Peter Zajíček

After finishing his studies Peter Zajíček became a member of the Slovak Philharmonic (1982 – 1986), and at the same time he performed in the Slovak Chamber Orchestra (1984) and occasionally helped in orchestras of folklore groups Mladé Srdcia (Young Hearts, 1975), Technik (1978), and Lúčnica (1979). In 1986 he became concert master of the ensemble Musica Aeterna which specialized in performing music of 1650 – 1820 and was founded by Ján Albrecht. In 1989 the ensemble started using historical instruments, resp. their copies. In 1990 Zajíček became artistic leader of this ensemble. Under his leadership Musica Aeterna has developed itself to the level of the best European ensembles of early music. In 1999 the ensemble won the Critics Prize 1998 “for masterful performing art of works of early music on the domestic and world scene”.

Zajíček was an artistic director in ensembles of early music in Czech Republic, France, Austria and USA. He has co-performed in foreign ensembles such as Old Post Road (USA), Orchester Sinfonietta Vienna, Austria, Collegium Marianum and Musica Florea (Czech Republic). He cooperates with the Center of Baroque Music in Versailles and with the Association of Baroque Dance l'Éventail.

During his rich orchestral praxis he cooperated with many conductors: Christoph Coin, Paul Colléaux, Martin Gester, John Holloway, Bertier de Lioncourt, Charles Medlam, Andrew Parrot, Christophe Rousset, Stephen Stubs, John Toll and others. He performed at prestigious festivals Bach Tage Berlin, Bratislava Music Festival, Carrintischer Sommer Villach, Czech International Celebrations of Early Music Prague, Festival van Vlaanderen, Holland Festival of Early Music Utrecht, Festival Wiener Klassik, and Swedish Baroque Festival Malmo.

Zajíček intensively studies historical music and he is often an advisor to various amateur musical ensembles. He also significantly contributes to the dissemination of knowledge by his translations of scientific studies about early music. He participates in the organization of festivals of early music and passionately promotes its historically contextual interpretation. He is an author of the project Festival of Early Music in Trenčín. He helped found the festival Days of Early Music (1995, the first director was Ján Albrecht) and the Civil Association Center of the Early Music, where he is director. The ensemble Musica Aeterna has a key role in the dramatury of the Days of Early Music, where it carefully presents historical music of Slovak towns. On his initiative was established the chamber group Albrecht Collegium (1998) and he is also founder of the ensemble Miméza (1999, Kamila Zajíčková, Peter Zajíček, Agnesa Ferienčíková, Peter Krivda). He has also developed a project The Music in Mountains and dramaturgy of CDs Soirée and Gotha, Music from Trenčín. He is intensively involved in the preparation of projects aimed at mapping out Slovak musical history and he is also an author of musicological studies about musical monuments. Many of them he has performed in world premieres. He passionately promotes new trends in the interpretation of early music (Prague, Paris, Munster).

In addition to his performing and musicological activities he also teaches at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava and at the Church Conservatory in Bratislava.