PETROF Art Family is a free association of professional pianists and well-known world artists who support the PETROF company and admire the quality and beauty of our instruments. The aim of the association is to bring together talented artists across musical genres and arrange musical experiences for audiences the world over.
The brilliant Czech pianist Jitka Čechová has been decorated with a host of awards both here and abroad for the quality of her performances. Her repertoire focuses on the works of Czech composers, with Bedřich Smetana being the closest to her musical heart. One of the latest achievements of the Smetana Trio is winning the prestigious BBC Music Magazine Award in March 2017 for their recording of Martinů, made in the Studio Martinek in Prague on a PI Orchestra piano from 1979.
One of the best Argentinian pianists. He is regarded as the world’s leading specialist in the work of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, which he has spent a significant part of his professional life studying. Critics admire in particular his brilliant technical skill and the profundity of his interpretation.
The acclaimed Czech pianist Jitka Fowler Fraňková has a particularly fine technique, and her speciality is romantic classical music. The repertoire of this original artist is nonetheless very wide. She entrances musical connoisseurs with her sensitive rendering of the works of many composers.
An excellent and renowned pedagogue in his field. He taught courses of piano at various prestigious musical universities all over the world. Lightness and freshness of his interpretation is fully expressed for example in jazz etudes of Milan Dvořák that he has recorded playing the ANT. PETROF 275 piano.
Karel Košárek is a much sought-after Czech pianist who appears not only as a soloist, but also with leading orchestras. A graduate of the Musical Faculty of the Prague Academy of Performing Arts and the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, he is a winner of the Smetana Piano Competition and the Corpus Christi Piano Competition, and a prizewinner of the Walter Naumburg Competition in New York. Recitals at previous seasons in New York, Dallas, Palm Beach, Calgary, Tel Aviv, St. Petersburg and Bangkok, as well as concert appearances in Europe and Japan, indicate the scope of his international artistic activity.
Vít Kříšťan is one of the most talented jazz piano players on the Czech scene. Besides teaching and recording CDs he regularly performs in concerts and is involved in many musical projects. One of the latest great achievements is an album from the Prague six project which was recorded in co-operation with the Czech Concept Art Orchestra big band and was recognised with the Anděl award for the best jazz album of the year 2016.
PETROF PIANOS TRIO was created in 2009 by Wihan Quartet violinist, Jan Schulmeister. The members are renowned chamber-music players, and togheter bring to the ensemble over thirty years expe¬rience of concert activity. In the same year as it was formed, the ensemble became the resident trio of the PET¬ROF Piano Company. The company, known for its long tradition and quality, immediately recognised that The Petrof Trio was an ensemble whose performances were at the highest level, and was keen to support it.
A significant Czech composer and pianist who has composed music for nearly 200 movies, series, plays and productions. His repertoire is very broad. He’s most inclined towards jazz but he also stands out in classical, popular, film, and scenic music.
The conductor Debashish Chauduri’s deep musical emotion and thrilling performances stem from his unique blending of Indian and European culture. He has a rich symphonic repertoire, and enjoys discovering symphonic works of interest inspired by India or Asia.
Jana Chaudhuri is one of the outstanding talents of the coming generation of pianists. She feels music very deeply, arousing passion in every note she plays. In addition to playing solo, she is intensely committed to playing chamber music and regularly works with well-known Czech orchestras.
Tomáš is the ultimate professional. Alongside his excellent piano playing he also goes in for singing. A succession of awards in singing competitions speaks for his qualities. As a composer of incidental music he works with J.A. Pitinský and is currently studying “Musicology” in Olomouc. In 2016 he gained second prize at the national Pianist of the Year competition in Prague. This year he represented the PETROF company with a P 173 Breeze at the Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro.
Matyáš’s stock in trade is the most virtuosic works of the romantic period. He wins over his audience with his amazing feeling for the nuances of the concerto. In his performances of Liszt in particular he brings his technical brilliance and accuracy to the fore. It comes as no surprise that they regularly win first prize in many national and international competitions. Their latest victory at the BRADSHAW & BUONO INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION opened the door to the most famous concert hall in the world, Carnegie Hall, where they appeared in 2017.
The concert-DUO PETROF is where the brilliant pianists Anatoly Zatin and Vlada Vassilieva show off their skills. Their duet-playing is a favourite with audiences in America, Europe and Asia. The characteristic dynamism, originality and creativity of this duo are captivating. Together they have set new standards in duet-playing, which they also showed to perfection at Carnegie Hall. Their latest album “DUO PETROF plays ANT. PETROF”, which came out in April 2017, was made in close collaboration with our company.
Jan Smigmator is a jazz and swing singer, an embodiment of the connection between the music of the 21st century and swing kings like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Mel Tormé, Karel Hala or the still-fantastic Tony Bennett! His voice, style, phrasing and love for the music rank him among the leading contemporary jazz and swing performers in Europe.
Jan brings to the PETROF Art Family a breath of fresh air and demonstrates that this group of artists is open to all genres. He moves around between several genres and skilfully combines the seemingly incompatible. His activities, whether as a performer or a composer, reveal the extent of his invention and originality.
Should you be interested in any PAF member, or would like more information on the project, do not hesitate to contact us at prouskova@petrof.com.
