A conductor and recorder player whose artistic work lies at the intersection of historical research, performance practice, and dramaturgical thinking. He is recognised as a distinctive figure on the European early music scene and is sought after for concept-driven projects that combine rigorous source-based scholarship with vivid, compelling interpretation.

Alongside university studies in Oriental Studies and History, he trained as a recorder player and conductor at conservatoire level. He completed postgraduate studies in historically informed performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and subsequently specialised in Renaissance polyphony at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana in Lugano. His artistic education was further shaped by advanced training in operatic and orchestral conducting as well as historical improvisation. He holds a Ph.D. in History.

His work as a conductor and performer is grounded in long-term research into musical sources, historical context, and style, which directly informs his interpretative decisions and dramaturgical concepts. He is particularly active in vocal-instrumental repertoire from the Middle Ages to the Classical period, with a strong focus on opera and staged works.

He collaborates regularly with leading early music ensembles including Collegium 1704, Collegium Marianum, Capella Regia, Czech Ensemble Baroque, and Barocco sempre giovane, and has appeared at major European venues and festivals such as Prague Spring, Salzburger Festspiele, Semperoper Dresden, Bachfest Leipzig, Teatro Arriaga, and the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg. With Capella Mariana and Schola Gregoriana Pragensis, he focuses primarily on medieval and Renaissance repertoire. As a recorder player and music director, he contributed to the first-ever recordings of works by Jean Tourout for the Passacaille label.

Through his own ensembles, Concerto Aventino and More Maiorum, he is dedicated to uncovering lesser-known chapters of European music history and presenting them in carefully curated programmes, often featuring modern premieres or innovative contextual approaches.

Opera occupies a central place in his artistic activity. For the Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival, he prepared and conducted staged premieres of *Pygmalion* (Rameau), *Aci, Galatea e Polifemo* (Handel), *Paride ed Elena* (Gluck), and *Prima la musica, poi le parole* (Salieri). He also conducted the world premiere of Anton Reicha’s opera *Guzmán*. His repertoire further includes works by Purcell, Handel, Bach, Benda, Ryba, Míča, and other composers.

He teaches at the Prague Conservatory, where he leads the recorder class and serves as artistic director of the Baroque Orchestra of the Prague Conservatory, which under his guidance has become a respected centre for early music performance. He also teaches at Masaryk University in Brno and lectures at the University of Ostrava. Since 2022, he has served as dramaturg of the Haydn Festivities Festival. In 2023, he worked as assistant conductor at the Glyndebourne Festival.

Further information about Jakub Kydlíček can be found at:

Jakub Kydlíček
Concerto Aventino

About The Class

Recorder
Lessons will take place in the form of a masterclass, ie active teaching of one student with listening to others. For solo lessons, the student can bring any piece from the late Middle Ages to the contemporary. We will focus on technical and interpretive aspects of playing, including aspects of ornamentation and historically (in)formed improvisation. The student shall prepare one piece for each lesson (sonata, canzone, moteto, fantasie, suite, etc.). Please always come with a complete performing materiál, including all parts and scores.

Medieval and rennaissance ensembles
– class suitable for singers and instrumentalists (recorders, fiddles, plucked and bowed instruments)
– diapason in the ensemble class: 440Hz (if you wish otherwise contact me)
– already existing ensembles with their own repertoire are very welcome
– others can study pieces from Codex Reina

Suggested Repertoire

Recorder
– anything for the recorder from the Middle Ages to ca. 1750. You can pay special attention to, for example, Telemann’s fantasies, Bach’s solo sonatas, Bassano’s ricercatae or compositions from Codex Faenza …

Level Of Skills Required

Advanced and professionals

Maximum number of students

Recorder - 6 / Medieval ensemble music - 3 ensembles

Teaching Languages

Czech, English, French, German