Kukal Quartet

Eliška Kukalová (violin), Klára Lešková (violin), Šimon Truszka (viola), Vilém Vlček (cello)

The Kukal Quartet was established in 2020 by members of the Academy of Chamber Music under the leadership of T. Jamník. Since then, the Quartet has had the opportunity to be coached by such brilliant quartet performers as J. Fišer (Bennewitz Quartet) and P. Jarůšek (Pavel Haas Quartet). They have already given many public performances, both in-person and live-streamed. Within the Quartet, the members derive inspiration from sharing the musical experience they have gained while studying at prestigious music universities in Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, and Warsaw. In May 2021, the Quartet won the title Laureates of the Prague Spring international competition. The Quartet is named after a major Czech contemporary composer - Ondřej Kukal. 

Eliška Kukalová recently gained public attention as a debutant at the Dvořákova Praha 2020 international music festival. Having been born into a musical family as the daughter of conductor and composer Ondřej Kukal. Eliška studied that the Prague Conservatorium in the class of J. Fišer. In 2015 she won the 19th annual Václav Hudeček Academy competition. As a soloist she has performed with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, the Pilsen Philharmonic, the North Bohemian Philharmonic, PKF - Prague Philharmonia, and the Prague Symphony Orchestra. In June 2018 she performed the Dvořák Violin Concerto twice in Germany. 

Klára Lešková began playing the violin when she was six years old. In 2009 she transferred to the City of Prague Grammar and Music School and began studying the violin under Prof. J. Fišer. In October 2019 she began studying in a Bachelor's program at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, in the class of Prof. H. Herzl. Since the very beginning of her violin studies, Klára has done very well in violin competitions, taking high honors at the Kocián International Violin Competition, the PhDr. Josef Micka International Violin Competition, Prague Junior Note, the Josef Muzika International Competition, and Talents for Europe, to name just a few. 

Vilém Vlček began playing the cello at the age of six. In 2010 he became a student of the Musical Grammar School in the class of Professors Martin and Mirko Škampa, and since 2018 has been attending the Musik Akademie Basel in the class of D. Ishizaka. He has performed as a soloist with a number of orchestras (the Czech Philharmonic, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Würtenberg Philharmonic, the Kaunas State Philharmonic). He is a regular participant in masterclasses both at home and abroad (S. Isserlis, F. Helmerson, A. Weilerstein, R. Aaron, M. Kaňka, J. Koranyi, etc.).

Šimon Truszka is a Slovak violist. During his studies at the Košice Conservatorium (Prof. V. Lipatová), he won two competitions - in solo and chamber performance, respectively. Since 2016 he has been studying at the Academy of Peforming Arts in Prague under Prof. J. Peruška. He completed a one-year internship at the Universitat fur Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, where he studied with Prof. T. Selditz, and a one-year internship in Warsaw at the Chopin University, under the leadership of P. Reichert. Šimon is also a graduate of the Czech-French Music Academy in Telč, Czech Republic, and the Festival Academy in Budapest, Hungary.