Gabriela Demeterová – official web page

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Gabriela Demeterova

Violinist, violist, soloist of world orchestras, the first Czech finalist and absolute all prize winner in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in England, member of the artistic council of the Prague Academy of Performing Arts, acknowledged as “The Woman of the Year 2005“ in competition of the prestigious Prague Leadrs Magazine ...

Education

Gabriela Demeterová started to play the violin at the age of three. In the Czech Republic, she studied at the Prague Conservatory and at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts (AMU) under Prof. Nora Grumlíková. During her studies, she regularly took part in Master Classes all over the world. Moreover, in the year 2000, she completed her two-year post-graduate course at the Royal Academy of Music in Denmark, where she studied under Marta Líbalová. The specific rules of period performing practice she consulted with specialists in Holland.

Competitions and Awards

Since 1980, she has entered many national as well as international competitions and was awarded many a prize, among others in Kocian’s violin competition in the Czech Republic. In 1987, she for the first time participated in the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in England becoming the first Czech finalist. In 1993, she won there all main prizes, including the overall winner and a special prize for the best performance of J. S. Bach’s composition as the first all prize winner in the history. Also, she gained the 2nd prize, the Laureate title and The Prize of the Capital Town of Prague in the Prague Spring Violin Competition in 1992. In years 1992-1993 was Gabriela Demeterova twice awarded the Premier Prix of The Czech Musical Foundation for her achieved success and presentation of Czech culture on world class competition stages. In 1996 was Gabriela Demeterová nominated for the Talent of the Year award by the Harmonie Magazine. Her videoclips as the first in classical music field were nominated and awarded several times prize “Pecka roku” by AČRA association.

Baroque Music

For many years, Gabriela Demeterová has been involved in baroque music study and performance; she plays a modern instrument using elements of period performing practice. Since 1998, she has been using the baroque tuning (415Hz), which is almost a halftone lower than what we use today. The result of the lower tuning is a better sound of the particular keys and their discord, a better possibility of work with upper partials, and a better tone-colour.

Viola

In the year 2001, Gabriela Demeterová started to study playing the viola. She has become one of the few musicians who play brilliantly both the violin and the viola.

Concerts

• Gabriela Demeterová gives concerts in Europe, the USA,the South America and Japan. She cooperates with notable ensembles and conductors from all over the world. Among her successes belongs Dvořák’s Violin Concerto conducted by Libor Pešek in Prague Rudolfinum, which brought her an exclusive contract from Supraphon, or her debut in Clowes Hall in Indianapolis, the USA. There she performed with one of the bestknown chamber ensembles in the USA, The Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Kirk Trevor, the principal director. Again she appeared in the USA in Columbia, the capital of Missouri, at the prestigious Summer Music Festival.
• In September 2004 Gabriela Demeterová gave with huge success several performances of Dvořák violin concerto in Mexico City with The Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM conducted by the Chief conductor Maestro Zuohuang Chen. The concerts were live tv broadcasted across the Latin America.
• In March 2005, she gave several highly-regarded concerts with Maestro Tadaaki Otaka and The Sapporo Symphony Orchestra in Japan.
• With her own chamber ensemble, she regularly takes a Christmas concert tour of Japan. Full details on her concert performances, you will find on the following WEB sites: www.gabrielademeterova.cz.

Ensembles

• From the year 1995, she was a soloist and artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic Collegium chamber ensemble. Its focus was performing baroque music and little-known pieces of Czech composers.
• Her solo-partner in performing baroque music is Prof. Giedré Lukšaité - Mrázková (harpsichord, hammerklavier, organ).
• Since 2003, she has also cooperated with pianists Rena Sharon, Norbert Heller and Nora Škutová.
• Since 2004, she started to perform together with guitar player Pavel Steidl.
• In June 2005, she founded Collegium of Gabriela Demeterová chamber ensemble. She is its soloist and artistic director. More information on this ensemble, you will find on this site.

Recordings

• Since 1994, she has been recording for Supraphon, where she issued 13 CD’s, e.g. Concertos and Sinfonias Concertante by Carl Stamitz, Dvořák’s Violin Concerto in A minor, and H.I.F. Biber’s Rosary Sonatas (the set).
• To celebrate the Year of J.S. Bach in 2000, she, together with Giedré Lukšaité-Mrázková, recorded all six Bach’s Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord BWV 1014-1019 using the old tuning.
• The recording of Six Duets by Carl Stamitz Op. 1 for Violin and Viola is considered a unique project, as she herself recorded both the violin and the viola parts.
• Together with pianist Norbert Heller, she has recorded the set of 16 Mozart’s sonatas for piano and violin. The five CD’s only include finished sonatas written by the mature composer. Both artists used historic instruments in lower tuning usual in the 18th century.
• Since the year 2003, she has also recorded for Classico, a Danish company, where she issued four CD’s. The most recent of them is Brahms’s Violin Concerto conducted by Douglas Bostock with The Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice.
• In May 2005 released Czech pop group „100 animals“ DVD „Are You Crazy?“ with life recording from Prague`s club Acropolle. Gabriela Demeterová was the only classical music exclusive guest. She performed P. Ostrouchov`s arrangements of the famous Largo from A. Dvořák`s New World Symphony and top charted 100 animals`s song „Dáma s Čápem“. For more informations look on www.stozvirat.cz.

The Festival and The Endowment Fund of Gabriela Demeterová

• In August 2001, she founded the international music festival of “Baroque Pearls of Gabriela Demeterová“. It focused on support for young talented musicians, who could take part in Master Classes led by renowned artists from all over the world during the festival. Another focus of the festival was support for reconstruction of historic monuments. One of these “baroque pearls” was the Manětín Chateau near Plzeň, others St. Nicolas’ Church in Kozojedy, or the Chateau of Valeč… Generally, the support of the festival aimed at historic monuments in the region of Plzeň-North.
• In January 2003, she founded the Endowment Fund of Gabriela Demeterová, which became the chief organizer of the festival above. Its main goal is still support for young musicians and reconstruction of historic monuments.

Instruments

• Gabriela Demeterová performs on a violin made by Giuseppe Rocca, an Italian master, in the year 1855, and a Kašpar Strnad violin from the year 1795. This precious instrument has been lent to her from the state collection of instruments of the National Museum in Prague.
• The viola she plays is made by Dalibor Bzirský, a Czech master, in the year 2006.

Media

• Gabriela Demeterová was in the years 2002 - 2004 the moderator of Terra Musica, a music programme of Czech Television, which maps the current world of culture. Since 2003, she has also been cooperating with the Czech Radio station of Vltava. She prepares the programme of Rondo, in which she presents remarkable recordings from the world of classical music. She also discusses classical music topics in the programme of Matiné on the same radio station.

The Woman of the Year 2005

• Gabriela Demeterová won this appraisal in competition of the prestigious Prague Leaders Magazine. She gained it for her contribution in the field of fine arts, her record, and her representation of the Czech culture in the Czech Republic as well as abroad.
• Gabriela Demeterová was also included in the publication of TOP 50 most interesting women in the CR.

Interview

• 2008/10 Sanquis
• 2008/09 Playboy
• 2008/08 Bazaar
• 2008/08 OnaDnes
• 2008/07 Škoda Mobil
• 2008/05 Status
• 2008/05/23 Denik - culture
• 2008/01/30 Denik
• 2008/01 Sedm
• 2008/01 Style
• 2007/08/20 MF Dnes Pardubice
• 2007/03 BAZAAR
• 2007/01 Horizont
• 2006/11/01 Top 50 most interesting czech women
• 2006/09/15 interview for Lidové noviny (Czech only)
• Luxury Shopping Guide 2005/04/10
• Nedělní kanape 2005/08/20
• Style 2005/03
• Alcron Today no.13 2005
• Na scéně zomieram pre ľudí - Pravda magazín 09/12/2004
• VYSOČINA noviny Žďárska 02/12/2004
• hudebniportal.cz 18/08/2004
• Hospodářské noviny - ihned.cz 18/08/2004
• Housle držím od tří let - MF Dnes 18/08/2004
• Jak to vidí G. Demeterová - MF Plus 24/2004
• Gabriela není přísná učitelka - Večerní Praha 07/06/2004
• Život nejsou jenom housle - Plzeňský deník 05/06/2004
• Single-handed scoop and quick wit at the Folkestone - STRAD
• Hotelová fóbie - televize 50/2003
• Housle pro mne budou ..... - Víkendová káva 11/2003
• Těžko se hledá něco neznámého - LN 5/8/2003
• Nahrávací studia mě vždy deptala - LN 31/7/2003
• Gurmán s utopencem na talíři - BEVERAGE 7/8/2003
• Rozhovor s Gabrielou Demeterovou - Festivalový deník 2003
• Snažím se nevadit Bohoušovi - Šťastný Jim 2003
• V hudbě nelze nic ošidit - Hradecké noviny 22/1/2003
• Czech music not just play the notes - Bimothly 6/2002
• Dvě hvězdy a stradivárky - Vlasta 12/2002
• Houslový klíč od domu Gabriely - Dům a bydlení 2002
• Gabriela Demeterová -Instinkt 2002
• Půvabná houslistka .... - Hit Kroměřížska 17/09/2002
• Jsem v jednom kole - 2002
• Houslistka chce podpořit... - Plzeňský Den - 27/2/2002
• Chci to mít perfektní - LN 2002
• From Scottsdale, with love - Sunday Arts - 01/20/2002
• Gabriela Demeterová je workoholik
• Koncertní výbava Gabriely Demeterové - Topclass 2001
• Národní přehlídka koní Kinských - Jezdectví 10/2001
• Perly letos nekončí - MF Dnes 14/08/2001
• Zlatovlásky - Jezdectví 07/2001
• Gabriela Demeterová dokazuje, že se ... - Den 26/06/2001
• Dítě štěstěny - Kleopatra 03/2000
• Ostré lokty "Paganiniho v sukních" - Blesk 09/2000
• Housle jsou mým osudem - Slovo 46/2000
• Gabriela Demeterová - houslistka - Betty 03/1999
• Nejsem zázračné dítě - Betty 02/1999
• Gabriela Demeterová točí pět koncertů ... - Harmonie 1998
• Gabriela Demeterová - Bazar 05/1998
• Holly je malý Hollywood - Betty 04/1998
• Gabriela Demeterová vstoupila dvakrát... - Telegraf 07/1997
• Když Paganini pleje (záhon) - Reflex 35/1997
• Gabriela Demeterová - nová hvězda... - Xantypa 12/1997
• Proč hraje za jednu libru - Story 39/1997
• Gabriela Demeterová - houslistka - Překvapení 28/1996
• Gabriela má deset mužů - Story 34/1996
• Madonna s houslemi - Harmonie 06/1996
• Housle mé druhé já - Květy
• Virtuoska na koňském hřbetě - FIT FOR FAN

Video

YouTube

Collegium

• An ensemble fulfilling musical dreams ...

  As the title suggests, the ensemble was founded in 2005 by violinist Gabriela Demeterová. She is its soloist as well as artistic director. Its members are exceptional music personalities. They are all connected by a common dream of first class music interpretation and similar career standard.

  "I am grateful I can afford to choose the best ones from my colleagues and together with them to attend to the splendid lady, Lady Music. It is the ensemble creating for me the much-needed base, in which I can fully realise my artistic visions", Gabriela Demeterová, founder of the ensemble, explains.

  Collegium of Gabriela Demeterová is a versatile chamber orchestra. Its cast can be changed according to the repertoire and programme needs. Thus it can offer even special arranges of brilliant pieces for violin or viola, which are otherwise performed with a big symphony orchestra or piano only. The wide repertoire includes for example Brahms’s Hungarian Dances, Sarasate’s Gipsy Melodies, Tchaikovsky’s Valse-Scherzo, Dvořák’s Mazurek ...

  An exceptional music achievement of the ensemble is performing and recording “Opella Ecclesiastica”, a set of church cantatas written by Czech baroque composer Josef Antonín Plánický. It was recorded at the chateau in Manětín, his birthplace, where he also worked in his lifetime. An integral collection of short compositions with deep biblical topics is full of melodious ideas and entirely comparable with the work of famous European composers of the period.

  The ensemble of excellent musicians fulfilled their baroque dream not only to themselves, but also to their audience in a number of beautiful concerts. In 2005, they gave concerts e.g. at The International Festival of Chamber Music in Český Krumlov or The International Music Festival of Emma Destinnová in České Budějovice. In December 2005, they also took a successful concert tour of Japan. One of the most significant activities of the year 2006 was taking part in the Gala Programme celebrating the 50th anniversary of the company of Sazka in Prague Sazka Arena. The Collegium performed in the most recent Czech multi-purpose hall with the seating capacity of 18 000, as the only ensemble in the programme playing classical music.

  VIDEO: Sazka Arena 2006 (WindowsMedia 8Mb)