Memorial Medal to Jiří Zahrádka
- Awards
Dr Jiří Zahrádka has dedicated much of his career to the study and dissemination of Leoš Janáček’s work. Since 1996, he has served as the curator of the Janáček collection at the Moravian Museum, playing a central role in advancing and sharing knowledge of Janáček’s oeuvre. A respected editor, he has overseen the publication of key Janáček scores, including The Cunning Little Vixen, The Makropulos Affair and Sinfonietta with Universal Edition Wien; Fate, The Glagolitic Mass, The Diary of One Who Disappeared and others with Editio Bärenreiter Praha; and the piano works with G. Henle Verlag München. Jiří was the lead editor of the definitive edition of Janáček’s correspondence and has authored dozens of scholarly studies. He has worked with leading European conductors and performers, including Sir Charles Mackerras, Jiří Bělohlávek, Jakub Hrůša and Jan Jiraský, and is the programmer of the concert series at the Janáček Brno festival. He lectures at the Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University and works with Brno’s tourism agency to promote the composer’s legacy. Jiří assisted Professor John Tyrrell with his extensive Janáček biography. His extensive writings on Janáček’s operas include Truth, The First Thing Is Truth, Not Beauty: The Story of Janáček’s Jenůfa and Fate & The Excursions of Mr Brouček: Janáček’s Operas of Hope and Disappointment. He is currently working to complete the five-part series, scheduled for publication by the centenary of Janáček’s death in 2028. He has commissioned visual works inspired by Leoš Janáček and his music. A recipient of several Janáček Foundation awards, Jiří is now presented withthe Leoš Janáček Memorial Medal for exceptional merit in scholarship, editorship, publishing, educating about and popularising Janáček.
