Music Marathon 2024 I Karel Martínek

Karel Martínek studied organ playing at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno under the guidance of prof. Kamila Klugarová and organ improvisation with prof. Karel Pokora. Already during his studies at the academy, he actively participated in a number of interpretation courses led by leading world organists, such as Susan Landale, Martin Sander, Günther Kaunzinger, Julian Gembalski, Reitze Smits, Olivier Latry, Thomas Ospital and others. At the same time, he participated in several interpretation and improvisation competitions (Prague Spring, Schwäbisch Gmünd). In 2014, he began studying improvisation under Philippe Lefebvre, titular organist of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. In addition to interpreting a wide range of organ literature, Karel Martínek also devotes himself to improvisation. In his hometown, he started presenting themed evenings, inspired by biblical texts and combining organ improvisations with the spoken word. The motivation for creating this project was Petr Eben's work The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart with texts by Jan Amos Komenský. Later, he started the monumental Organ Bible project, where since Advent 2012 he publishes improvisations on all chapters of the Bible on the Internet. Martínek also taught organ improvisation in the years 2007 - 2009 at the Opava Church Conservatory. He currently works as an organ teacher at the Conservatory of the Evangelical Academy in Olomouc and at the same time teaches organ and improvisation at JAMU in Brno as part of his doctoral studies. In the years 1994 - 2008, he worked as an organist in the Olomouc Cathedral of St. Wenceslas. From 2010 to 2019, he was the organist of the church of St. Morice in Olomouc. Currently, he works again in the Olomouc Cathedral of St. Václav, since October 2020 as director of the choir and organist. He also participates in the organization of the International Organ Festival in the Olomouc temples as its artistic director and dramaturg. Karel Martínek regularly collaborates with important Moravian musical ensembles such as the Moravian Philharmonic in Olomouc, the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic in Zlín, the Žerotín Academic Choir, the Campanella Choir, etc.