SEMERÁK, OLDŘICH (b. 1932)

The composer Oldřich Semerák attended in the years 1948-1952 Industrial School in Zlín (then Gottwaldov) with experience in the factory. He attended Brno Conservatory, graduating in 1958 with Josef Smékal (playing trombone) and studied composition with Franz Suchy. Between 1966-1967 he was an external listener University of Brno (Department of Musicology), in 1967 he transferred to the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he studied composition with Emil Hlobil, music theory with Karel Janeček and aesthetics with Jaroslav Zicha (study completed in 1971). In the season 1960-1961 he was a member of the Opera Orchestra of the South Bohemian Theatre in Czech Budějovice, and since 1961 he served as head of the trombone section of Carlsbad Symphony Orchestra (1973). Then he focused on teaching activities. He became the First Deputy in 1973, then Director in 1977 at LŠU Karlovy Vary - Bohatice. At the same time he taught at the Pilseň Conservatory and since 1977 he became professor of composition and music theory courses at the Prague Conservatory (until 2010, 1983-1990 as Deputy Director).

 

Oldřich Semerák's youth went from socially committed creator, in 1989 for two years he was chairman of the Association for the renewed presence of contemporary music, where he was managing editor of the bulletin rhythm. Co-authored the publication at Komenia, Innovative Ways of Music and Art of the 20th Century, and in the edition of the Prague Conservatory, he is the author of the texts Theory of Musical Forms and Compositional Methods of the 20th Century. Since 1966 he was a member of the Union of Czech Composers and later joined the normalization SCSK, since 1990 a member of the Czech composers at AHUV. Since 1987 he is member of the international art agency The International Council of Fine Arts Deans based in New York.