MgA. Jakub Klecker

This young conductor and choral leader represents the emerging generation of choir directors. After studying conducting at the Brno Conservatory, he completed his education at the Music Faculty of AMU in Prague under the mentorship of Prof. Jiří Bělohlávek and Doc. Tomáš Koutník. He culminated his studies with a graduation concert in 2006, accompanied by the Brno Philharmonic and Kantiléna.

From 2003 to 2005, he served as the chief choral conductor of Kantiléna, and in 2006, he succeeded Ivan Sedláček as the choir's artistic director. He seamlessly continued the choir's longstanding tradition and maintained its high interpretative quality, as evidenced by several victories at prestigious international choral competitions. Notable accolades include the 1st prize "summa cum laude" in Neerpelt, Belgium, where Kantiléna competed against 99 other choirs (2006), two gold medals and the award for the best European choir in its categories at the World Choir Olympics in Graz, Austria (2008), and the audience award along with an "Excellent" diploma in Montreux, Switzerland (2009).

For the International Music Festival Janáček's Brno 2004, he contributed to the study of Janáček's opera "Její pastorkyňa" ("Her Stepdaughter"). In June of the same year, he collaborated in the preparation of Smetana's opera "Braniboři v Čechách" ("The Brandenburgers in Bohemia"), with which he debuted on the stage of the National Theatre in Brno in October. Since 2007, he has been active in Janáček's opera of the Brno National Theatre as a conductor, presenting works such as operas "Marta", "Její pastorkyňa", "Rigoletto", "Idomeneo", "Nabucco", "Příhody lišky Bystroušky", "Juliette", and ballets like "Spartakus", "The Nutcracker", and "Coppelia from Montmartre", among others.

As a conductor, he regularly collaborates with Czech and Slovak symphony orchestras and renowned artists, including the Brno Philharmonic, Prague Chamber Philharmonic, Moravian Philharmonic Olomouc, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Czech Chamber Soloists Brno, Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno, and Václav Hudeček, to name a few. In the fall of 2007, he participated as the second conductor in a five-week concert tour of the Brno Philharmonic in Japan, which, owing to its significant success, was repeated in 2009. Klecker's outstanding debut at Prague Spring 2009 further underscores his rising caliber in working with instrumental ensembles in the Czech Republic.