Radek Baborák

Horn player and conductor Radek Baborák was born in Pardubice in 1976 into a musical family. At the age of eight he started learning the horn with Prof. Karel Krenek. Under his leadership he became the overall winner of the Prague Radio Competition Concertino Praga, received third prize at the Prague Spring Competition, first prize in the Competition for Interpreters of Contemporary Music, and became laureate of the Grand Prix Unesco. He is a regular guest at prestigious festivals such as the Salzburger Osterfestspiele; Maggio Musicale, Fiorentino; Pacific Music Festival; White Nights Festival, St. Petersburg; Chamber Music Garden, Suntory Hall; International Music Festival, Utrecht; Julian Rachlin and Friends, Dubrovník; Le Pontes; Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival; Smetana’s Litomyšl; and Prague Spring. He founded and has been the leader of several ensembles: the Baborák Ensemble, in principal consisting of French horn and string quartet; the Czech Horn Chorus, which continues the 300 year-old tradition of horn playing in the Czech Lands; and the string ensemble Prague Chamber Soloists, whose founding in 1960 is linked with Václav Neumann. He is a member of the Afflatus Quintet, which received first prize at the ARD competition in Munich in 1997. Baborák plays in recitals with pianist Yoko Kukuchi (the winner of the Mozart Competition in Salzburg), organist Aleš Bárta, and harpist Jana Boušková. He is a member of Berlin-Munich-Vienna Oktett and collaborates with the Berlin Baroque Soloists. The 2022–23 season includes his first US tour outside of an orchestra.