About us
The Czech Philharmonic Quartet (CPQ) was established by the initiative of members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000. The quartet performers are Leoš Čepický, 1st violin, Viktor Mazáček, 2nd violin, Jiří Poslední, viola, and Jakub Dvořák, cello. The immense talents of these musicians and long-term experience in chamber music are great preconditions for their top-class performance. The tone of the CPQ is highly valued by professional international critics.
The CPQ regularly participate in the chamber cycles of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, in various festivals and in events organised by the Circle of Friends of Music, both over the Czech Republic and abroad (Great Britain, Luxembourg, Germany, Japan, Israel, China and Slovakia).
The CPQ also participated in a Japanese project titled “Therapy by Mozart”: within the project, the CPQ recorded a series of Mozart’s chamber compositions. For the famous Japanese Octavia Records Label, the CPQ recorded the “Haydn” Quartets and the “Prussian” Quartets by Mozart.
In autumn 2017, the CPQ recorded a CD with compositions by Leoš Janáček “On an Overgrown Path” and “In the Mists”, published by Arco Diva.
In the 2019 season, the first four quartets of the composer Jaroslav Krček filmed the CD, in 2021 another four quartets and are currently preparing for the premiere of the third series of his quartets, as well as their immortalization on the CD. (Unfortunately, in the 2020 season, the Quartet was abolished due to the worldwide pandemic of many interesting projects, including a tour of Japan and Italy, but for example, performing at the Dvořák Prague festival, Jakub Jan Ryba festival, or Forfest in Kroměříž.
In the current season, the Quartet traveled to festivals to Levoča in Slovakia and Bourlingster in Luxembourg.
Members of the quartet
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Leoš Čepický
1st violin
He graduated from the Conservatory in Pardubice in 1985 in the class of prof. Ivan Štraus. At the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, he studied violin with prof. Jiří Novák and chamber music in the class of prof. Antonín Kohout (both members of the Smetana Quartet). At AMU, he became the headmaster of the Wihan Quartet, of which he is still a member.
He participated in both solo and quartet competitions. He won the Kocian Violin Competition in Ústí nad Orlicí in 1981 with the title of laureate, and won the second prize at the Conservatory Competition in Ostrava in 1983. In 1985 he took fifth place at the "Václav Huml" competition in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. He was awarded an honorable mention in Gorizia, Italy in 1993, and in 1994 he became the winner and laureate of the "Beethoven's Hradec" competition in Hradec nad Moravicí. He also participated in interpretation courses with prof. Igor Bezrodný in Weimar, Germany. He often performs in solo recitals as well as in concerts with the orchestra at home and abroad (Zagreb Philharmonic, Košice Philharmonic, Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic, Hradec Králové Philharmonic, Virtuosi Pragensis, etc.). In 2000, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of J.S Bach's death, he performed a complete Sonata and Partit for solo violin at the Smetana's Litomyšl festival.
With the Wihan Quartet, he won first prize at the Prague Spring 1988 and first place at the International String Quartet Competition in London in 1991. At the same time, the ensemble also won the Audience Award. This was followed by numerous European tours to classical chamber music countries, but also to Singapore, Jordan, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA.
The company also released a completely unique recording of 24 Capriccias for solo violin in 2009, adapted for string quartet (William Zinn).
In 2002, Leoš Čepický recorded solo CDs, Sonatas and Partites for violin by J.S.Bach for the Multisonic publishing house. A reissue of this CD was released in 2016 by Nimbus Alliance. Čepický's solo CD was released by the same company in 2013, with his piano partner Ivan Klánský. The last weekend in March 2018, together with Stanislav Bogunia, he performed all 10 Sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven at two concerts.
Since 2007 he has been teaching violin at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and in September 2010 he was appointed head of the string department of HAMU. In 2017, Leoš Čepický became the concert master of the Prague Chamber Orchestra without a conductor.
He plays the violin from the workshop of the Master of the Violinist Jan B. Špidlen, a copy of Guarneri del Ges 1741.
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Viktor Mazáček
2nd violin
Viktor Mazáček studied at the Prague Conservatory under Jaroslav Štětina and the Academy of Performing Arts under Ivan Štraus. He has been a member of the Czech Philharmonic orchestra since 1994; he is also in demand as a chamber musician and works with well-known ensembles like Konvergence, Camerata Bohemica and Capella Regia Prague. He is the leader of the Chamber Orchestra of the Dvořák Region. He has devoted his energies intensively to the Czech Philharmonic Quartet since 2015.
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Jiří Poslední
viola
Jiří Poslední studied at the Prague Conservatory in a class taught by Prof. J. Zíka and completed chamber music studies with J. Vlach and V. Moučka from the legendary Vlach Quartet. Since 1997 he has been a member of the viola group of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Jiří is a sought-after chamber music player who has performed in the Šroubek Quartet, Joseph Trio and Prague Baroque Soloists and others. For the last six years he has been teaching at Ameropa Chamber Music Courses in Prague.
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Jakub Dvořák
cello
At the age of ten Jakub Dvořák became a private student of Prof. Mirko Škampa. After high school he was accepted to the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he graduated in 1990 under the guidance of Dr. Rudolf Lojda. Since his student years he has cooperated with many chamber orchestras and ensembles (Prague Baroque Soloists, Concertino Notturno Praha, Joseph Trio). Since 1997 he has been a member of the cello group of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. He is currently devoting himself intensively to his work in the Czech Philharmonic Quartet. He is also a member of the Virtuosi di Basso and Musica Gaudeans chamber ensembles.