Christmas Concert - Slavic Trio

11.12.2024


Every year we gather in the Advent season to listen to music by Czech artists in the church Notre-Dame des Victoires au Sablon in Brussels. This year the performance was given by the Czech chamber ensemble formed by prominent musicians of the young generation, Slavic Trio. The concert attracted more than 600 guests. H.E. Jakub Skalník, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Brussels, opened the evening with his speech. The concert was organised by the Delegation of the City of Prague to the EU in cooperation with the Czech Centre Brussels with the kind support of the Velvyslanectví ČR v Bruselu / Czech Embassy in Brussels.

Programme: Jaroslav Krček – Renaissance trio I. Intrada - II. Bird Intermezzo - III. Dance - IV. The Wild Whirl

Bohuslav Martinů – Quatre Madrigaux II. Lento - III. Poco Allegretto

Ludwig van Beethoven – Grand Trio in C major, op. 87 I. Allegro - II. Adagio - III. Menuet. Allegro molto. Scherzo – Trio - IV. Finale. Presto

Evžen Zámečník – Christmas Suite for Hoboe, Clarinet and Bassoon

Slavic Trio is a Czech chamber ensemble formed by prominent musicians of the young generation – oboist Barbora Trnčíková, clarinetist Anna Sysová, and bassoonist Petr Sedlák. When they met in 2018 as the Chamber Music Academy of Czech republic scholarship recipients, continuing their collaboration felt like a natural path. Early in their formation, they became laureates of the International Competition in Chieri, Italy (2018), and the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition in Prague (2019).

The members of the ensemble are graduates of prestigious music schools, including the Royal College of Music in London, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon, and the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne. The trio has been listed in the Young Artists’ Roster of the Czech Music Fund Foundation and regularly performs both at home and abroad. Alongside interpreting world-renowned repertoire, the trio also focuses on reviving forgotten works by Czech composers of the 20th century.

In addition to their chamber music activities, the individual members perform in leading Prague orchestras: Barbora Trnčíková in the Czech Philharmonic, Petr Sedlák in the Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK) and the Prague Philharmonia, and Anna Sysová regularly performs with the State Opera Orchestra.

BARBORA TRNČÍKOVÁ - OBOE

Barbora has been involved in music since childhood, singing in a choir and playing the piano and recorder. At the age of 11, she began studying the oboe at the High School of Music in Prague under Professor Pavel Tylšar, graduating in 2014. She then continued her oboe studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Liběna Séquardtová, where she is currently pursuing her doctoral studies.

During the 2016/17 academic year, Barbora studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Lyon with renowned professors Jean-Louis Capezzalli and Jérôme Guichard. In 2019, she participated in the Erasmus+ program at the Royal College of Music in London, studying with Olivier Stankiewicz and Fabien Thouand.

Barbora has won several competitions, including the International Competition in Chieri (Italy, 2013), the International Competition Pro Bohemia Ostrava (2016), the National Competition of Czech Conservatories (2012), and the Gottfried von Einem Prize at ISA in Payerbach, Austria (2016). She regularly attends masterclasses across Europe, having worked with notable musicians such as Maurice Bourgue, David Walter, Jacques Tys, Christian Wetzel, and Ivan Podyomov.

Barbora has been a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, the European Union Youth Orchestra, and the Moritzburg Festival Academy Orchestra. She was a scholarship member of the Academy of Chamber Music in the Czech Republic, the Orchestral Academy of PKF – Prague Philharmonia, and the Czech Philharmonic. From 2020 to 2024, she held the position of solo oboe with the Brno Philharmonic, and she currently serves as the solo oboe of the Czech Philharmonic.

ANNA SYSOVÁ - CLARINET

Anna Sysová began playing the clarinet at the age of 12 under Kamil Doležal. She later studied at the Gymnasium and Music School of Prague under Milan Polák. She holds a bachelor's degree from JAMU in Brno, studying with Milan Polák and Vít Spilka, and is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at Ostrava University under clarinetist Karel Dohnal. During her studies, she completed internships at the Guildhall School of Music in London with Andrew Marriner and at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Lausanne, Switzerland. Anna is a winner of several international competitions including the Concorso per Clarinetto Carlino 2015 in Italy, the International Competition for Woodwinds in Wroclaw 2014 in Poland, the Markneukirchener Wettbewerb 2014 in Germany, and the Czech Clarinet Art 2014 in Hořice. She leveraged her competition experience in the Prague Spring Competition, where she was awarded 2nd prize as the most successful Czech participant. A passionate chamber musician, Anna has been a scholar at the Academy of Chamber Music and the German foundation Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz. She is a member of two chamber ensembles, the Kalabis Quintet and the Slavic Trio. She has participated in several tours with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) and was a member of the Orchestra Academy of the Brno Philharmonic.

PETR SEDLÁK - BASSOON

Petr Sedlák began playing the bassoon at a music school in Jihlava before studying at the Brno Conservatoire under Pavel Zatloukal and Roman Novozámský. In 2017, he started his bachelor's studies at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with Julie Price, Sarah Burnett, and Andrea de Flammineis. He earned his master's degree in 2021, focusing on bassoon with Roberto Giaccaglia, Joost Bosdijk, and Emily Hultmark, as well as conducting with Howard Williams.

Petr has been a member of the orchestral academies of the English National Opera, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, and the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO). He is a laureate of the International Woodwind Competition in Brno (2013, 2015) and the Pro Bohemia competition in Ostrava. In 2022, he became the most successful Czech participant in the bassoon competition at the Prague Spring Festival 2022.

Currently, he is a guest player with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Bath Festival Orchestra, and he holds the position of principal bassoonist with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Philharmonia.