Lada Valešová

Biography

Lada Valešová is established as a leading young pianist on the European music scene. She is a graduate of Prague Conservatoire and Prague Music Academy. She studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London where she was awarded a full scholarship for three years. She is an alumnus of the National Opera Studio.

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 her performance of Bartok’s Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Strings, staged in Barbican in 1995.

Her teachers include phenomenal Russian pianist and pedagogue Valentina Kamenikova and Eugene Indjic, outstanding pianist and pupil of Arthur Rubinstein. James Gibb and Paul Hamburger were her teachers in London.

Lada is a busy concert artist having recently played recitals in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Czech Republic and Great Britain. She is in demand not only as a soloist but also as a highly sensitive experienced and supportive accompanist and chamber music player.

She has performed in St. John’s Smith Square and the Lindbury Studio, ROH. She was a recitalist in a Chamber Music Cycle under the patronage of Czech Philharmonics in Prague. Her performance with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany led to CD recording with the orchestra. Most recently she has played a solo recital of Czech and Russian repertoire in Dumfries & Galloway Arts festival and recital with mezzo-soprano Emma Curtis at the Warwick Music Festival. In August 2003 she has performed a solo recital at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford.

Lada has collaborated with musicians such as Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich. Her piano playing has received high recognition from various artists including the late Sir George Solti who offered her his "unqualified support".

In her language and vocal coach capacity she has worked for Royal Opera House, Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Garsington Festival Opera and Opera North, as well as National Opera Studio and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She is invited annually to be a member of panel for the Anglo-Czechoslovak Trust Music Competition. Lada is a board member of the Emmy Destinn Foundation dedicated to upholding the legacy of this extraordinary Czech Diva by supporting young singers in the early stages of their careers.

Lada enjoys various aspects of music making and besides being a concert pianist she works with singers and is a tutor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she directs the Russian Vocal Repertoire Class.