Martinů Voices

The Martinů Voices vocal ensemble was founded in 2010 by Lukáš Vasilek who is a foremost figure on the Czech musical scene. While focusing mainly on chamber choral works from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries, the ensemble is also known for its excellent renderings of music from the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical periods. Martinů Voices regularly appear at major music festivals in Czechia and abroad. In addition to its own concert programmes, the choir has been involved in a number of projects with various orchestras and conductors. In 2014, Martinů Voices joined the Czech Philharmonic in a production of Bohuslav Martinů’s opera Čím žijí lidé (What Men Live by) under the baton of the orchestra’s then principal conductor Jiří Bělohlávek, earning a nomination for the prestigious International Opera Award (2015). Another major achievement was the concert appearance of Martinů Voices alongside the prominent British ensemble The Tallis Scholars at the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival in 2016. The following year the choir joined forces with the Bang on a Can All Stars ensemble in a Czech premiere of the cantata Anthracite Fields by American composer Julia Wolfe. The art of Martinů Voices has been documented on several albums, including recordings of choral works by Jan Novák and Bohuslav Martinů, released by Supraphon in 2014 and 2018 respectively, and an album with music by Benjamin Britten (Animal Music 2023). Lukáš Vasilek is also the chief conductor of Prague Philharmonic Choir and has collaborated with world-renowned conductors such as Jiří Bělohlávek, Simon Rattle, Semjon Byčkov, Manfred Honeck and Gianandrea Noseda, and major orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Symphonic Orchestra.