The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates can continue their training by enrolling in an institution that offers undergraduate education.
History
The Prague Conservatory was founded in 1808 by local aristocrats and burghers following the example of the Conservatoire de Paris (est. 1795) and the Milan Conservatory (est. 1807). The founders are listed as František Josef of Vrtba, František Josef of Sternberg and Manderscheid, Jan Nepomuk Nostitz-Rieneck, Kristián Kryštof Clam-Gallas, Bedřich Nostitz, Karel of Firmian, Jan Josef Pachta of Rájov, and František Josef of Klebelsberg.
In 1810, the Union for the Improvement of Music in Bohemia () was formed, which ensured the financial operation of the school for the next hundred years. Classes started in 1811, after a delay caused by the Napoleonic Wars.
Bedřich Diviš Weber was appointed the first director of the school, which was originally located in the monastery next to St. Giles' Church.
In 1891, Antonín Dvořák joined the faculty as head of the composition department and served as the school's director between 1901 and 1904. Dvořák's students included the composers Vítězslav Novák, Josef Suk (who later also served as director of the conservatory), Rudolf Friml, Oskar Nedbal, and Franz Lehár. Another director of the school was pianist Vilém Kurz.
In 1945, a number of professors and students of higher classes at the conservatory left to found the Academy of Performing Arts. Theatre and ballet departments were also opened that year, from which the independent Dance Conservatory was created in 2001.
Instruction
The Prague Conservatory offers instruction in several instruments, including accordion, guitar, piano, and organ, as well as in singing, composition, conducting, and acting. The institution has its own symphonic and chamber orchestras, a choir, and a theatre company.
Locations
The conservatory's main campus is located at Na rejdišti 77/1, Prague 1. It has two ancillary locations: one situated within Pálffyho Palace, in Prague's Malá Strana, and the other in Prague's Old Town.
Directors
The following is a list of directors of the Prague Conservatory: Bedřich Diviš Weber 1811–1843 Jan Bedřich Kittl 1843–1865 Josef Krejčí 1865–1881 Antonín Bennewitz 1882–1901 Antonín Dvořák 1901–1904 Karel Knittl 1904–1907 Jindřich Kàan z Albestů 1907–1918 Vítězslav Novák 1918–1922 Josef Bohuslav Foerster 1922–1923 Josef Suk 1923–1928 Josef Bohuslav Foerster 1928–1930 Vilém Kurz 1930–1939 Jaroslav Kocián 1939–1940 Václav Holzknecht 1942–1970 Jan Tausinger 1971–1976 František Martiník 1976–1989 Věroslav Neumann 1989–2004 Pavel Trojan 2004-2018 Petr Čech 2018–present
Notable alumni
Karel Ančerl
Jiří Bělohlávek
František Brikcius
František Brož
Oliver Butterworth
Andrea Černá
Ladislav Černý
Ludmila Červinková
Radim Drejsl
Gabriela Eibenová
Maria Forescu
Rudolf Friml
Julius Fučík
Wolfgang Hildemann
Jan Hřímalý
Kateřina Jalovcová
Jaroslav Ježek
Jana Jonášová
Naděžda Kniplová
Pavel Kohout
Jan Kubelík
Rafael Kubelík
Otomar Kvěch
Franz Lehar
Manoah Leide-Tedesco
Zuzana Marková (soprano) Bohuslav Martinů Pauline Metzler-Löwy Oskar Nedbal Václav Neumann Vítězslav Novák Jana Obrovská Karel Paukert Michael Pospíšil Alexandre Rudajev Karel Pravoslav Sádlo Miloslav Sádlo František Salzer George Schick Otakar Ševčík Lucijan Marija Škerjanc Franz Simandl Yngve Sköld Josef Slavik Václav Smetáček Eugen Suchoň Josef Suk Jana Sýkorová Jan Talich Václav Talich Jiří Tancibudek Jan Thuri Vaclav Vaca Vilém Veverka Tomáš Víšek Sláva Vorlová Pavla Vykopalová John Stepan Zamecnik Jan Hrubý