Jiří Kadeřábek was born on April 14, 1978 in Zlín, Czech Republic into a musical family. He played, sung and later even composed jazz, rock and pop music as well as created theater, literary and visual works. He studied composition, piano and singing at the Conservatory of Jaroslav Ježek in Prague, Czech Rep. and then exclusively composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Czech Rep. as well as the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, The Netherlands. In 2005 he received the bourse La Sacem for work residency for composers in Paris, thanks to which he has become familiar with the latest technologies and applications in composition. He has attended several workshops at the IRCAM as well as another composition courses and private lessons (Marco Stroppa, Tristan Murail, Brian Ferneyhough, Helmut Oehring, Lasse Thoresen, Stefano Gervasoni, Adriano Guarnieri, Marek Kopelent, Jeff Beer, Martin Smolka etc.). In 2009 he received an invitation and consequently the Fulbright Fellowship at Columbia University in New York City.

He received prizes in the Zenith Composers Competition (2009), International Cimbalom Festival Composition (2008), Czech Radio Composition Competition (2006), Generace Composition Competition (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007), he also won the Dean of the Music Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague Award (2006), became a finalist of the Musica Nova International Composition Competition (2008) and was nominated for the Gideon Klein Award (2006). His works have been commissioned and performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hradec Králové Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philharmony Teplice, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmony Zlín, Slovak Philharmonic Choir, National Theater in Prague and chamber ensembles such as the Fama Quartet, Rainbow Quartet, Ensemble Martinů, Ensemble Calliopée, Ensemble MoEns and the Intrasonus Ensemble.

In his current work various compositional approaches are confronted, often principles or fragments of historical music as well as pop, rock and jazz are integrated. He also works with recorded nonmusical sounds, integrated in the musical structure, and often uses various theatrical elements. He himself considers his pieces „as polygons with internal side mirrors that make it possible to look at each side again and again but always from a different perspective.“ He is also a sought-after composer of stage music (the National Theater, the Theater Na zábradlí, the Theater Damúza, the Theater Komedie, the Café-Theater Černá labuť) and film music (FAMU, IFC Písek, the Czech Television). He continues to stay active as a pianist and vocalist as well.


The Open Approach of Jiri Kaderabek – interview (2008)