The PKF – Prague Philharmonia Announces Appointment of Conductor Emmanuel Villaume as Music Director and Chief Conductor

The PKF - Prague Philharmonia is pleased to announce the appointment of internationally renowned conductor Emmanuel Villaume to the position of Music Director and Chief Conductor of the PKF - Prague Philharmonia for a three-year term, effective September 1, 2015.

The announcement was made today in the Czech Republic by the orchestra's Managing Director Radim Otépka, who praised Villaume's musical leadership and creative vision together with his command of varying musical styles, bringing a perfect balance of orchestral colors and musical drama.

The agreement marks an important new chapter for the PKF - Prague Philharmonia and was signed just minutes after Maestro Villaume took his final bow at this year's glittering Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala Concert at New York's Avery Fisher Hall. The signing took place amid the historic scores and manuscripts (including conductor Anton Seidl's score from the premiere of Dvo?ák's "New World" Symphony) that line the walls in the Maestro Room at the iconic venue.

"It is a wonderful joy and a privilege to be offered the artistic leadership of such a prestigious musical institution," Emmanuel Villaume remarked. "I have always been inspired by the professionalism, commitment, and elegance of its musicians, who strike a perfect balance in performance between musical precision and passion.

"I am very much looking forward to building the relationship further, and sharing our love for music with every listener."

The French-born conductor, who has successfully performed and recorded with the orchestra, has already been engaged to lead the PKF - Prague Philharmonia in two New Year's Concerts at the Royal Opera House in Oman at the end of this year. Previous collaborations between Maestro Villaume and the orchestra include a Deutsche Grammophon recording with Anna Netrebko, a Warner Classics release with Bryan Hymel, seasonal concerts and several European tours. Through Maestro Villaume's leadership and deep connections within an international musical community, the PKF - Prague Philharmonia has embarked upon an ambitious long-term plan for global touring, multiple recordings with leading artists, and special projects around the world to increase the orchestra's profile and to expand its reputation as a world-class ensemble.

"Emmanuel's appointment continues our tradition of musical excellence and strong leadership. It additionally opens new opportunities for the orchestra in Prague, as well as internationally," explains PKF Chairman Martin Klimpl. "These are going to be very exciting years for all of us and we are so thrilled to have him as our next music director and chief conductor."

The PKF - Prague Philharmonia, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, was founded by acclaimed Czech Maestro Jiri B?lohlávek. The centerpiece of PKF's activities in Prague is its orchestral series at the Rudolfinum Concert Hall. The orchestra has also been the first Czech orchestra to successfully pioneer innovative educational activities after the "Velvet Revolution." It has been described by The Washington Post as "fully competitive with world-renowned names such as the English Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus or the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra."

PKF - Prague Philharmonia has recorded more than 60 award-winning releases and is a regular, honored guest at music festivals and prestigious venues throughout the world. Accolades for this innovative and polished orchestra include the RAC Canada Gold Disc (2000), the Harmonie Award (2001) and the Diapason d'Or (2007).

The PKF has developed highly successful artistic collaborations with some of the world's finest classical conductors, musicians and singers, including Anna Netrebko, Natalie Dessay, Rolando Villazón, Plácido Domingo, Elina Garan?a, Juan Diego Flórez, Sarah Chang, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jefim Bronfman, Fazil Say, András Schiff and Mischa Maisky. The orchestra plays with "warmth, deep feeling, and swinging rhythmic energy" (All Music Guide).

The PKF - Prague Philharmonia has expanded its mission in recent years to include tremendously popular Family Performances, as well as the development of more outstanding young orchestral musicians. Applicants are admitted to the PKF - Prague Philharmonia Orchestral Academy through a highly competitive audition process, in order to receive generous scholarships, comprehensive training, invaluable "real world" experience onstage, and individual coaching and guidance from the orchestra's concert masters and leading players, in the first project of its kind in the modern Czech Republic.

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Emmanuel Villaume was born in Strasbourg, France in 1964. His musical education commenced at the Strasbourg Conservatory and continued in Paris, where he received multiple degrees in literature, philosophy and musicology. Appointed Music Director of the Dallas Opera in 2013, Maestro Villaume also serves as Chief Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in Bratislava (since 2009). Previously, Villaume served as Chief Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra (2008-2013) and as Music Director of the Spoleto Festival USA from 2001 until 2010.

Mr. Villaume's recent engagements include critically acclaimed performances of Massenet'sManon with London's Royal Opera-Covent Garden, Meyerbeer's rarity L'Africaine with Venice's Teatro La Fenice, and a dazzling Cendrillon at The Juilliard School that prompted Martin Bernheimer of The Financial Times (U.K.) to observe: "Emmanuel Villaume, the seasoned specialist on the podium, conveyed equal parts savoir-faire and inspiration...and reinforced a delicate balance between lyrical restraint and dramatic exuberance." He will return to New York's Metropolitan Opera to conduct Manonnext March.

His international obligations will bring Villaume to Dallas this season for productions of Le nozze di Figaro - and Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, before conducting the opera rarity on tour with Anna Netrebko in Monaco, London, Copenhagen and Lucerne.

Mr. Villaume has both thrilled and charmed audiences around the world, from Covent Garden to the Met, inspiring The Chicago Sun-Times to praise his "almost unique ability to give undervalued works their musical due and move them up several notches in a listener's estimation."

Additional information about the Villaume appointment and high-resolution photographs may be found on his website at www.emmanuelvillaume.com, or by contacting PKF - Prague Philharmonia Director of PR and Marketing Barbora Dušková at duskova@pkf.cz.

To arrange an interview with Emmanuel Villaume, contact Jeffrey Vanderveen at Opus 3 Artists atjvanderveen@opus3artists.com or +1 212.584.7532.

Photo Credit: Karen Almond

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