.
