That one so young has reached such heights of violin playing is almost beyond belief.
Daily News, New Zealand
Twenty-five-year-old Josef Spacek ranks among the foremost representatives of today's young violin generation. Born in the southern Czech town of Trebíc, Spacek has performed throughout his native Czech Republic and across the globe. Celebrated for his ‘superb musicianship’ and ‘wondrous virtuosity’, Spacek won the Michael Hill International Violin Competition in June 2009 and both Third Prize and the Young People’s Jury Prize in the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in 2008 Spacek has been quided by some of the most highly regarded pedagogues, including Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute of Music and Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School. He has recently taken up the post of concert master of the Czech Philharmonic, a highly prestigious role that he balances with his flourishing solo career.
As a soloist, Spacek has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonia, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Chamber Orchestra, the Brno Philharmonic, the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic and the Russian Chamber Philharmonic. He has soloed under conductors that include Christoph Eschenbach, Manfred Honeck, Asher Fisch, Jirí Belohlávek, Roy Goodman, Jakub Hruša, Aleksandar Markovic, and Rossen Milanov. A regular at music festivals, Mr. Špacek has performed at the Ravinia Festival, Dvorák Prague Festival, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Bohuslav Martinu Festival and the Moravian Autumn Music Festival.
Spacek released his debut CD featuring the complete Eugène Ysaÿe sonatas for solo violin in August 2006. His next recording, scheduled for release by Naxos in 2012, will feature the works of H.W. Ernst. Highlights of the coming seasons include Janácek’sViolin Concerto and Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with the Czech Philharmonic, Josef Suk’s Fantasy for Violin with the Janácek Philharmonic, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Taipei Philharmonic in Macau, and recital appearances in both Europe and Asia.