Memorial Medal to Natálie Romanová

• Awards

This year we commemorate the 170th anniversary of Leoš Janáček’s birth (1854–1928) and the 120th of the Brno première of Jenůfa. To mark the occasion, the Management Board of the Leoš Janáček Foundation has decided to award the 2024 Leoš Janáček Memorial Medals to Natálie Romanová.

Natálie Romanová (born 7 December 1944) is a singer well known to Brno audiences. After graduating from the Prague conservatory and a spell in the opera chorus of the Smetana Theatre, she joined the opera in Ústí nad Labem as soloist. In 1977, the director Václav Věžník – also a recipient of the Leoš Janáček Memorial Medal (2004) – engaged her for Brno’s Janáček Opera. Her first Janáček role was to stand in as Chocholka in The Cunning Little Vixen; she then sang Varvara in Káťa Kabanová. Later she performed as Karolka in Jenůfa and from 21 January 1984 (the 80th anniversary of the première) she sang the title role many times – it became a landmark of her artistic career. Natálie dedicated herself wholly and consistently to the Czech opera repertoire and showed an excellent command of the demanding soprano parts in Janáček’s cardinal works. Under the baton of Gennady Rozhdestvensky, she sang Káťa Kabanová, including in concert performances on a tour abroad, as well as Zlatohřbítek the Fox in The Cunning Little Vixen. She appeared as Míla in Fate and took the title role in concert performances of Šárka. She often recorded for the Czechoslovak Radio in Brno. As a teacher at the Faculty of Music at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts, Natálie passed on her outstanding vocal technique to such pupils as Jana Hrochová, Richard Samek, Zdeněk Plech, Lenka Cafourková Ďuricová, Lada Bočková, Pavla Radostová, Romana Kružíková.

Natálie Romanová is awarded the Leoš Janáček Memorial Medal for merit in performance of Janáček’s works and for excellence in teaching.

She received the award at the Janáček Brno festival before the performance The Cunning Little Vixen on November 10.