JAKUB KLECKER

After four year study of the branch of conducting at the Brno´s Conservatory with prof. Aleš Podařil since September he has been a student of 5th year of the Music Faculty of the AMU in Prague in the class of prof. Jiří Bělohlávek and doc. Tomáš Koutník. He finished his studies by graduation concert with Kantiléna and Philharmonic Orchestra Brno in 2006.

During his study at the Conservatory in Brno he studied and conducted a series of compositions of contemporary authors (R. Ištvan, F. Emmert, P. Eben, Z. Pololáník, J. Matys, C. Kohoutek, E. Zámečník, P. Zemek etc.) and co-operated with the local symphonic orchestra, prepared also several opera productions (Janáček´s Říkadla, radio-opera Hlas lesa by B. Martinů, Singspiel Tlustý pradědeček by J. Křička, opera intermezzo "Il maestro di capella" by D. Cimarosa and the opera Bastien and Bastienka by W. A. Mozart).

Since 1993 he has been working with Kantiléna, the choir of children and youth at the State Philharmonic Orchestra Brno, at first as a singer, since 1997 as a répétiteur and a second choir master. After successfully passed selection proceedings, he was performing the post of the Chief choir master of the Kantiléna in 2003-2005. In 2006 he became the art director of the choir. Kantiléna’s high quality interpretation, as well as long-term tradition have not been touched by this. This is proved by the 1st prize „summa cum laude“ from Belgian Neerpelt (2006) where Kantiléna defeated 99 choirs, or two gold medals at World Chlor Games in Graz, Austria (2008) where the choir also became the best European choir in its categories.

At the turn of 2003/04 he was invited as the conductor assistant to study the Janáček´s opera Její pastorkyňa, which was performed at the International Music Festival of the Janáčkovo Brno 2004. In June of that year he co-operated within the preparation of Smetana´s opera Braniboři v Čechách, with which in October he made his debut on the stage of the National Theatre in Brno. Since 2007 he has been a conductor of the National Theatre opera (the pieces he has performed include Marta, Její pastorkyňa, Rigoletto, Idomeneo, Nabucco, ballet Spartacus etc.)

He regularly co-operates with with Czech and Slovak symphonic orchestras as a conductor. In Autumn 2007 he took part in 5-week tour of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan as a second conductor.

E-mail: jakub.klecker@kantilena.cz

LENKA ĎURICOVÁ 

She started singing at the age of six and studied singing at Brno Conservatorium, Mgr. Petr Julíček being her mentor. She has taken part in many competitions and concerts both in the Czech Republic and abroad. In 2002 and 2003, she was awarded the third and first prizes, respectively, at Bohuslav Martinů’s singing competition in Prague. She was also awarded a prize for best interpretation of Martinů’s song at the competition. In 2003 she was a soloist of the Mladí brněnští symfonikové (Young Brno Symphonic Players) orchestra, with which she performed five Christmas concerts. In 2006 she performed the leading character of Hayden’s La canterina in opera studio of the Brno Conservatorium. She is currently finishing her BA studies at Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno by succesful graduating concert.

She has co-operated with Kantiléna as a voice consultant since January 2008.

E-mail: lenka.duricova@kantilena.cz

KSENIA SUPRUNOVIČ

 Comes from Minsk, the capital of Belarus. She has been connected with music and theatre from her early childhood - for example by participating in folklore performances for kids in state television in Minsk. She studied a musical secondary school with focus on choir conducting and between 1998 and 1999 she worked for the children chamber opera in the State Opera Theatre. She continued her studies at the Academy of Music in Minsk, majoring in opera singing (started under Ludmila Kolosova and prolonged her study under Ljuba Kasporska). Since 2008 she has been studying at the JAMU in Brno, under the pedagogical guidance of Natálie Romanová. She has performed in Carmen (G. Bizet) and The Queen of Spades (P.I. Čajkovskij )with the Chamber Opera in Minsk during her studies. She also has also taken part in international music competitions in Baku (Azerbaijan) and Carlsbad (Czech Republic) and various musical festivals in Belarus or the Czech Republic. She also likes participating in various concert productions.

Ksenia has been cooperating with Kantiléna as a voice consultant for preliminary choirs - Sluníčka (Little Suns) and Kantilénka (Little Kantiléna) since September 2009.

E-mail: ksenia.suprunovic@kantilena.cz

IVAN SEDLÁČEK

Dedicated his whole career to the cultivation of childrens voices in chorus. After finishing his studies at the Pedagogical and Philosophical Faculty he founded the Slapanice Childrens Chorus and by transforming it into a selective ensemble he brought it to the excellence that this ensemble succeeded to maintain for decades, under the name of KANTILÉNA. During the years he took part on more than one thousand concerts with KANTILÉNA. As the artistic director he makes himself felt by presenting the motets of the top period of Renaissance while giving continuous attention to new compositions of contemporary authors (he has registered about 50 technically demanding works on the radio, mostly on request of KANTILÉNA. Some of them have been performed in a number of concert repetitions, such as the Atomus from Řezníček (130-times), or the Proverbial Wisdom from Eben (120-times) or Missa Brevis from Pololáník (80 repeats). The quality of artistic performance can be evidenced both on sound registrations and reviews from 18 countries of Europe, Japan, the U.S.A and Canada, and also on an impressive number of awards, such as the two First Prizes at the contest in Arezzo (1977, 1981), completed with the absolute victory in the latter of them, with the Béla Bartók prize conferred to him.

Ivan Sedláček was also involved in the educational process by reading lessons at the Janáček Academy of Arts, dealing with the Theory and Guidance of Childrens Chorus

E-mail: sedlacek@kantilena.cz