Biography

The Czech concert organist Pavel Kohout gained world recognition as a brilliant organ virtuoso for his exceptional sense of music, enormous technique and natural interpretation. Already in the age of 24, he became First Prize, Gold Medal and J. S. Bach Prize Winner at prestigious Int. Organ Competition in Musashino-Tokyo, one of the world´ s largest international music competitions, opening him all kind of concert venues, famous concert halls, universities, cathedrals, churches world-wide and is regarded today as one of the finest European concert recitalists. He won additional First Prizes at international competitions in Ljubljana 1995 and 1998, Vilnius 1999 and several other major prizes and diplomas at international organ competitions in Prague, Poznan, Kaliningrad, Brugges and Lübeck, including the "Dancing Angel" Prize awarded from the European Union of Music Competitions.

Pavel Kohout performs widely as solo concert organist, orchestra soloist in all countries of Europe, USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, as well in many other countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, Russia, Georgia. He appeared on international music festivals in Praha, Bratislava, Bucharest, Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Paris, Moscow, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Zaragoza, Athens, Jerusalem, Sapporo, Tokyo, Auckland, New York City, Washington D.C., Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, including prestigious concert venues like Berlin Concert House, Sydney and Melbourne Town Halls, Suntory Hall Tokyo, International House of Music in Moscow, cathedrals of Notre Dame de Paris, Bordeaux, Tours, Monaco, Genéve, Lisbon, Berliner Dom, Freiburger Münster, Stanford and Cornell University and many others.

Pavel Kohout is a graduate of the Prague Conservatory (Jan Kalfus) and the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, under the tutelage of Prof. Jaroslav Tůma and Doc. Anna Machova. He continued his studies in historical performance practice with renowned specialist Prof. Jacques van Oortmerssen at the Amsterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands. He has attended international master classes by Harald Vogel, Ludger Lohmann, Michel Bouvard, Olivier Latry. In 2010 he obtained degree doctor philosophiae in historical performance practice of the South German and Czech baroque organ music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

Pavel Kohout teaches in form of international master-classes and lectures worldwide, act as competition juror, cooperates with Czech National Radio on the project "Historical Organs" and other world radio and tv stations, preparing new music editions and recording on CDs. His CD records including the oldest Prague´ s historical organ (Mundt 1673) in the Church of Our Lady of Tyn in Prague, Katzer & Weltzel organ (1738) in Prague´s Loreto, a CD collection of tree remarkable historical instruments of Bohemia and Moravia, CD of Baroque organs of Slovenia. On his recordings he dedicated also two titles to the genial music of J. S. Bach and North German organ masters.

Brief biography

Winner of both, the prestigious First Prize and the J. S. Bach Prize at the one of the world's largest international organ competition Musashino – Tokyo 2000, Pavel Kohout is regarded today as one of the most brilliant representatives of the new generation of European concert artists.

Pavel Kohout graduated from the Prague Conservatory and the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague under the guidance of Jaroslav Tůma. From 1999 he continued his studies in historical organ technique at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the Netherlands with renowned specialist Prof. Jacques van Oortmerssen. In 2010 he obtained degree doctor philosophiae in historical performance practice of the South German and Czech baroque organ music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

Pavel Kohout has won a number of prizes at international organ competitions including first prizes at international contests in Ljubljana 1998 and Vilnius 1999 and several other special awards including the "Dancing Angel" prize of the European Music Competition for Youth.

As a concert organist, pianist and orchestra´s soloist, Pavel Kohout performs throughout entire Europe, Russia, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. His further activities include an ongoing collaboration with Czech National Radio for the project "Historical Organs", presents international master classes, act as juror and continues recording on diverse CDs.

Overview

Education

2006 - 2010
Ph.D studies in historical performance practice of the South German Baroque organ music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

1996 – 2001
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, music department
Prof. Jaroslav Tůma, organ and improvisation

1999 – 2000
Sweelinck Conservatory of Amsterdam
Prof. Jacques van Oortmerssen, historical organ technique

1991 – 1996
Prague State Music Conservatory
Jan Kalfus, organ playing

1987 – 1991
Private piano lessons with Prof. Anna Máchová at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

1981 – 1987
Elementary Music School

Master classes led by

Ludger Lohmann - Germany
Harald Vogel – Germany
Jean Boyer - France
Olivier Latry – France

Major awards at international organ competitions

2001
Mikael Tariverdiev Second International Organ Competition, Kaliningrad, Russia
- Second Prize

2000
The 4th International Organ Competition Musashino – Tokyo, Japan
- First Prize
- Gold Medal of the mayor of Musashino city
- Minoru Yoshida memorial prize
(for the best performance J.S. Bach works)

2000
II. International F. Nowowiejski Organ Competition in Poznan
- Second Prize
- Special Prize for best performance of F. Nowowiejski organ works
 
1999
International M. K. Čiurlionis Organ Competition, Vilnius - Lithuania
- First Prize
- M. K. Čiurlionis Prize (for the best Performance of his works)

1999
International Prague Spring Competition
- Finalist
- Honorary mention

1998
The 4th European Organist Competition for Youth, Ljubljana – Slovenia
- First Prize
- EMCY Special Prize “Dancing Angel” – Award of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth for an excellent performance in an international competition
- Prize for the best interpretation of contemporary music
- Prize of Cankarjev Dom concert agency

1995
The 3rd European Organist Competition for Youth, Ljubljana – Slovenia
- Second Prize (First not admitted)
- Prize of International Summer Music Festival Ljubljana

Organ concert solo performances

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Monaco, Greece, United Kingdom, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Ukraine, Romania, Moldavia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, Georgia, Israel, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and USA.

CD recordings

2008 Prague, The Baroque Golden Age
The Church of Our Lady of Týn, H. H. Mundt Organ 1673

2009 ANIMA AUREA BOHEMIAE
The Church of Christ Nativity, Katzer & Weltzel Organ 1738

GENIUS Johann Sebastian Bach
Organ after Tobias Meissner 1725, Kansky-Brachtl 2007

Rennaisance and Baroque Organs in Bohemia and Moravia
Tree remarkable historical instruments, 1750, 1625, 1726

BBB Buxtehude, Böhm, Bach
Bach-style Organ in Velesove, 2007