Ondřej Adámek
• studied composition in Prague and Paris.
• in 2010, as a guest of the DAAD Artists Program, came to Berlin.
• during longer stays in France, Africa, Spain, Japan, India and Italy, he immersed himself in the musical cultures of these countries, which subsequently often shaped his own music.
• playing with language(s) flows into his composing as a structural element.
• compositions are characterised by directness and finely formed expressive moments with artfully composed timbres.
• wrote orchestral, chamber, vocal and electro-acoustic music.
• developed the installation musical instrument ‘Airmachine’.
• programmed at leading international festivals and orchestras; received numerous awards.
• performers include François-Xavier Roth, Peter Rundel, Susanna Mälkki, Kent Nagano, Simon Rattle, Isabelle Faust, Wu Wei, Magdalena Kožená, Jean-Guihen Queyras.
Works by Ondrej Adámek with Boosey & Hawkes:
Whence Comes the Voice? (2022) for voices and ensemble
Ça tourne ça bloque (2007-2011/2020) for ten instruments and sampler
Sinuous Voices (2004/2009) for ensemble or chamber orchestra
Looking Ahead: new work for Berlin Philharmonic (WP Sep 2025); new violin concerto for Christian Tetzlaff
“Adámek likes to combine the driving rhythms of minimal music with experimental means such as intermittent breathing or whispering into the instrument and he draws on folk music patterns and formulas. He avoids romantic pathos just as much as esoterically spun l'art-pour-l'art constructions. In this way, Adámek’s music remains comprehensible and targeted at every moment, especially since he always encircles a timeless humanistic core in his music.” —Reinhard J. Brembeck, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 7 Mar 2021
Please also visit Ondrej Adámek's website at ondrejadamek.com