Marek Kozák, prizewinner of the International Bach Competition Leipzig 2025 and winner of the 2021 Géza Anda International Piano Competition, is one of the most talented Czech pianists of today's generation. During his studies with Ivan Klánský at the renowned Academy of Music in Prague, he attended various masterclasses with Murray Perahia, Garrick Ohlsson and Eugen Indjic, among others. Marek Kozák was awarded 1st prize at the Chopin Competition in Marienbad and the Smetana Competition in Pilsen in 2013 and 3rd prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. In 2016, he was awarded 2nd prize at the Prague Spring Competition. In 2018, he was the absolute winner of the European Piano Competition in Bremen and also received the Audience Award. In 2019, he was a finalist in the Busoni Competition in Bolzano. In the same year, he was honored with the Classic Prague Award as Talent of the Year.
Štěpán Ježek teaches violin and chamber music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and regularly gives masterclasses in Eelde (NL), Dartington UK, Sobeslav and La Pellegrina Budweis (CZ). He regularly participates as a jury member in violin and chamber music competitions. In 1998 he co-founded the Bennewitz Quartet. With this ensemble he won several of the most important chamber music competitions (including the Osaka Chamber Music Competition and Festa 2005, Premio Paolo Borciani 2008). Since then, the quartet has toured Europe, America and Asia. He has recorded CDs with the Bennewitz Quartet for various labels (Supraphon, Haensler Classic, Coviello Classics) as well as radio and television broadcasts.
Prof. Marek Jerie is one of the most distinguished cellists of his generation. He studied at the Academy of Music in Prague and deepened his musical knowledge in master classes with Pablo Casals, Mstislav Rostropovich and André Navarra. As a soloist and member of the Guarneri Trio Prague, he has performed in the most important music centers in Europe, Australia, Japan, Canada, the USA, South America and China. With the Guarneri Trio Prague, he has recorded the classical and romantic piano trio repertoire on CD for Praga Digitals. Valuable, lost concertos from the Czech cello literature of the 18th century have been performed, recorded and edited by him. Contemporary composers have dedicated their works to him. Marek Jerie taught cello and chamber music at the Lucerne University of Music for 34 years.
Silvia Ježková, accompanist