Jana Jonášová (Soprano)

Born: April 21, 1946 - Sofia (?), Czechoslovakia

The Czech soprano, Jana Jonášová, studied singing at the Prague Conseratoire and at the Academy of Musical Arts.

For three years Jana Jonášová was a member of the opera company at Liberec, later joining the Prague Chamber Opera and Prague Duo, which made several tours in East and West Europe. Since 1970, she has been a member of the opera of the National
Theater in Prague.

Jana Jonášová is Czech leading opera and concert singer being noted for her exceptional vocal and musical intelligence with great possibilities of vocal expression. Her unusually cultivated voice capable of quick changes of positions and sound - having the extent of three octaves - predestined her for interpreting coloratura parts from the very beginning of her career. Her charming features and acting abilities called for her appearances at the opera stage. She has embodied a great number of outstanding opera parts by Czech and world composers at the Prague National Theater. She aroused special attention of the international public with her perfect rendering of the work by the contemporary Czech composer Jan Kapr entitled Exercises for Gydli. Her international career has developed parallely with her activities at the National Theatre. She is invited to guest-perform at many European opera houses.

Nowadays Jana Jonášová is a universal type of singer. Apart from her ample opera activities she concentrates on songs, cantatas and oratorios. She has been appreciated as a Mozartian interpreter. At present a fully mature artist mastering the perfect technique and well balanced vocal register she knows perfectly well how to make use of all colours of her voice.

Recently, Jana Jonášová has also been teaching at the Music Faculty of the Prague Academy of Performing Arts passing thus her rich experience to the forthcoming generation of our singers.

Her solo recordings include Bach secular cantatas for soprano; Mozart concert arias for coloratura soprano; bel canto arias; a recital of florid arias by Mozart, Verdi, Strauss, Smetana, and Dvorak; song cycles by Seidel, Jezek, Krejci, and Borkovec; and a collection of light coloratura concert songs and waltzes by Adam, Alabiev, Arditi, Delibes, Dell Acqua, and J. Strauss.

Source: Liner notes to the LP 'Bach Cantatas', conducted by Milan Munclinger (Supraphon, 1978); Concerts Prague Website
Contributed by John Carroll & Aryeh Oron (July 2005)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Pavel Kühn

Soprano

J.D. Zelenka: Magnificat in D major, ZWV 108

Milan Munclinger

Soprano

BWV 204, BWV 209

Links to other Sites

Nekonvenční žižkovský podzim: Jana Jonášová - soprán [Czech]

Jana Jonasova & Prague Instrumental Soloists (Concerts Prague)