Martin Karlíček’s piano playing has been described as “inspiring, rich, sensitive, stylistically taut and arresting, precise, crisp, brilliantly controlled, wonderfully colourful and always imaginative.” He performs, teaches and lectures regularly in the Czech Republic, Germany, Canada, U.S.A. and Japan.
Aside from establishing his reputation as a dynamic promoter of Czech music, Mr. Karlíček’s large solo and chamber music repertoire includes works from all periods. One of his projects was a CD of complete works for piano as well as works for cello and piano by Canadian composer Andrew Yin Svoboda. He also recorded piano works by Leoš Janáček, Bedřich Smetana, Bohuslav Martinů, Sergei Prokofiev and Franz Liszt among others.
Mr. Karlíček has brought prizes from several international music competitions, winning, among others, the Bedřich Smetana International Piano Competition, the South Bohemian International Piano Competition, and the competition of the Prague-Vienna-Budapest International Summer Academy. He has also received awards for performances of contemporary compositions, chamber music collaborations and for solo performances of music by Bedřich Smetana, Béla Bartók, Ferenc Liszt, Leoš Janáček and Bohuslav Martinů.
As a chamber musician, Martin Karlíček founded award-winning Duo Ventapane, as well as Creo Trio and Trio Valdstyn. He is also the co-founder of Westmount Chamber Music Workshop and co-founder and executive director of the festival Karlíček Sequenza.
Martin Karlíček studied at the Academy of Music in Prague (B.Mus., M.Mus.), Utrecht Academy of the Arts in Holland and at McGill University in Montreal in Canada (M.Mus., D.Mus.). Presently, he is teaching piano and chamber music at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University.