STYL ROZHOVOR
A New Renaissance Age
for the Janáček Conservatory
We spoke about the 70 year history of this influential institution with the conservatory’s principal,
Soňa Javůrková.
The Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava is celebrating
an important anniversary. What did the institution
look like at its conception?
The school was founded in 1953 as a higher music
and pedagogical school thanks to a group of people
centered around the composer Rudolf Kubín, who
then became its first principal. The institution took
on the name of the famous Czech composer, Leoš
Janáček, many years later, in 1996, when it was moved
to the modern building on Českobratrská street.
the only conservatory
“inWetheareCzech
Republic to offer
all of these fields.
”
What do you teach at the conservatory, and how do
you pick your teachers?
In the beginning, we only taught singing and musical
instruments. Later on, our singing courses became more
independent and we added musical drama (acting) and
dance (ballet). Recently, we also opened a course for
modern dance. Other than classical genres, we also offer
education in non-opera singing and jazz. We are the only
conservatory in Czechia to offer all of these fields.
Maintaining a high standard for teachers is one
of our core values. Currently, we employ around
98 ǀ POSITIV 3/2023
190 teachers. Our institution maintains its great sound
and hallmark of excellence and high quality thanks
to the great personalities we employ as pedagogues.
The vast majority of our teachers are either members
of the Ostrava Janáček Philharmonic orchestra or of
other groups from different theaters around Ostrava
and other cities. Some of our teachers are also
from Poland. A large portion of our staff perform
professionally.
The study of creative fields must be in high-demand.
Yes, these fields are very popular, mainly acting,
which has become very sought after. We accept
10 students into the first year course of acting,
and each year we receive over 100 applications.
We also accept children as young as 12 years old
into our dancing course. Many talented children
also apply to our music and singing classes. All
applicants have to go through a challenging series
of talent tests.
Creative professions carry with them the need to
compare yourself and your level of creative education
to your peers from not only around the country, but also
the world. This is why the best from our conservatory
take part in national and international competitions,
and they often return with awards. These successes
serve as evidence to the quality and level of education
we can provide.