Czech Philharmonic • Toronto

Jan Mráček

violin

The Czech violinist Jan Mráček was born in Pilsen and began studying violin at the age of five with Magdaléna Micková. From 2003 he studied with Jiří Fišer, graduating with honours from the Prague Conservatory in 2013, and then at the University of Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna under the guidance of the Vienna Symphony concertmaster Jan Pospíchal.

As a teenager he enjoyed his first major successes, winning numerous competitions, participating in the master classes of Maestro Václav Hudeček – the beginning of a long and fruitful association. He won the Czech National Conservatory Competition in 2008, the Beethoven’s Hradec International Competition with the Dvořák concerto and the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009, was the youngest Laureate of the Prague Spring International Festival competition in 2010 and in 2014, he was awarded first prize at Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition. When the victory of Jan Mráček was confirmed, there was thunderous applause from the audience and the jury. The jury president announced, “Jan is a worthy winner. He has fascinated us from the first round. Not only with his technical skills, but also with his charisma on stage.”

In 2011, he became the youngest soloist in the history of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as a soloist with world’s orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Symphony of Florida, Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Romanian Radio Symphony, and others. In June 2026, he will also perform with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. He also performs with a wide range of Czech ensembles. Jiří Bělohlávek first brought him on as guest concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic, where he has served as principal concertmaster since the 2018/2019 season. In this role, he has performed, for example, with the European Union Youth Orchestra on a summer tour in 2015 under the baton of conductors Gianandrea Noseda and Xian Zhang; he has also appeared as a guest concertmaster with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra.

In 2008 he joined the Lobkowicz Piano Trio, which was awarded first prize and the audience prize at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria in 2014. In early 2026, they performed at the Antonín Dvořák Memorial to mark the 130th anniversary of the Czech Philharmonic’s first concert. Together with violinist Jiří Vodička, who is also the concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic, they created the project “Two Masters, One Stage,” in which they can be heard in musical dialogue in works for two violins at various venues across the Czech Republic.

His recording of the Dvořák’s Violin concerto and other works by this Czech composer under James Judd with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra was recently released on the Onyx label and has received excellent reviews. He is currently preparing a CD recording featuring works by Suk, Mendelssohn, and Schubert.

In 2021, he was awarded the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize at the Czech Philharmonic’s Open-Air concert. Jan Mráček plays a 1770 Nicolò Gagliano violin, which was loaned to him by the Dutch Fidula Foundation.