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.