User:Deseret1956/CENEK J. VRBA

Cenek J. Vrba is a violinist and the concertmaster with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He was born in 1948 in the Czech Republic and is one of  Canada's foremost violinists, being described as a “True inheritor of the Czech string tradition…violinist of a rare distinction”. (Toyko – Japan).

His early music training started at the State Conservatory of Music in the Czech Republic. While there, he won many prizes including the first place in the highly acclaimed Beethoven National Violin Competition.

After immigrating to Canada, he pursued further studies in the United States and Europe. During this time he worked with such artists as Josef Gingold and Henryk Szeryng.

Winning the CBC National Radio Competition has launched his many solo recordings for the CBC Radio and Television. Since then Mr. Vrba has recorded and toured in recital and with various orchestras in the United States, Japan, China and many European countries. He has appeared with conductors such as K. Mazur, J. Levy, Frank Paul Decker, N. Otaka and many others.

His recordings have been released on the Japanese label Fontec and in North America on the Lyra and CBC SM-5000 labels. His repertoire is truly comprehensive, including over twenty-five concerti, all well-known sonatas and many other compositions, including those written for him by Canadian and Japanese composers.