Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Praised for his scintillating, authentic and inclusive approach to conducting, and driven entirely by the music, Petr Popelka has been appointed as the new Chief Conductor of Wiener Symphoniker from the 2024/2025 season. He is also Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and former Chief Conductor of Norwegian Radio Orchestra in Oslo.

Beginning already from 2023/2024 season, Popelka will lead Wiener Symphoniker as its Chief Conductor Designate on a new production of Weinberger's Schwanda the Bagpiper at the Theater an der Wien followed by concerts in Vienna and two tours in Europe throughout the season. He also makes several debuts this season including the Zurich Opera House conducting Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre national de France as well as Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. In addition, Popelka returns to the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

Previous debuts have taken him to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, SWR Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra to name a few. He also led the annual ORF TV concert “Spring in Vienna” and the ZDF Advent concert in Dresden. His new productions of Shostakovich's opera The Nose at the Semperoper and Strauss's Elektra at the Oslo Opera were acclaimed by press and audience alike.

In the 2019/2020 season, Petr Popelka became NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra’s very first Conductor Fellow. He received his music education both in his hometown of Prague as well as in Freiburg. Between 2010 and 2019, he was deputy principal double bass of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. Aside from conducting, composition plays an important role within his artistic range.

Praised for his remarkable range of colours, his confident and concentrated stage presence, his virtuosity and technical poise as well as the beauty of his tone, Josef Špaček has gradually emerged as one of the leading violinists of his generation. His performances of a wide range of repertoire demonstrate his 'astonishing articulation and athleticism'(The Scotsman) and 'a richness and piquancy of timbre' (The Telegraph).

Highlights in the 2024/25 season include debuts with the Gewandhausorchester and Orchestre National de Lille as well as returns to Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Dresdner Philharmonie, Bochumer Symphoniker, Berner Sinfonieorchester and to the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Previous debuts include the Bamberg Symphony, Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Rundfunk- Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Kammerakademie Potsdam, the Radio Orchestras of WDR, SWR and hr, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI Torino, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He collaborates with eminent conductors such as Thomas Adès, Jiří Bělohlávek, Anja Bihlmaier, Semyon Bychkov, Nicholas Collon, James Conlon, Manfred Honeck, Jakub Hrůša, Eliahu Inbal, Joana Mallwitz, Tomáš Netopil, Petr Popelka, Kristiina Poska, Michael Sanderling, Thomas Søndergård, Krzysztof Urbański, and David Zinman.

Josef Špaček equally enjoys giving recitals and playing chamber music, and is a regular guest at festivals and in concert halls throughout Europe (among others at the Rudolfinum in Prague, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam, the Kronberg Academy, the Verbier and Rosendal Festivals and at Schloss Elmau), Asia and the USA (among others at Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., 92Y in New York, La Jolla in San Diego, the ChamberFest Cleveland and the Nevada Chamber Music Festival).

Supraphon released a highly praised recording of Dvořák and Janáček Violin Concertos, and Fantasy of Suk, with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek. The Sunday Times wrote 'The violinist’s individual, deeply considered and virtuosic account of Dvořák’s solo part is the highlight of this keenly conceived programme', adding that 'in this repertoire, Špaček is second to none today.' It was the Recording of the Week of The Sunday Times, Recording of the Month & of the Year of MusicWeb International, and received five stars in Diapason. Other recordings to date are a recital disc with works for violin and piano by Smetana, Janáček and Prokofiev with pianist Miroslav Sekera on Supraphon, works for violin solo and violin and piano by H.W. Ernst on Naxos, and an early CD with the complete Sonatas for Solo Violin by Eugène Ysaÿe.

Josef Špaček studied with Itzhak Perlman at The Juilliard School in New York, Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and with Jaroslav Foltýn at the Prague Conservatory. He was laureate of the International Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and won top prizes at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand, the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in Denmark and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York.

Josef Špaček performs on the ca. 1732 “LeBrun; Bouthillard” Guarneri del Gesù violin, generously on loan from Ingles & Hayday.