BERANEK, JACOB (b. 1998)

Jacob Beranek (b. 1998) is an award-winning, Wisconsin-born composer and pianist who lives in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. A proud Czech, he learned about his heritage early on, and this, mixed with his love of music, became an explosive artistic combination. He started composing music at eight years of age, had visited the Czech Republic by age ten, and began competing in composition contests at age eleven.

 

Winning first place three times in the North Central Region of the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) Jr. Composers competition, Jacob was also recognized na- tionally by the NFMC in 2015 for winning the “Outstanding Piano Composition, Laura K. Wilson Memorial Fund honoring Dorothy Dann Bullock.” He also received first place in Oklahoma City University’s nationwide 2016 Project 21 Prize for Music Composition. Jacob is ammember of ASCAP.

 

In addition to composing, Jacob is a serious pianist who has earned many honors. He won first place in every event he competed in during the 2015 and 2014 Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs (WFMC) State Festivals. In the Wisconsin Music Teachers Association (WMTA) district auditions, he has advanced to the Bagder state level every year eligible, earning first place in 2013. Jacob had the privilege of studying piano with the internationally acclaimed Czech pianist, Radoslav Kvapil, in Prague during June 2015.

 

Jacob studies composition with Ronald Foster and studies piano with Margarita Kontorovsky at the Waukesha County Conservatory of Music in Hartland, Wisconsin. He attended the Jr. Composers Institute in Minneapolis each July from 2012-2015, and also has a mentoring relationship with Joel Blahník.

 

When not composing or preparing for auditions, Jacob delves into music history and genealogy while maintaining a 4.0+ GPA in his high school studies. He enjoys serving as the choral rehearsal pianist at Ascension Lutheran Church in Waukesha, Wisconsin.