Tomáš Víšek

Tomas Visek (1957) started to play the piano at eight years of age at the musical school under professor Pavel Svoboda. During the years of 1972-1976 studied at the Prague Conservatory under professor Valentina Kamenikova and then later under professor Zdenek Kozina. During the years of 1976-1984 studied at AMU (Academy of Arts) in Prague at first under professor Josef Palenicek and then under professor Zdenek Jilek with whom he continued post-graduate studies in the years of 1990-1993.

During his studies he became a many-time laureate in domestic competitions (Usti nad Labem, Hradec Kralove, Marianske Lazne). In international events he acquired awards in Chopin competition in Warsaw, 1975 ( Janina Nawrocka special prize), Smetana competition in Hradec Kralove, 1978 (IInd prize plus an award for Smetana interpretation). During the nineties this success was followed by the Second Prize that he won in international competitions in Vienna (1992) and in Sicilian Ragusa (1994), and in 1995 he won the Fifth Prize in the Concours Milosz Magin in Paris.

He performed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Egypt, Japan, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, Switzerland and Austria (he repeatedly gave performances in the Vienna Musikverein, as soloist in the Grieg's Piano Concerto). Radio France arranged a separate recital for him. Visek recorded also for Czech and Polish Radio, Czech television (the cycle "Top of Classics") and on CD records. His piano recital in international festival Prague Spring in May 1997 was highly responded, as well as his performances there in 2002, 2003 and 2005); other successes - the unique festival "Music of extended duration" on Prague Castle (work of J. Cage) and the festival "Musica Iudaica" with the work of Jewish composers (Gershwin, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, E.|W. Korngold, etc.) in 1997, several times performance of Gershwin's  Rhapsody in Blue with orch. in the Dvorak Hall of Prague Rudolfinum in 1998, St. Wenceslas Festival in 2003 etc.