Jan Simon
Czech Republic, °1966
Jan Simon (b. 1966) began to play the piano at the age of seven under the guidance of his father, composer and conductor Ladislav Simon. He studied at the Prague Academy of Music with Valentina Kameníková, who was a former student of Gustav Neuhaus. After having graduated, he continued his musical education at the Prague Academy of Music under Ivan Moravec. Then followed one year of study with Homero Francesch in Zürich and two years at the Music Academy of Lübeck with James Tocco. After completing his own studies there in 1993, he himself was invited to teach at this institution.
During his studies he successfully participated in a number of music competitions. He won the top prizes at the national Chopin competition and the competition sponsored by the Czech Ministry of Culture. Those were a good starting point for his success at international competitions, as he became prize-winner at the Chopin in Mallorca Competition 1985, at the Prague Spring Festival Competition in 1988, the William Kappel Competition USA in 1990, and the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1991.
Jan Simon has regularly played with such noted orchestras as the BBC Symphony Orchestra London, the Czech Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra der Beethovenhalle Bonn, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchester National de Belgique, the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, the Taipei City Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonia and many others. He has worked with prominent conductors like Vladimír Válek, Marc Soustrot, Jiří Bělohlávek, Charles Olivieri-Munro, Libor Pešek, Woldemar Nelson, Ole Kristian Ruud, Martin Turnovský, Leoš Svárovský, Ronald Zollman and others. His concert tours have taken him to most European countries, also to USA, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Egypt, Japan, China and Taiwan.
He gives recitals with Josef Suk, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and Václav Hudeček. Jan Simon records for Supraphon Records, BMG Ariola, Radioservis and the Clarton label. In January 1996 his recording of the Schulhoff piano concertos (together with Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and Vladimír Válek) won the Cannes Classical Award 95 MIDEM in France. His recent recording project is an integral recording of the Piano Concertos by J.V.Tomaschek for the label Supraphon with the Prague Rso and the conductor Vladimir Valek. In 1994 Jan Simon became the Czech Radio soloist in residence, becoming the youngest performer ever in the history of this institution.
Besides his Artist's activities he became Executive Director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
During his studies he successfully participated in a number of music competitions. He won the top prizes at the national Chopin competition and the competition sponsored by the Czech Ministry of Culture. Those were a good starting point for his success at international competitions, as he became prize-winner at the Chopin in Mallorca Competition 1985, at the Prague Spring Festival Competition in 1988, the William Kappel Competition USA in 1990, and the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1991.
Jan Simon has regularly played with such noted orchestras as the BBC Symphony Orchestra London, the Czech Philharmonic, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra der Beethovenhalle Bonn, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchester National de Belgique, the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, the Taipei City Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonia and many others. He has worked with prominent conductors like Vladimír Válek, Marc Soustrot, Jiří Bělohlávek, Charles Olivieri-Munro, Libor Pešek, Woldemar Nelson, Ole Kristian Ruud, Martin Turnovský, Leoš Svárovský, Ronald Zollman and others. His concert tours have taken him to most European countries, also to USA, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Egypt, Japan, China and Taiwan.
He gives recitals with Josef Suk, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt and Václav Hudeček. Jan Simon records for Supraphon Records, BMG Ariola, Radioservis and the Clarton label. In January 1996 his recording of the Schulhoff piano concertos (together with Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and Vladimír Válek) won the Cannes Classical Award 95 MIDEM in France. His recent recording project is an integral recording of the Piano Concertos by J.V.Tomaschek for the label Supraphon with the Prague Rso and the conductor Vladimir Valek. In 1994 Jan Simon became the Czech Radio soloist in residence, becoming the youngest performer ever in the history of this institution.
Besides his Artist's activities he became Executive Director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
