Lukáš Vasilek - NOSPR

Principal Conductor and Artistic Director, Prague Philharmonic Choir 

This season marks Lukáš Vasilek’s 19th year as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Prague Philharmonic Choir (PPC). Whether leading an a cappella repertoire or large-scale cantatas and oratorios with orchestra, Vasilek brings deep knowledge and a profound understanding of choral music to every project. Together with the PPC, he regularly collaborates with leading Czech and international orchestras and conductors.

Vasilek has gained particular acclaim for his outstanding interpretations of major choral works by Mahler, Dvořák, and Janáček. Notable highlights include Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, Igor Stravinsky’s Les Noces, Stabat Mater, and Arthur Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher and Le roi David. He is also known for his adventurous programming, having presented jazz and spirituals with the PPC.

Lukáš Vasilek studied conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and musicology at Charles University. He occasionally returns to his orchestral conducting roots through collaborations with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra in joint choir cycle concerts with the PPC. He has also conducted the Czech Philharmonic and the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra.

Vasilek’s first experience of choral singing was as a member of the boys’choir Boni Pueri. His subsequent artistic development led him to serve as choirmaster of the Foerster Chamber Choir and the Prague National Theatre Choir. In 2022, he appeared as a guest conductor with the French ensemble Accentus. In addition to his work with the PPC, he founded and directs the vocal ensemble Martinů Voices (established 2010), focusing on chamber works from the 19th to the 21st centuries. Until recently, he lectured on choral conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

Lukáš Vasilek’s choral and orchestral conducting is documented on numerous recordings for labels such as Decca Classics and Supraphon. His recent recordings of works by Bohuslav Martinů have received international recognition and awards from Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and Diapason.

A recent recording by Lukáš Vasilek with the Prague Philharmonic Choir was released in 2023. The album Stravinsky, Janáček, Bartók: Village Stories captures the rediscovered magic of folk songs and traditional rituals in the music of three masters of the twentieth century. In autumn 2026, another recording will follow: Joan of Arc at the Stake. Honegger’s monumental oratorio was recorded live by Lukáš Vasilek with the Prague Philharmonic Choir and the Czech Philharmonic.

In March 2024, Vasilek received the prestigious Czech Anděl Award in the Classical category for the album Britten, recorded with Martinů Voices. The recording features, among other works, the popular Christmas cycle A Ceremony of Carols, as well as Te Deum in C and Hymn to St Cecilia.