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česky

Barbora Sojková (soprano, artistic director, dramaturgy)

followed music from her childhood, she played a piano and sing as well – from 1995 as a member of the Prague Philharmonic childrenｴs choir. With this ensemble she joined more then 300 concerts, many opera performances at the National Theatre and the State Opera in Prague, recordings of cds and concert tours round world stages (f.e. Carnegie hall in New York, National Theatre in Kuala Lumpur)

After completing grammar school, she studied Choir-conducting and church music at the Faculty of Education of the Charles University. Now she is a student of Musicology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Charles University in Prague, she is specialized in the gregorian chant under the leadership of Mr. David Eben. From 2009 she teachs Gregorian chant at the Faculty of Education of the Charles University. She is very active in research on the czech gregorian chant tradition, she works on sources of the St. George's Convent at the Prague Castle.

She studies singing privately (I. Kusnjer, J. Jonášová, E. Toperczerová). She is engaged in intepretation of early music (interpretation master classes with Marius van Altena, Peter Kooij, Julie Hassler, Howard Crook and Joel Frederiksen). She is interested in intepretation of medieval music, first of all of gregorian chant and polyphony. She worked with Schola Benedicta (2004 - 2007), with which she made cd Wenceslas II. etc.

Barbora works with ensembles Collegium 1704, Collegium Marianum, Musica Florea, Doulce Memoire, Ensemble Inégal, Ensemble Tourbillon, Collegium Vocale Gent, Berg Orchestra, Ostravská banda etc. She is member of ensemble Collegium Vocale 1704.

Barbora was singing on the main czech and european festivals (f.e. The Prague Spring Festival, Concentus Moraviae, St. Wenceslas Festival Ostrava, International Music Festival Lípa Musica, the Summer festivities of early music, Resonanzen Wien, Uckermärkische Musikwochen Templin, Festival de Sablé, Festival de la Chaise-Dieu, Festival de Sully et Loiret, Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay, Festival Baroque de Pontoise, Festival de Musique Ancienne de Ribeauvillé, Festival van Vlaanderen Brugge, Festival d'Ambronay, Musiekcenter DeBijloke Gent etc.)

In 2007 she participated in staging of Claudio Monteverdi's opera Orfeo at the National Theatre in Prague (Ensemble Concerto and Roberto Gini). In 2008 she has taken part in the new performance of Vivaldi’s reconstituted opera Argippo (Hofmusici, artistic dirictor Ondřej Macek), in 2009 she has taken part in the new performance of Julius Zeyer's melodrama Radúz and Mahulena at the National Theatre in Prague (Collegium 1704, Václav Luks) and in 2011/2012 is participating on the stage production of Louis Andriessen Dances (National Theatre Prague – Laterna Magica, Berg Orchestra, Peter Vrábel).

Ivana Bilej Brouková (soprano)

She is gratuated in singing from the Prague Conservatory and the Berlin Hochshule der Künste (2000), where, under the instruction of the lutenist Nigel North, she became acquainted with the authentic interpretation of early music. That led her to develop an interest in music from the Early Baroque to the Early Classical period. She has attended master classes, for example, with Emma Kirkby, Jill Feldman, Richard Wistreich, and René Jacobs. She was awarded a prize in the Biagio Marini (BRD) competition and was on a year's scholarship at the Akademie für Alte Musik, Bremen.

In past years she has been invited to participate in opera projects, for example, the Lausitzer Opernsommer and the Sferisterio Opera Festival, Mascerata. That is where she began to work with the Tuscan ensemble Florilegio Musicale. At home and abroad she gives concerts with various professional ensembles concerned with early music (Capella Regia, Hipocondria Ensemble, Collegium 1704, and Ensemble Tourbillon) and also in duets with Ophira Zakai and Jan Krejča.

Hana Blažíková (soprano, gothic harp)

She was born in Prague. In 2002 she graduated from the conservatoir in Prague in the class of Jiří Kotouč. She took courses with Poppy Holden, Peter Kooij, Monika Mauch and Howard Crook and she is mostly involved in the interpretation of baroque, rennaisance and medieval music. Hana cooperates with international ensembles and orchestras, e. g. Collegium Vocale Gent, Bach Collegium Japan, Sette Voci, Capella Regia, Collegium Marianum, Musica Florea, Collegium 1704 etc.

She performed at many european festivals, such as Prague Spring, Oude Muziek Utrecht, Resonanzen in Wien, Tage Alter Musik in Regensburg, Festival de Sablé, Festival de La Chaise – Dieu, Festival de Saintes and others. Further she plays gothic harp and gives concerts singing and accompanying herself.

Daniela Čermáková (alto)

Daniela Čermáková studied singing at the Secondary School of Music in Brno, Theory and Interpretational Practice of Early Music at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno, and Vocal and Music Education at the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University, Brno.

Since her secondary studies (1998), she has been intensively engaged in the interpretation of the 16th – 18th century music. Her main interest and strong point is ensemble singing (Societas Incognitorum, Doulce memoire, Collegium 1704, Madrigal Quintet...), as a soloist she performed with renowned ensembles of so-called early music, e.g. Musica Florea, Musica Aeterna, Cappella Accademica.

She has a rich record of concerts at significant festivals both in this country and abroad, co-operates with the Czech Radio and Television and makes CD recordings. Moreover she engages in the interpretation of jazz music and chanson, important is also her pedagogical practice.

Anna Chadimová Havlíková (mezzosoprano)

started with the piano and the recorder when she was five; singing came soon after – as a member of the Kühn’s children’s choir and since she was fourteen as a student of solo classical singing. She graduated from the Prague Conservatory in 2001 and later she continued in her studies privately with Drahoslava Královcová – Benešová and the French mezzosoprano Anne Donnadieu.

Anna Havlíková performed on many stages in the Czech Republic and abroad. In addition to numerous performances with the Camerata Filarmonica ensemble she performed with the ensemble of historical instruments, Karmína. She also cooperates with Collegium Vocale 1704 (for example she performed in Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion at the St Wenceslas musical festival in Ostrava 2007 and the Easter festival in Brno 2008). Since 2001 she has concentrated on pedagogical activity and since 2003 studies musicology at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague.

Pavla Štěpničková (alt)

studied singing at the Prague Conservatory in the class of A. Denygrová and then at the Music Faculty of AMU with M. Hajossyová (2005 MgA.). She now studies privately with D. Šounová – Brouková. She completed master courses with M. van Altena (Prague), N. Kniplová (Baden at Wien) and R. Wistreich (Prague). In 2005 she took part in course of chamber singing ( J. Christensen) and opera workshop (S. t’Hooft, J. Gall and P. Van Heyghen) during the 20th Handel Academy in Karslruhe. She specialises in Baroque vocal works and song repertoire.

She performed at music festivals in the Czech republic and abroad. She cooperated with Hofmusici (opera J. J. Fux „Giunone placata“, opera „La Semele“ by J. A. Hasse), Harmonia Delectabilis, Cappella Accademica (Vivaldi‘s „Orlando finto pazzo“, Handel’s „Sosarme, Re di media“ ), Hipocondria, Ensemble Inégal, Collegium Marianum (Schmelzer‘s „Herkules and Onfale“), Musica Florea, Schola Benedicta, Solamente naturali and other ensembles. This year she has taken part in the new performance of Vivaldi’s reconstituted opera Argippo.

Tereza Havlíková (soprano)

has played the piano since childhood at the music school for children Charlotta Masaryk, where she later became a member of the children’s chamber choir. She later started solo singing whilst at the Břevnov music school for children, and then privately with Eliška Toperczerová. Having finished grammar she now studies Social Work at the Evangelical Theological Faculty.

For three years she was a member of the Schola Benedicta ensemble, where she participated in the recording of the Wenceslas II CD (produced by ARTA). She also sings in Aleš Březina’s opera about the trial of Milada Horáková at the National Theatre.

Renata Zafková (soprano)

started with singing in Kühn’s children’s choir. She studied singing under Magdalena Bělohlávková at the Jan Neruda Gymnasium. She regularly attends various interpretational courses (Prague, Brno. Karlsruhe). She won first prize in the national singing competition organised by the pedagogical faculties at Usti nad Labem, and other first prizes in similar competitions. She also won the title of absolute winner of the Singing competition in Olomouc, 2005. She is a graduate of musicology at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague and also of the theory and practise of old music at the Masaryk University in Brno.

She is a member of the Collegium Vocale 1704 ensemble, and Collegium 419 ensemble. She also cooperates with Hipocondria Ensemble, Ensemble Tourbillon and other ensembles specialising in Baroque music.

Kamila Mazalová (contralto)

Kamila comes from Ostrava. After high school she attended Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava and later studied solo and concert singing at the Institute for Art Studies at Ostrava University under college lecturer Drahomíra Míčková.

From 1999 to 2007 Kamila was engaged as a member of the women's vocal choir, Adash in Ostrava which under the direction of Dr. Tomáš Novotný, interpreted Jewish music.

From the very beginning of her art career she participates on productions of The Czech Baroque Ensemble Orchestra and Choir leaded by Roman Válek. In 2007 she sang a solo part in the multi-art project of B. Martinů cantata Kytice for the festival Smetanova Litomyšl. At Znojmo Music Festival in 2008/09 she performed the role of Eudamia in the opera Dorilla in Tempe by A. Vivaldi and the role of Lisetta in the opera Il Mondo della Luna by J. Haydn (conductor Roman Válek, direction Jiří Nekvasil).

She regulary takes part at The Summer Classes of Barock Music in Kelč (Moravia), where she consults with Joel Frederiksen (USA). In the Winter 2009 she was invited to perform with this outstanding bass singer and lute player and his Ensemble Phoenix Munich in the frame of his concert series in Munich

Currently, she is a part of the Prague ensemble Collegium 1704 under artistic direction of Václav Luks. She sang the role of Tangia in Gluck's opera The Chinese Girls for the festival Baroque night in Český Krumlov with this ensemble in June 2008.

Musica aeterna from Bratislava (SR), leaded by a violinist Peter Zajíček, is also an ensemble she cooperates with nowadays.

In Spring 2009, in Janáček Opera, Brno, she performed the role of Small Arab, Young Sailor and Chasseur in the opera Julietta by B. Martinů under the direction of J. Nekvasil.

Musica aeterna from Bratislava (SR), leaded by a violinist Peter Zajíček, is also an ensemble she cooperates with nowadays. Recently, together with harpsichordist and hammerklavier player, Monika Knoblochová, she presented a revelatory song recital from the work of Czech composer, V. J. Tomášek.Since 2008 she's been teaching at The Jan Deyl Conservatory in Prague.

She is member of the Tiburtina Ensemble from 2010.