Biography

Petr Matuszek was born on 1st of December 1962 in Roudnice nad Labem. He is married and has three children. He currently lives with his family in a small village by Prague.

He graduated at Teplice conservatory, domain viola and singing (1985). He was educated in singing by former solo singer of Ústí opera doc. Jaromír Vavruška, later by solo singer of National theatre, tenor Jan Hlavsa. After finishing military service in Army art ensemble he started to work as solo opera singer in Slezské divadlo Opava (1988). One year later he became solo singer of Ústí opera where he works until now. He performed in many opera, operetta as well as musical roles.

He regularly cooperates with other opera scenes as well. He likes to think back on his activity in Brno National theatre (e.g. in Prokofjev´s   opera War and Peace – the role of prince Bolkonský and the role of Ludovico in experimental Rocco´s direction of Glass´s opera The Beauty and The Beast). He adds to his favorite roles also Rigolleto from the Verdi´s  opera of the same name, Valentino (Faust and Markéta), Bohouš (Jacobin) and Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen).

Extra-theatre activities of Petr Matuszek are very numerous and various.

Big part of his work is taken by concert activity. He performed on different festivals here and abroad (Pražské jaro, Musica iudaica, Contrasts, Exposition of New Music Lvov, Janáčkův máj Ostrava, Ars Cameralis Katowice, Mnichov, Berlín, Amsterdam, Smetanova Litomyšl, Górnośląski Festiwal, Warszawska Jesień). He regularly sings with prominent Czech orchestras (FOK, Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava, The North Bohemia Philharmonic of Teplice and Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, Olomouc).

He belongs to promoters of contemporary music production; many Czech and world authors write their works directly for him: apart from others he played main roles in operas by Vlastislav Matoušek (8.cesta), in opera comedy by Miroslav Pudlák (Klobása) and by Ivo Medek (Vrač).  In 2004 he had premiere in Prague Stavovské divadlo in two other operas written for him directly: a work of already mentioned composer M.Pudlák “Sasíci v Čechách” and the opera by M.Dvořáková and I.Medek “MrTVÁ?”. In 1990 he became a co-founder of association for new music “Ateliér 90” and in 1993 he was accepted as a member of Umělecká beseda.

He created many musical-acoustic experiments; in the mid 90´s he was concerned by acoustic space (CD “Na prahu světla” at company Happy Music Production), later he started to occupy with studying of extra-European ethnical vocal techniques: traditional singing of Sri Lanka, Japan, diaphonic (means aliquot) singing including traditional throaty singing (so called “khuumii”) and others. He later applied aliquot singing not only into a frame of “ethno-musical” projects but also into his interpretation practice of contemporary experimental compositions (Cage, Scelsi, and others). Out of this work arose a unique author´s project “Solo for voice” (with subtitle “vocal theatre for one singer”) within which he sings and varies pieces composed by contemporary authors and vocal improvisations. In 2002 “vocal theatre” broadened by mezzo-soprano Markéta Dvořáková and so the project “Solo for two voices” was created. They perform this project regularly on world festivals of contemporary music here, in Slovakia, Poland and Germany.

Matuszek´s activities beside the sphere of so called “serious” music are interesting as well: Since 1998 he played in alternative rock band Yamabu, where he sang and played the violin and Egyptian darbuka. One year later he was already invited as a co-player by different bands and artists e.g. Zapomenutý orchestr Země Snivců, singer of Peking opera Feng-Jün Song, shakuhachi player Vlastislav Matoušek, Jaroslav Kořán (drums), Tomáš Reindl (tabla), Jiří Melzer (deejeridoo) and others.

Petr Matuszek occupies also with pedagogic activities. He taught singing for several years at Conservatory of Jaroslav Ježek in Prague and at Conservatory in Teplice. Last year he lectured a seminar at University of J.A.Purkyně presenting to students musical production of Terezín ghetto “Music of Terezín authors”. Nowadays he lectures a course “Chapters of ethno music and organology”. At many different places he leads and lectures courses of above mentioned aliquot singing and contemporary interpreting practice.    

Important is also his musicology activity: he writes specialized analytic articles on contemporary music, he contributes to English magazine Czech Music London and you may find his articles in Czech periodicals as well: Hudební rozhledy, His voice, Ticho and Harmonie. He attends regularly musicological conferences (e.g. within festival FORFEST). Within the framework of his musical-research work he assembled song work of Jaroslav Ježek, Vilém Blodek, Jan Bedřich Kittle and so called “Terezín” authors (Viktor Ullmann, Pavel Haas and Hans Krása).

Petr Matuszek recorded 10 profile CDs for companies Supraphon, Indies, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi (Germany), Symposion (Italy), ArcoDiva, Panton, Rosa Classic, Studio Matouš and others. His musical tracks are also in Radio Leipzig, he records for Czech Radio and Czech Television. He has become a member of board of Nadace Českého hudebního fondu in 2007 and in 2008 he was appointed to grant commission of Ministry of Culture of Czech Republic. He was twice awarded a 2nd price Classic for his interpretation activity. At the beginning of this year he created under a leadership of conductor of Ústí opera Milan Kaňák  main role in an unique recording of newly found opera by Bohuslav Martinů “Le jour de bonté”  (The Day of Charity, published by ArcoDiva), that has already got a number of awards.

(written by Denisa Dologhová)