Jana Bouskova

• Harpist

Biography

Besides her solo carreer, Jana Bouskova is recently also the harp professor at Brussels Royal Conservatory, Prague Conservatory and Academy of Music in Prague. Since 2005 she has been also a principal harpist of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Jana Bouskova studied at the Prague Conservatoire and then pursued her schooling at the Ostrava University, in the class of Professor Libuse Vachalova and one year study at America´s renowned Indiana University, with Professor Susann McDonald. Jana Bouskova has achieved the highest awards from the world´s most prestigious competitions: gold medal from the International Harp Competition in the US, and second prize from the International Harp Contest in Israel.

As one of the Czech Republic´s ten most distinguished women, she was the first ever classical music instrumental interpreter to receive the Lady Pro prize, which was handed over to her in the presence of the President of the Republic, Vaclav Klaus. Jana Bouskova appears regularly on prestigious international concert platforms and festivals. Doubtless her most notable achivements have included solo perfomances at Lincoln Center (New York), Berlin Philharmonic, Paris´ Châtelet, Cologne Philharmonic, Concertgebow in Amsterdam, Musikverein in Vienna, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, Chicago’s Symphony Center, Prague’s Rudolfinum and many others.

She was soloist of many orchestras including Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, MDR Symphonieorchester Leipzig, Tokyo Chamber Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonia and Chicago Sinfonietta. Jana Bouskova was member of different jurys and teaches at numerous Masterclasses in various parts of the world. In 1999 she was artistic director of the Seventh World Harp Congress in Prague and in 2002 she received an invitation to take up a two-month lecturing assignment at Indiana University in the United States.

Jana Bouskova has to her credit over twenty CDs made for different international labels. Her extensive repertoire encompasses works of all styles and periods. Her list of world premieres includes among other titles the Sonata for Cello and Harp from Ravi Shankar, which she performed at the Rencontres Musicales d´Evian, in France, jointly with Mstislav Rostropovich and Concerto for Flute, Violin, Viola, Harp and Orchestra from Benjamin Yusupov, with the violinist Maxim Vengerov and others. Jana Bouskova performs on a harp built by the American firm, Lyon & Healy, which she acquired for her victory in the U.S.A. International Harp Competition in 1992.