Biography
Currently : A new dedicated composition for Ondřej Vrabec - the Double Concerto for hornplayer and conductor in one person by Peter Seabourne will be performed in the world premiere on 2nd of February 2012, together with the Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc.
Highlighted activities of Ondřej Vrabec in close - past (among concerts of the Czech Philharmonic):
January 2012 - Ondřej Vrabec gave masterclass in Osaka and at the high school in Sakaide - Kagawa, Japan . He performed the Gliére concerto with the State Philharmonic Košice-Slovakia.
November 2011 - Ondřej Vrabec lead the first tour of the Prague Philharmonia to South Korea. He was honoured by invitation to become a member of the pre-jury of the Prague Spring International Music Competition 2013 in the French horn cathegory. The Brahms Trio Prague performed new dedicated composition by L. Vlach in two world premieres - in Lviv (Ukraine) and Prague.
September 2011 - A performance of Messa di Gloria by Pietro Mascagni with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava
August 2011 - For third time already, Ondřej Vrabec was working in the international team of conductors of Ostrava Days New And Experimental Music Festival, one of the biggest of its kind in the world. As a hornplayer, he also performed here the highly demanding Hamburg Concerto by G. Ligetti in Czech premiere performance.
July 2011 - Beginning of the cooperation with the Orchester Jacobsplatz in Munich. Ondřej Vrabec lead the solo horn class at the international masterclasses Ameropa. Brittish Peter Seabourne finished his Double Concerto for hornplayer and conductor in one person. The world premiere will held in February 2012 with the Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc
June 2011 - Great brittish composer Andrew Downes finished his horn concerto, dedicated to Ondřej Vrabec. It will be performed in the world premiere on November 2012 in Birmingham
May 2011 - A galaconcert of the PhilHarmonia Octet in Bratislava, Slovakia
March 2011 - Ondřej Vrabec gave masterclasses in Tokyo and Osaka
December 2010 - Ondřej Vrabec gave masterclass for Yamaha company in Osaka, Japan
!!! VISIT AUDIOGALLERY or VIDEO CHANNEL OF ONDŘEJ VRABEC ON YOUTUBE.COM TO ENJOY SAMPLES FROM HIS CONCERTS !!!
It was said, it was written...
"He is an exceptional talent. It is a rare to hear such young person play so securely. And so musically! Great concentration! I was very impressed..."
Vladimir Ashkenazy (audition for the solohorn position of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, 1998)
"Extraordinarily powerful and expressive conducting..."
Benjamin Zander, chiefconductor of the Boston Philharmonic
(London Masterclasses, 2002)
Ondřej Vrabec maneuvres throughout especially the soft high register passages with ease, grace and command. Even though his full forte playing is quite well done, it is his delicate and controlled underplaying which is truly remarkable accross the disc.
John Dressler, The Horn Call, 2008
..what he performs in cooperation with the violinist in the subtle modal melodics at the beginning of the 2nd movement of Sonata by Andrew Downes is a small timbre miracle!
Miloš Pokora, Hudební rozhledy, 2008
Selected reviews :
The profile CD of the Brahms Trio Prague - Fanfare Magazine, USA (2008)
The profile CD of the Brahms Trio Prague - The Horn Call, USA (2008)
The profile CD of the Brahms Trio Prague - Mundo Clasico, Spain (2008)
The profile CD of the Brahms Trio Prague - Hudební rozhledy newspaper (2008)
The profile CD of the Brahms Trio Prague - Harmonie Newspaper (2008)
Graduate´s concert (Academy) 2007 - " Hudební rozhledy " music newspaper
Graduate´s concert (Academy) 2007 - prof. Hynek Farkač
Selected interviews :
"I am anchored in the symphonic repertoire" - Czech Music Quarterly 1 / 2008 (with the kind permission of the Czech Music Quarterly newspaper)
Curiculum Vitae
In spite of his age, the hornplayer and conductor Ondřej Vrabec (1979) is one of the most seasoned Czech artists. He began his intensive concert career of soloist, chamber and orchestra player long before the threshold of adulthood; in mere 17 years, he sat down for the first time on the first chair of horn section of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and two years later, he was definitely appointed a solohornplayer of this orchestra. He is a graduate of Prague Conservatoire (horn – prof. B. Tylšar, conducting – prof. V. Válek, H. Farkač, M. Němcová, M. Košler) and of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (conducting - prof. R. Eliška, J. Bělohlávek, F. Vajnar and others). He supplemented his studies with frequent master courses (such as Hornclass, French Academy in Telč), the most precious impuls for forming of his artistic approach was the cooperation with the elite of world wind instrument school (S. Azzolini, M. Bourgue) within S. Végh / B. Martinů Academy and Maurice Bourgue Ensemble. He holds the title of the absolute winner of the competition of conservatories in Ostrava, he has gained several other laureaute titles as a chamber player (Concertino Praga, the competition of the Mozart Society etc.) He has performed in the role of a soloist with tenths of both Czech and foreign orchestras (among others Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, Sólistes Européenes Luxembourg, Augsburg Philharmonic Orchestra, State Philharmonic Košice, Rzeszow Philharmonic, Lviv Philharmonic) under the baton of world famous conductors (Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Vladimir Ashkenazy etc.) he also often presents himself to audience with soloist recitals. A great part of his activity includes chamber music (especially Brahms Trio Prague, further e.g. PhilHarmonia octet, Juventus Quintet, Czech Philharmonic Horn Club etc.). He created an extensive sound recordings library for Czech Radio and several gramophone titles. The latest recording – the profile CD of Brahms Trio Prague, realized in a unique manner in their own music and sound directing has gained great responses of critics both at home and abroad. The reviewer of the prestigious American magazine Fanfare termed it the probably best recording of Trio Es Dur, op. 40 of J. Brahms realized so far and he placed in on the Want List – the selection of 5 best world classic CDs of 2008. Ondřej Vrabec stimulated, both in direct and indirect ways, the emergence of many contemporary compositions for various instrumental casts in combination with horn. Most of them are dedicated to him and were usually performed or recorded by him in a world premiere. Also his pedagogic activity has been gaining more and more respect – he leads master courses (Japan, Canada, Czech republic) and he regularly cooperates with the Japanese educational society And Vision Inc. Tokio. Students from various parts of the world have been coming to his private lessons to the Prague Rudolfinum.
The conducting career of Ondřej Vrabec is shorter, but of no less significance and extent. He has conducted many Czech and foreign ensembles (Czech Philharmonic, Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra, Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, State Philharmonic Košice - Slovakia, Galeria Wind Orchestra Tokio, Prague Philharmonia, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Southbohemian Chamber Philharmonic České Budějovice, Chamber Philharmonic Pardubice, Philharmonic Orchestra Hradec Králové, Carlsbad Symphony Orchestra, Pilsen Philharmonic, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Czech Philharmonic Collegium, Pavel Haas Chamber Orchestra etc.), he participated in international festivals (Prague Spring, Mitte Europa, Český Krumlov). He is permanent member of the team of conductors of Ostrava Days International New Music Festival, one of the biggest contemporary music events around the globe. His opera performances include complete preparation of Figaro's Wedding in the opera in Ústí nad Labem and in the Prague Theatre Komedie. In 2002 and 2004, he was a scholarship holder of London Masterclasses, where – under the guidance of the founder of Boston Philharmonic Maestro Benjamin Zander – worked with the London Soloists Chamber Orchestra. In 2007, he ranked the 4th in the international conducting competition of Prague Spring, he gained a honorary mention of the jury and other two awards for the most successful Czech candidate. In October 2010, he presented himself for the first time in the role of conductor to his home orchestra – Czech Philharmonic. Due to the personal request of the world famous conductor, Sir J. E. Gardiner, he took over the direction of the first rehearsal day of the concert in tribute to Sir Ch. Mackerras. Just one month later he debuted with this ensemble in a concert (stand–in performance instead of Maestro Manfred Honeck). In 2011-2012 season he will conduct two ABO concerts there. In October 2011 he lead the historically first tour of the Prague Philharmonia to South Korea. Together with the Czech Philharmonic Collegium, he recorded two gramophone titles – the DVD „Transformations“ (project of the group Čechomor, published by Universal Music, elected as the disc of the year) and the CD of concertos for violin and viola (Gabriela Demeterová, Supraphon).
An inseparable part of activities of Ondřej Vrabec is a professional interest in the issue of viniculture. He has an active experience as a sommelier, he visits wineries all over the world and publishes articles about wine. He is a holder of the certificate of a candidate for sensorial analysis according to the regulation ČSN ISO 8586-1. Due to his merit, excellent wines of two most prestigious Uruguay wineries - Bodega Bouza and Bodega Pizzorno have been imported in the Czech Republic.
What is, in the Czech Republic, the financial remuneration of a solohornplayer of a national orchestra no. 1 after 22 years of intensive studies, thousands of hours of necessary every day practice and rehearsals in the past (and as an obligation in the future as well), hundreds of concerts in the most prestigious world stages and work in permanent stress conditions? The pay of a tram driver in the Transport Company of the capital of Prague after a short training...