Otakar Ševčík became a legendary violin pedagogue thanks to his lifelong dedication to teaching. His legacy lives on through international summer courses, where students from around the world refine their skills. The Ševčík Academy in Horažďovice embodies Tomáš Jamník’s vision of combining instrumental training, methodological development, and public performances, while also creating unforgettable experiences. Each age group follows a tailored program, yet many activities encourage younger students to learn from their more advanced peers.
Inspired by Ševčík’s work, cellist Tomáš Jamník established an extensive educational program for exceptionally talented performers. Built from the ground up, the Academy has grown into a project of international significance. Its success is further strengthened by Jamník’s collaboration with top musicians and educators, including Josef Špaček, Jan Fišer, Jiří Kabát, Lukáš Vondráček, Markéta Cukrová, and Jakub Hrůša, who contribute whenever their schedules allow.
Beyond instrumental training in solo, chamber, and orchestral settings, the Academy prepares students for a professional career by exploring the historical context of performed works, developing mental resilience for performance, and providing stage opportunities in both traditional and unconventional settings. With a blend of innovation and respect for tradition, this approach fosters artistic excellence. The results of this inspiring educational effort will be showcased at the opening concert of the Dvořák Prague Festival series at Bořislavka.
This concert is a benefit event. All proceeds from ticketsales will support exceptionally talented young musicians.
Boha Moon was born in South Korea in 2006. She previously studied with Josef Špaček in Prague, Prof. Nam Yun Kim at the Korea National Institute for Gifted in Arts, and Prof. Anat Malkin Almani at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege. Since 2023, she has been studying with Prof. Ida Kavafian at the Curtis Institute of Music.
She has won first prize in numerous Korean and international competitions, including the Singapore Violin Festival Competition, the Kocian Violin Competition, the Euroasia International Competition, and the Ewha & Kyunghyang Competition, as well as the Ishikawa Music Award. Additionally, she is a prizewinner of the Menuhin Competition (2021), the Leonid Kogan Competition, and the Zhuhai Mozart Competition (2022). In 2023, she was awarded the Ginette Neveu Prize.
She has participated in masterclasses with renowned violinists such as Mihaela Martin, Klaidi Sahatçi, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Philip Draganov, and Koichiro Harada.
Boha Moon has performed at prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Rudolfinum (Dvořák Hall), Lotte Concert Hall, MKZ Zurich, and many others.
source: Agentura Makropulos
Pavol Praženica began playing the piano at the age of five. From 2017 to 2021, he studied at the Grammar and Music School of the Capital City of Prague under Libuše Tichá, while also pursuing vocal studies in the class of Jaroslav Mrázek. He is currently studying solo piano at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Ivo Kahánek. Since 2009, he has also taken regular tuitions from Alena Vlasáková and Ivan Gajan.
Pavol has received numerous awards in major piano competitions, becoming a prize winner in Germany, France, Italy, and Austria. His notable achievements include Third Prize at the prestigious International Piano Competition for Young Musicians in Enschede, Netherlands (2018) and an overall victory in the Competition of Czech Conservatories (2019). In 2023, he won First Prize and a special award for his rendition of Bedřich Smetana’s works at the Smetana International Piano Competition in Pilsen, First Prize at the Elevato Piano Competition in Porto, Portugal, and First Prize along with three special awards at the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation Competition. He has participated in numerous masterclasses led by renowned musicians such as Daniil Trifonov, Shai Wosner, Michel Béroff, Epifanio Comis, Denis Kozhukhin, Martin Kasík, and many others.
He has performed solo with multiple orchestras, including the State Chamber Orchestra Žilina, Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Orchestra of the National Theatre in Prague, and PKF – Prague Philharmonia. He has appeared in concerts in Germany, Israel, Turkey, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Canada, and Slovakia, to name just some.
Chamber music is Pavol's great passion. He has collaborated with many instrumentalists and singers, including Josef Špaček, Vilém Vlček, Matteo Hager, and others. He is a member of the Vyšehrad Trio and Ernest Bloch Trio. He has been the official accompanist at the Prague Spring International Music Competition and collaborated with the Prague Philharmonic Children’s Choir. He also gave lectures in piano accompaniment at Ševčík Academy in Horažďovice under Tomáš Jamník and during Franz Hawlata’s vocal masterclasses at Gustav Mahler’s birthplace in Kaliště. Together with Terézia Hledíková, he co-founded the Hudba mezi obrazy (Music Among Paintings) project.
source: Agentura Makropulos
The cellists will be selected by Tomáš Jamník in the coming weeks.
A versatile performer of both traditional and contemporary classical music, Tomáš Jamník studied cello in Prague, Leipzig, and at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. After graduating, he received a Karajan Academy scholarship at the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2023, he completed a six-month residency in the United States through the Fulbright-Masaryk Fellowship, giving lectures and performances in New York and across several American states. Since autumn 2024, he has been teaching cello at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno.
A winner in numerous international competitions, Tomáš Jamník has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Czech Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Córdoba Symphony Orchestra, and Philharmonia Orchestra London. He partners with Jan Fišer and Ivo Kahánek forming the Dvořák Trio. As a chamber musician, he has performed at prestigious venues including Rudolfinum in Prague, Wigmore Hall and Barbican Hall in London, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, NOSPR in Katowice, Mozarteum in Salzburg, and Kitara Hall and Tokyo Metropolitan Hall in Japan.
Beyond the traditional repertoire, Tomáš Jamník is dedicated to reviving lesser-known works and has premiered numerous compositions by Czech contemporary composers. He is also the originator of the Vážný zájem (literally Serious Interest) initiative, which has facilitated hundreds of intimate home concerts. Additionally, he serves as the Artistic Director of the Chamber Academy Central Bohemia and is the founder and Artistic Director of Ševčík Academy in Horažďovice.
source: Agentura Makropulos
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.
