Jan Markvart
Soloist of the OperaBiography
Jan Markvart graduated from the Faculty of Engineering in Brno but had favoured singing since childhood. His first performance in Olomouc was the role of Jeník (Smetana: The Bartered Bride) in 1983 and the following year he became a soloist of the Janáček Opera in Brno. It was again the role of Jeník which had brought him significant successes shortly and it allowed him to perform in other hinge roles of the Czech and world repertoire. With Jeník he has given guest performances in Germany and due to Jeník he was engaged to the National Theatre in Prague in 1986. Since then he has created many roles mainly from Czech operatic repertoire – Smetana, Dvořák, and Janáček. In 1986 he gave guest performances in Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires as Albert Gregor in Janáček’s The Makropulos Case, from 1987 to 1991 in Holland in Enschede as Jeník in The Bartered Bride, Janáček’s Števa in Jenůfa, Boris in Katya Kabanová and Rector in The Cunning Little Vixen. As a well known Janáček’s singer he was invited to Maggio Fiorentino where he sang in the season 1993 in The Diary of one who disappeared. He was also successful as a Florestan (Fidelio), Don José (Carmen), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Cavaradossi (Tosca) and Boito's Nerone. He has sung in Teatro Regio (Torino), Opéra-Comique (Paris), Wiesbaden (May Festspiele) and several times in Luxembourg. At the National Theatre in Prague he has performed as First Priest (Mozart: Die Zauberflöte), Smetana’s Skřivánek (The Secret) and Janáček’s Vítek (The Makropulos Case) etc. His concert activities are also rich. He cooperated with many well known conductors as O. Dohnányi, Z. Košler, B. Gregor, S. Baudo, J. Bělohlávek, J. Pinkas, G. Albrecht, Kazushi Ono, Sir C. Mackeras etc. He co-operates with radio, television and recording companies (Decca, Orfeo, Supraphon etc.). In 2008 he was invited to participate in a new production of From the House of the Dead at Janáček’s festival in Brno. In 2009 he has sung Vítek (The Makropulos Case) in Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and also in Strassbourg. In 2017, he took part as Hauk Šendorf (The Makropulos Case) in performances of the National Theatre Brno in Hong Kong Arts Festival and 19th China Shanghai International Arts Festival.