Jindřich Kolář

Biography

“In the course of my career, I have reached nearly everything I desired.”

The parents of the French horn player Jindřich Kolář instilled a love of music in him from his childhood, although they were not musicians themselves. He graduated from the Pilsen Conservatoire and from the studio of Professor Zdeněk Tylšar at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, and during his studies he won several prizes at competitions at the Prague Spring Festival and in Kraslice. First he served as the principal hornist in the opera orchestra of the National Theatre, then he began playing with the Czech Philharmonic in 1985. 11 years later he became a full-time member of the orchestra. He remembers the concerts with Rafael Kubelík in 1990 as something very special.

He has appeared as a soloist in Japan, the USA, and Europe, and he plays chamber music in the ensembles Sólistes Europeéns Luxembourg, the Wind Quintet of the National Theatre, the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, and Virtuosi di Praga. He recorded a CD with the Pražák Quartet featuring the world premiere of compositions for horn and string quartet by Jan Václav Stich-Punto.

He teaches at the conservatoire in Pilsen. As the leader of the wind band 12°Plzeň, he earned the title of laureate in 2018 at the radio competition Concerto Bohemia. He also teaches regularly at masterclasses and presents the festival Horn Days.

Besides classical music, he likes listening to jazz. He enjoys watching sports and caring for his house and garden. He has seven children, five of whom, as well as his wife, are professional musicians. One of his daughters plays in the Czech Philharmonic. He often joins with his children in a variety of musical projects. “That’s something I find beautiful and fulfilling”, he says.