Josef Veselka (Choral Conductor)

Born: March 7, 1910 - Nové Město na Moravě (Moravia, New Town), Czechoslovaia
Died: October 22, 1992 - Prague, Czech Republic

The significant Czech choral conductor and teacher, Josef Veselka, studied at the Archbishop’s School in Kromeriz, then classical philology, philosophy and musicology at the Faculty of Arts in Masarykova Univerzita.

Josef Veselka was the founder and director of the male choir, Choral Catholic Academic Society of Moravia from 1931 to 1992. From 1959 to 1981 he was principal chorus master of the Prague Philharmonic Choir. Under his leadership the choir has been developed into a full professional body with the highest artistic niveau and began to act an important role on the international choir scene. He was also choir director of the Coro dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He gave his first public concert in Brno in 1932, and the last in Glasgow in 1990.

Josef Veselka taught at the Pedagogic Faculty in the Conservatory of Music of Brno, and at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts.

On June 3, 1992 Josef Veselka received Honorary Doctorate from Masarykova Univerzita. Other honours and accolades include the title of Renowned Artist and then the National Artist of Czechoslovakia; Gold Medal of the Pedagogic Faculty Masarykova Univerzita in 1990; awards at many major European festivals in the modern style of interpretation of choral works; and prizes of various European record companies for outstanding recordings.

Source: Encyklopedie dějin města Brna, English translation by Aryeh Oron (October 2010)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (October 2010)

Josef Veselka: Short Biography | Prague Philharmonic Choir | Recordings of Vocal Works

Links to other Sites

Josef Veselka - Encyklopedie dějin města Brna - Profil osobnosti [Czech]