This year's winner of the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize is clarinetist Anna Paulová. The prize is awarded to young Czech artists under the age of thirty who have achieved exceptional success in their field and who are upholding the tradition of Czech music at home and abroad. Congratulations!
"When we thought about how best to remember Jiří Bělohlávek, the open-air concert was the clear winner for its relaxed atmosphere and also for its connection with the young soloists that Jiří Bělohlávek supported throughout his life. And so we are dedicating the open-air concert to the memory of Jiří Bělohlávek and it will also be associated with an award bearing his name."
— David Mareček, General Director of the Czech Philharmonic
"I appreciate the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize immensely and thank you very much for it. I am very happy and at the same time I feel a great responsibility to be the recipient of this award. This year it is exactly ten years since I had the honour of performing with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Jiří Bělohlávek at the Open Air Concert of the Czech Philharmonic on Hradčany Square. It was one of my most beautiful musical experiences."
— Anna Paulová
Anna Paulová made her debut at the age of fifteen with the Prague Philharmonia and conductor Leoš Svárovský. Later she appeared as a soloist with other leading Czech and international orchestras. In addition to her solo career, she is a chamber musician and collaborates with many outstanding instrumentalists. She focuses on compositions by Czech composers of the 20th and 21st centuries (Bohuslav Martinů, Karel Husa, Viktor Kalabis, Josef Páleníček, Miloslav Ištvan, Jiří Teml, Zdeněk Šesták, etc.) and also collaborates with composers of the younger generation.
To the many awards she has received during her career, she now adds the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize, which was presented during this year's final concert of the season by Anna Fejérová, the wife of the late chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic.
The award comes with a performance at the Czech Philharmonic's next Open Air concert and a cash prize of CZK 50,000 donated by Karel Pavlovský, a member of the Czech Philharmonic's Dynamic Club. Anna Paulová also received a diploma in the form of a graphic sheet designed by painter Jiří Voves, a close friend of Jiří Bělohlávek.
Congratulations!
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