Josef Bohuslav Foerster & contemporaries ⬩ Belfiato Quintet

Belfiato Quintet was founded in 2005. The ensemble studied at the Prague Conservatory in the class of Ondrej Roskovec (Czech Philharmonic, Afflatus Quintet) and subsequently at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague with Prof. Stepan Koutnik. Belfiato also studied with Prof. Gottfried Pokorny (Universität für Musik und Darstellende Künst Wien).

Members of the Belfiato Quintet play in leading Czech symphonic orchestras, such as the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, PKF-Prague Philharmonia, and Czech National Theatre. They have won prizes in numerous international competitions, among them the ARD Munich, Prague Spring Competition and Concertino Praga.

The ensemble were awarded prizes at international competitions, such as the “Antonin Rejcha prize” at the International Festival in Semmering, Austria. At the 6th International Woodwind Quintet Competition “Henri Tomasi”, held in Marseille in 2011, the Belfiato Quintet won 3rd prize and the prize for the best interpretation of Henri Tomasi`s composition.

Belfiato Quintet performs live regularly in the Czech Republic and more widely. It has appeared in the concert seasons of the Czech Philharmonic, Czech Chamber Music Society, Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Philharmonia. The ensemble has appeared on both Czech Television and Czech Radio and appeared with artists such as the renowned mezzo-soprano, Dagmar Pecková and the Afflatus Quintet. Belfiato was invited to appear at the Prague Spring Festival in 2014 with a programme by Czech composers as Rejcha, Haas, Foerster and Janáček. The ensemble continues presenting Czech repertoire, most recently in the chamber music series of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice and at the Czech Embassies in London and Tokyo.

In June 2017 Belfiato Quintet released its debut CD on the Czech label Supraphon. Debut was followed by second, very successful CD Antonín Rejcha: Wind Quintets (Supraphon, 2019). For performances of Rejcha´s music on this CD, Belfiato won the 2019 Classic Prague Award, category „Chamber music performance“.

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