The relaxed atmosphere and modern architecture of the Bořislavka Centre will harmonize, as it were, with the passion of the chosen entrants competing in the chamber and solo music categories of the Dvořák International Radio Competition, Concertino Praga 2023, who will not be playing in the final round. Musicians’ abilities and vision towards the future will be shared by the contestants during an early-evening performance dedicated to their talents.

Viktor Stocker has been playing the accordion since the age of six. His greatest successes include first prizes from the Odin International Music Competition, the Australian International Accordion Championships or the Vivo International Music Competition New York, 1st place in accordion competitions in Prague, Ostrava, Vilnius, London or Vienna and 2nd place in Castelfidardo, Italy (2021) and Klingenthal, Germany (2023). In 2022, he received the first prize and a special mention for the performance of his own composition at the German Jugend musiziert competition. In 2024, he received the title of the absolute winner at the international Bach competition for accordion held in Opole, Poland. As a soloist, he has performed at the Senate of the Czech Republic, in the European Parliament, as part of the Hope Concert (Koncert naděje) broadcast on Czech Television and at a variety of music festivals. In addition to playing the accordion, Viktor also devotes himself to composition. He is a three-time laureate at the German Jugend komponiert competition and the recipient of awards from Luxemburg and France.

The music ensemble was formed in 2022. As such, it does not have a long history behind it, but it believes in a common future. The ensemble performs music note by note in a friendly spirit, with which it wants to bring joy not just to itself, but mainly to its audiences. The trio performs in a less common line-up: two flutes and a piano. The flutes are played by Alexandra Piskořová and Richard Irein, while Šimon Zajac plays the piano. All the members are studying at the Janáček Conservatoire in Ostrava, which is also where they met. They are great fans of chamber music and so they are pleased to have the opportunity to be able to show their appetite to play at this year’s Concertino Praga 2023.

Raphael Gisbertz (2008) is a student of Emir Imerov and Gwendolyn Masin (HEMU). He also attends intensive courses in Ingolf Turban’s class as a scholarship holder at the International Music Academy in Lichtenstein. Aged just nine, he debuted as the soloist in Vivaldi’s Spring with the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker led by Mihkel Kütson. This was followed by a series of performances with many other orchestras. Raphael is the holder of the first prize from the Jugend Musiziert 2022, Trimborn Förderpreis NRW 2021, Singapore Violin Festival 2020, Vienna International Music Competition 2020 and France Music Competition 2020 competitions and he won the second prize at the Ysaÿe Violin Competition in 2021. In the same year, he also became the youngest participant in the String Academy in Gstaadt. In addition to other festivals and courses, he has also repeatedly participated in the Musica Mundi chamber music festival. He plays a C. G. Testore violin from 1700, which is on loan to him from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. He has participated in a number of master classes, including with Christoph Poppen, Shlomo Mintz or Jan Talich.

Artium by KKCG is a publicly accessible space for art of all genres, breathing artistic life into Bořislavka and enriching the cultural offerings in Prague 6 and the capital more generally. Artium regularly holds exhibitions, concerts, and other cultural events, and the unconventional space allows visitors to explore art across different genres, often intertwined to create a unique experience. During this year’s Dvořák Prague International Music Festival’s concerts at Artium, spectators can also enjoy an extensive exhibition of photographic installations by Jarmila Štuková titled "Us and the Others."

The concerts presented here as part of the Dvořák Prague Festival are organized for a good cause, with all proceeds supporting talented, young musicians.