František Brikcius

Early life

František Brikcius was born in Prague. From early childhood, he began to play the cello and later studied at the Prague Conservatoire under Professor Jaroslav Kulhan. He was accepted into the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno where he studied cello with Bedřich Havlík. He graduated from JAMU with a MgA degree, under the tutelage of Professor Evžen Rattay, and furthered his study at the Toho Gakuen Academy in Japan. He continues his studies today with international master classes under the guidance of Professor Anna Shuttleworth in the United Kingdom.

Career

Brikcius chose to dedicate his life to the interpretation of cello compositions written by composers from the 17th through 21st centuries, with special consideration given to the compositions for cello solo. He also allows himself time to concentrate on works by Czech, Terezín and contemporary composers. Brikcius tours extensively and has performed at numerous international music festivals. He also attends cello festivals where he is able to mix with other young artists. These include the RNCM Manchester International Cello Festival 2004 and the Cello Meisterkurse & Konzerte Kronberg Academy 2004.

František Brikcius plays a 1904 George Kriwalski cello. With his sister Anna Brikcius, he founded the "Duo Brikcius" which tours in the Czech Republic and abroad in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Turkey, USA and the United Kingdom. Brikcius often works with the Talich chamber orchestra, Czech pianist Tomáš Víšek, composer Irena Kosíková and conductor Jan Talich. In 2004 Brikcius and Víšek organized the "Weinberger Tour," celebrating the work of composer Jaromir Weinberger.

Honors and awards

František Brikcius was the winner of the Anglo-Czech Competition in London (1999). He was awarded 2nd prize at The International String Competition London (2000), and 2nd prize at The International String Competition Jihlava (2003). He was a fellow of The Czech Music Foundation (ČHF) in the 2001 and 2002 for the interpretation of contemporary Czech composers. He has also been supported by a number of other international scholarships and fellowships.