Advanced Students age 13 and up enjoyed their Master Classes with CPO Concertmaster Cenek Vrba on Saturday, February 23, 2002. Mr. Vrba's gentle and cheerful approach worked wonders with students and put them at ease while teaching them new concepts and techniques.
Czech-born Canadian violinist Cenek Jacob Vrba has been described as a "..true inheritor of the Czech string tradition...a violinist of a rare distinction...".
Mr. Vrba is Concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Guest Concertmaster of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo, Japan.
While studying at the State Conservatory of Music in Czechoslovakia, Mr.Vrba won many prizes including first place in the highly acclaimed Beethoven National violin competition. He continued his studies in the United States and Europe. During this time he worked with such artists as re-knowned Master Teacher Josef Gingold and legendary violinist Henryk Szeryng.
Later after moving to Canada, he won the CBC Radio Competition
As a soloist, Mr. Vrba has toured extensively in recital and with various orchestras in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China. His recordings have been released in Japan on the Fontec label and in North America on the Lyra and CBC Records labels.
His repertoire includes over thirty concertos, all well-known sonatas, and many compositions written expressly for him by Canadian composers.
In 1993 Mr. Vrba was honoured with the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canada Confederation. In 1999, the Czech Government awarded him the Masaryk Prixe for his contribution in promotion Czech music abroad.
We are indeed privileged to have a musician of this caliber coaching our students in Master Classes.