BACH, Johann Sebastian (1685-1750); DEU [all files] Well-tempered Clavier, Book I, BWV846-869 Prelude No.3 in C#, BWV848a [1:25 · 1.3M] Fugue No.3 in C#, BWV848b [2:10 · 2.0M] CHOPIN, Frédéric François (1810-49); POL [all files] Etude in Ab, Op.25, No.1 [2:36 · 2.4M] Etude in F, Op.25, No.3 [1:48 · 1.7M] MENDELSSOHN-Bartholdy, Felix (1809-47); DEU [all files] Variations sérieuses in D-, Op.54 [11:52 · 10.9M] SMETANA, Bedrich (1824-84); BOH [all files] Concert Etude in C [5:53 · 5.4M]

Miron Smidák

Miron Smidák began his piano studies at the age of four at the Elementary Music School in Carlsbad. He later attended the Prague Conservatory in the class of Professor Jan Novotný and he presently studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Professor Emil Leichner. Smidák has also participated in master-classes given by such pianists as Pierre Jasmin, Walter Groppenberger, and Arie Vardi. He made his debut at the age of twelve, performing Haydn's Piano Concerto in D with the Carlsbad Symphony Orchestra and, five years later, performed at the European Concert at Philharmonic Hall in Ljubljana (Slovenija).

Miron Smidák has, since his childhood, been a prizewinner at national and international competitions and has been awarded special prizes for the best interpretation of Czech music by the Virtuosi per Musica di Pianoforte, the Dussek Competition, and the National Competition of Elementary Music Schools. In 1996, Smidák was First Prizewinner in the international radio competition, Concertino Praga, and the Smetana Piano Competition in Hradec Králové. At the Smetana Competition, he was also awarded a special prize for the best interpretation of a work by Bedrich Smetana where, two years later, he was awarded the Second Prize, together with a special prize for the best interpretation of a classical sonata.

In 1998 Smidák was First Prizewinner of the Vaclav Holzknecht Piano Competition for Conservatories and, in 1999, he was awarded a scholarship by the Yamaha European Foundation. In the same year, Smidák and clarinetist Jan Parík were awarded Second Prize in the European Music Prize for Youth Competition (Weimar), as well as a special prize for the best interpretation a work by Paul Hindemith. In 2000 he won Fourth Prize in the Greta Erikson European Piano Competition in Karlstad (Sweden) and, the following year, Second Prize in the Gustav Mahler International Piano Competition (Jihlava, Czech Republic).

Some of Smidák's most notable performances include his 1999 tour of Italy (Bressanone, Bolzano, Merano, and Bologna); his performance in 2000 at the European Concert during the Jugend Musiziert Competition in Berlin; and his performance the same year as soloist with the Prague Philharmonic at the Young Prague International Festival.

Smidák has performed in the Young Smetana Litomysl, Young Podium in Carlsbad and the Days of Contemporary Music festivals (Prague), and has made several recordings for Czech Radio and for Czech Television.

Miron Smidák email: miron@smidak.cz website: www.smidak.cz