Jan Bartoš holds a Professional Studies Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music in New York and a doctorate from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He was the last pupil of the legendary pianist Ivan Moravec. Following his studies in the Czech Republic with Martin Ballý and Miroslav Langer, he continued to hone his artistry abroad under the guidance of Alfred Brendel, Leon Fleisher, James Tocco, and Zenon Fishbein. Alfred Brendel endorsed Jan Bartoš's playing with the following: “Jan Bartoš is one of my most impressive and exciting young colleagues. In him, virtuosity is coupled with deeply serious musicianship.''
Jan Bartoš teaches piano and chamber music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He is also the Founder and Director of the international festival and institute Prague Music Performance, the Artistic Director of the international festival Music is and the Ivan Moravec Academy.
The international press has described Jan Bartoš as “one of the finest European pianists” and “an emotional and sophisticated interpreter.” He has appeared in solo recitals, with major orchestras and in chamber music concerts worldwide and enjoys a prolific recording career as an exclusive artist on the Supraphon label. His recordings have earned international critical praise from critics at Gramophone, Diapason, BBC Music Magazine, The Times, American Record Guide and The Guardian among other outlets.
The highlights of the upcoming season (2024/2025) include: Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in D minor with Staatskapelle Berlin under Christian Thielemann, Martinů’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Wiener Symphoniker under Petr Popelka, a tour in the USA with recitals and master classes in New York, San Francisco, Cleveland, Ojai and Madison, an Artist Residency at Brown University, a recital at the Shanghai International Arts Festival and a tour in the UK including London, Manchester, Notthingham and York.
In the previous concert seasons, Jan Bartoš performed in internationally acclaimed festivals such as the Piano Aux Jacobins (Toulouse, France), the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the San Francisco International Piano Festival (USA), the Spinacorona (Napoli, Italy), and the Prague Spring under the baton of Ilan Volkov.
In February 2023 Jan Bartoš’s most recent CD was released worldwide introducing to the world unknown gems of Czech piano music of Miloslav Kabeláč and Bedřich Smetana. The BBC Music Magazine critically acclaimed the recording with a 5-star review, and album was nominated to the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award). He also recently recorded Viktor Ullmann’s Piano Concerto with the Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša, for Supraphon and the Bayerische Rundfunk. His critically acclaimed CD release of Vítězslav Novák’s Piano Concerto with Jakub Hrůša and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra won the Anděl Award, the Czech Republic’s highest recording prize in the Best Classical Album category.
In 2019, Bartoš recorded solo piano works of Leoš Janáček for Supraphon to great critical acclaim. Gramophone selected it as Editor's Choice, noting that it “easily stands alongside reference Janáček offerings,” and NPR Music included the recording in “10 Classical Albums To Usher In The Next Decade.” Bartoš’s other notable CDs on Supraphon include a double album of Beethoven’s solo piano works and Mozart Concertos with the Czech Philharmonic and Jiří Bělohlávek. The Beethoven album received a 5-star review from the BBC Music Magazine: “Everything in this recording is outstanding. The Arietta of Op. 111 is here gorgeous beyond words.”
Jan Bartoš has been the recipient of several awards, among them the 1st prize at Zaslavsky-Koch Competition (New York), the Peter S. Reed Foundation Award (New York), the Mieczyslaw Munz Competition (New York), the Rucorva Trust Award (the Netherlands) and the Schimmel Prize (Germany).
