Lada Valešová

Lada Valešová’s recent debut CD of Czech Piano Music Intimate Studies on Avie label has universal international critical acclaim, praised for the intelligence of her programming and high refinement and sensitivity of her interpretations.

Lada graduated from the Prague Conservatoire and Prague Music Academy and continued her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where she was awarded a full scholarship for three years.

Lada has won several prizes including two awards at the International Smetana Piano Competition. She is a winner of the Alexander Wise Memorial Prize for the best performance of romantic music as well as Prize for the Best Piano Duo together with Zoë Mather for their performance of Bartok’s Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Strings.
Her pianism is rooted in the Eastern European piano school tradition and her teachers include Russian pianist and pedagogue Valentina Kamenikova and Eugene Indjic, pupil of Arthur Rubinstein. She refined and broadened her pianistic horizons during her studies in London with James Gibb and Paul Hamburger.

Lada is a busy concert artist having played recitals in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Ireland and New Zealand. She is in demand not only as a soloist but also as an outstanding collaborative pianist and we are excited that she is returning to the Stogumber Festival.

She has performed in Wigmore Hall, St. John’s Smith Square and at the Lindbury Studio, ROH.
Lada was a recitalist in the Chamber Music Concert Series of Czech Philharmonics in Prague.

Her performance with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany led to CD recording with the orchestra.
In UK she has performed at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford, Oxford Lieder Festival, Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival, Warwick International Music Festival as well as at Ulverston International Music Festival and in the Pollock House, Glasgow.

Lada has also performed in a concert at St. John’s Smith Square under the Friends of Philharmonia Orchestra patronage with Czech virtuoso violinist Bohuslav Matousek, Cannes Award Winner and David Cohen, cello, in a tribute to Czech Music.

She made her Paris debut performing solo programme featuring Czech and French composers of 20th century including a world premiere of a piano piece by Bohuslav Martinu.

She was featured on the BBC Radio 3’s In Tune, BBC 3 Breakfast, Classic FM, Radio New Zealand, Czech Radio Vltava and RTÉ Radio 1 Arts Show, Ireland.

Lada was asked by award winning director Phil Grabsky to perform and give an interview in his feature documentary In Search of Mozart, which marked the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. The film has won international prizes and Lada’s contribution has been very favorably highlighted by the film reviewers.

Lada’s piano playing has received high recognition from various artists including the late Sir George Solti who offered her his “unqualified support “. Sir Charles Mackerras has given a high prize to her recording Intimate Studies. She has had an honour of working with Galina Vishnevskaja and Mstislav Rostropovich.
Lada is regularly invited to give master classes to young musicians, specialising in Russian and Czech repertoire, most recently at the Conservatoire de Paris, at Casa da Musica in Portugal and for Emerging Artists in Auckland, New Zealand.
Her recent engagements include a concert tour in Ireland and a recital at the International Music Festival in Lisbon: Dias da Musica em Belem, as well as recitals in Prague and Oxford.

Lada Valesova is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, UK.