Richard Vandra

Richard Vandra started his professional career at the Slovak Chamber Orchestra (1967, 1968), and later was a soloist in Ensemble Instrumental Andrée Colson, Langeais, France (1971 – 1976). From 1976 – 1985 he was a member of the Trio Istropolitanum, inn 1984 and 1985 he was a member of the Slovak Sinfonietta Žilina as an invited violoncello section leader and since 1986 he is a member of the Symphony Orchestra Bilbao, Spain (soloist and violoncello section leader). As a soloist and chamber player he has performed in Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Netherlands, former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Great Britain, Kuwait, Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Haiti, Netherlands Antilles, Honduras, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, USA, and Venezuela.

Since the mid-1970s his teaching activity is also significant; in 1992 he was awarded the title Professor (Superior) under the Royal Decree of Ministry of Education of Spanish Kingdom in Madrid. At the same time he was a pedagogue at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and at the Conservatory in Kroměříž, Czech Republic (1975 – 1977), and later at Higher Institut of Music in Kuwait (1977 – 1981), at Conservatorio de Ataulfo Argenta in Santander, Spain (1990 – 1992). Since 1987 he is a full professor of the String Department (violoncello, chamber music) at the Conservatorio superior de J. C. Arriaga Bilbao in Spain. He has also taught summer master classes in Spanish towns: Sevilla, Marbella, Mijas, Burgos, Elda, Algeciras, and Santander.