Jan Čonka (CZ)
started to play the guitar at the age of six with Viktor Martinek at the Music School in Holice. In 2014 he started to study at Conservatory Pardubice in the class of prof. Anna Hronová. During his studies he won several prizes at national and international competitions:
2nd prize – International Guitar Competition L.Luthier, Bratislava (2016)
2nd prize – National Competition of Czech Conservatories (2016)
2nd prize – International Guitar Competition Cithara Ignea, Zory, Poland (2016)
Prize of the jury chairman for exceptional performance of Rondeňa, Petenera and Zapateado by Regino Sainz de la Maza – 19th International Guitar Biennial with Mastercourses Kutná Hora (2017)
1st prize and title of laureate – International Guitar Competition and Festival Ivan Ballu, Dolný Kubín, Slovakia (2019)
1st prize and audience prize – International Guitar Competition SAI (2019)
1st prize and absolute winner – National Competition of Czech Conservatories (2019)
2nd prize and prize for the best Czech participant – 20th International Guitar Biennial with Mastercourses Kutná Hora (2019)
2nd prize – Bremen Guitar Art Youth Competition, Bremen, Germany (2020)
In 2019 he was awarded the prize called Young talent of Pardubice region.
He participated in guitar masterclasses led by renown teachers of the classical guitar (Martin Schwarz, Thomas Offermann, Michal Nagy, Pavel Steidl, Pia Offermann). He finished his studies at Conservatory Pardubice with graduate concert, where he performed Concerto in D op. 99 by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco with the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice.
Since academic year 2020/21 he studies at the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of prof. Petr Saidl.