Radek Baborák
Radek Baborák, Chief Conductor of the West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra, is one of the leading figures on today’s international music scene. Over more than 35 years of artistic activity as both a horn virtuoso and conductor, he has established an outstanding reputation through collaborations with the world’s foremost orchestras, festivals, and concert halls.Drawing on his distinguished career as one of the world's finest horn players, Baborák brings exceptional insight, precision, and musical sensitivity to the podium. His conducting is admired for its clarity, expressive depth, and profound understanding of orchestral repertoire. His wide-ranging programmes encompass works from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and twentieth-century traditions, alongside contemporary music, including numerous world premieres.
As a horn soloist, he has appeared with such renowned ensembles as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic, collaborating with conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Roger Norrington, Jiří Bělohlávek, and James Levine.
In 2011, Baborák expanded his artistic career to include conducting. His mentor has been Maestro Seiji Ozawa, whom he assisted with the Mito Chamber Orchestra and with whom he continues a close artistic relationship.
He is the founder and chief conductor of the Czech Sinfonietta, an ensemble that regularly appears at the Czech Republic’s leading festivals, including Prague Spring, Dvořák Prague, and Smetana’s Litomyšl. Under his direction, the orchestra has collaborated with distinguished soloists such as Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Sergei Nakariakov, Richard Galliano, and Guy Braunstein.
As a conductor, Baborák has worked with numerous orchestras, including the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Berliner Symphoniker, Thüringen Philharmonie, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, SOČR – Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, FOK Prague Symphony Orchestra, and Prague Philharmonia.
Since 2016, he has served as Artistic Director of the Prague Chamber Soloists. Chamber music also occupies a central place in his artistic life. Together with the Baborák Ensemble, he is a regular guest at the Mozartwoche Salzburg, Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal, and major festivals throughout Europe and Japan. For the ensemble, he has created original arrangements of works by composers including Johann Sebastian Bach and Astor Piazzolla.
Throughout his career, Baborák has shared the stage with many of the world's most celebrated musicians, including Daniel Barenboim, Martha Argerich, Heinrich Schiff, Janine Jansen, François Leleux, Emmanuel Pahud, Ian Bostridge, and Julian Rachlin.
Before dedicating himself increasingly to conducting, he held principal horn positions with the Czech Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, and Berlin Philharmonic. He is a laureate of the prestigious international competitions in Geneva, Markneukirchen, and the ARD Competition in Munich, and has recorded extensively for EMI, Sony Classical, Supraphon, Octavia Records, Animal Music, and Hänssler Classic, receiving numerous international awards.
An active and highly respected pedagogue, Baborák has taught at the Fondazione Arturo Toscanini in Bologna, the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, HAMU in Prague, and Toho University in Tokyo. He is currently Visiting Professor at the Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin and serves as a mentor for the MenART educational programme.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he initiated fundraising campaigns supporting freelance musicians and later extended this work to assist Ukrainian artists, providing meaningful support to hundreds of colleagues.
Among his recent engagements are his appointment as Guest Conductor of the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, his ongoing collaboration as permanent soloist with the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt, and conducting debuts with the Slovak Philharmonic, the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra.
Radek Baborák, photo: Nguyen Phuong Thao
