Jiří Rožeň

Conductor

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“ […] this young man has already quite a bit of success on podium behind him [….]and even much more ahead of him.”
(Opera Plus)

Artistic Curator: Opera Nova, National Theatre Prague

Jiří Rožeň’s international presence continues to grow rapidly in the 2022/23 season as he makes debuts with leading orchestras and continues to develop his reputation as one of the foremost interpreters of Czech repertoire. In the 2022/23 season, Rožeň makes three important debuts with orchestras in North America joining Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, and Naples Philharmonic. Elsewhere, he will make his opera debut in Sweden for a new production of Smetana’s The Bartered Bride for the Göteborg Opera and will make symphonic debuts in Europe with Bochum Symphoniker and Orchestre National de Metz. He will return to the Slovak Sinfonietta and Czech Chamber Philharmonic and revives Flammen for the closing concert of Janáček Brno Festival.

Recent seasons have included successful debuts with Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Aalborg Symphony, Hallé, MDR Leipzig, Orquesta Sinfónica de las Islas Baleares and Slovak Philharmonic. In Belgium, he has conducted many of the major orchestras, including Orchestre national de Belgique, Brussels Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra as well as Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège.

Rožeň is increasingly at home in the pit, and last season conducted several productions at the Prague State Opera including the successful new production of Schulhoff’s Flammen (the first in the Czech Republic for 90 years since its 1932 premier in Brno), his first Rusalka and a double bill of Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with Schoenberg’s Erwartung. In summer 2022, he also conducted Nono’s Prometeo, for the Czech premiere of the work with the Ostrava Centre for New Music. During his time in Scotland, he conducted Stravinsky’s Mavra, Walton’s The Bear and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Elsewhere, he has conducted Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilegès with Hamburger Symphoniker as well as Sven Daigger’s Eine Kluge Else at the Brücken-Festival für Neue Musik in Rostock

Jiří Rožeň: Dvořák- Othello Overture, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra © Česká televize

As a passionate and knowledgeable advocate of Czech music, Rožeň regularly programmes standard Czech repertoire, as well as music by lesser-known works by contemporary composers such as Bohuslav Martinů, Josef Suk, Viktor Kalabis and Miloslav Kabeláč. He has conducted one of Kabeláč’s signature works, his Symphony No.4 on various occasions, including the Austrian premiere with Camerata Salzburg at the Salzburg Festival and his conducting debut at Prague Spring Festival with PKF-Prague Philharmonia.

Soloist collaborations of future and past performances include renowned soloists such as Nobuyuki Tsuji, Randall Goosby, Alban Gerhardt, Lukáš Vondráček, Esther Yoo, Kian Soltani, Pavel Šporcl, Francesca Dego, Jan Mrácek, Kirill Gerstein, Vadim Gluzman and Lawrence Brownlee.

Born in Prague in 1991, Rožeň studied conducting at conservatoires and universities in Prague, Salzburg, Hamburg, Zürich and Glasgow where he was Leverhulme Conducting Fellow. He was successful in Salzburg and London as the Finalist of both the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award and the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition. Formerly Assistant Conductor at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Jiří worked alongside Donald Runnicles and Thomas Dausgaard and assisted them at the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival. His mentors have included Garry Walker, Dennis Russell Davies, Ulrich Windfuhr and Johannes Schlaefli. Other important influences include Bernard Haitink, David Zinman and Peter Eötvös in masterclasses with orchestras such as the Concertgebouworkest, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

HarrisonParrott represents Jiří Rožeň for worldwide general management.

Gallery

Jiří Rožeň Petra Hajská / Czech Philharmonic

Wilhelm Stenhammar: Excelsior!, op. 13. © Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra

Jiří Rožeň conducts Viktor Kalabis's Concerto for Harpsichord and String Orchestra © Koncerty Českého rozhlasu

“Throughout, Rožeň — a rare left-handed conductor — led the orchestra in warm, thoughtfully shaped support. While he generally favored a big and bold sound, he also brought out the work’s lyricism, especially in the slow movement. His transition from the first to the second movement was particularly magical.”

Utah Arts Review, March 2023

“Rožeň is a fantastically energetic and passionate conductor whose relationship with the orchestra and the repertoire makes it clear that the program is very special to him.”

Front Row Reviewers, March 2023

‘Prague born Rožeň prospered conducting the Hallé in a sterling performance of Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony, energised with this work by a fellow Czech…Under Rožeň the players excelled, with successful emphasis on the striking contrasts of this glorious score, evoking dark depths of anguish to unwavering rebelliousness to warm and brightly lit pastoral landscapes.’

(Michael Cookson, Seen and Heard, March 2022)

“Still, the real star of the evening was in the pit. Just 30, Jiří Rožeň is a major emerging talent who was born in Prague but has spent most of his career abroad, conducting orchestras throughout Europe and developing a particular expertise in modern opera. He drove Todsünden with expert pacing, smart support for the singers and dance rhythms that crackled with energy. Erwartung was even better. Working with an orchestra and instrumentation reduced by pandemic restrictions, Rožeň spun out a sophisticated atonal score, striking in its clarity and precision.”

(4*, Frank Kuznik, Bachtrack, November 2021)

“Yesterday’s concert provided further evidence that his superlative reviews [….] are totally justified. Rožeň has energy, a pleasant youthful aura, and a very clear and logical vision for interpretation. Thanks to this, the concert was nothing short of magical.”

Opera Plus, February 2018

“A spark of mutual admiration and respect [with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra] was obvious!”

(Opera Plus, November 2017)

“One should also highlight the great shape of the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra who delivered one of their best ever performances under Jiří Rožeň.”

(Opera Plus, May 2017)

“This was an example of how a debut [at Prague Spring Festival] should be done. The concert culminated with the Symphony No.4 by Kabeláč executed with absolute assurance”

(Harmonie, May 2016)

“Rising star of conducting dealt with the challenging task [Prague Spring Festival Debut] professionally and with joy.”

(Opera Plus, May 2016)