First prize at the 36th International Guitar Competition Gargnano (Italy)
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A musician's musician,
Petra Polácková began her guitar studies at the age of six at the Elementary Art School in Roznov pod Radhostem where she worked with Mr. Bohuslav Faltus and Mrs. Miroslava Pavelkova. She also studied with Zdenek Dvorak at the Elementary Art School Lounskych in Prague. In 2004 she graduated from an 8 year high school in Roznov pod Radhostem. In 2010 she completed her studies at the School of Music in Pardubice (Czech Republic) with Prof. Petr Saidl. Most recently she obtained her Bachelor and Master Degrees with Prof. Paolo Pegoraro at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz, Austria.
Ms. Polácková has participated in master classes throughout Europe presented by internationally acclaimed classical guitarists: Giampaolo Bandini, Leo Brouwer, Rémi Boucher, Zoran Dukic, Massimo Felici, Hubert Käppel, Lorenzo Micheli, Nigel North, Thomas Offermann, Stefano Palamidessi, Elena Papandreou, Paolo Pegoraro, Thomas Müller-Pering, Judicaël Perroy, Pavel Steidl, Alexander Swete, Jens Wagner, Brigitte Zaczek, Piotr Zaleski and others. In 2011 she received the Merit Diploma at the Chigiana Academy of Siena in Maestro Oscar Ghiglia´s Class.
Since 2002 she has won three first prizes in Czech Republic national competitions in Opava, Ceske Budejovice and Pardubice and six first prizes at international competitions in Dolný Kubín (Slovakia), Kutna Hora (Czech Republic), Bratislava (Slovakia), Krzyzowa (Poland) and Krynica (Poland). In 2011 she won second prize at the International Guitar Festival Rust (Austria), second prize (first not assigned) at the International Guitar Competition Stefano Strata Pisa (Italy) and first prize at the 36th International Guitar Competition Gargnano (Italy).
As a result of her competition and concert successes she has been invited to perform at many prestigious European and also non-European guitar festivals, such as Bonn, Vienna, Rust, Mikulov, Kutna Hora, Tychy, Wroclaw, Poznan, Bratislava, Pordenone, Budapest, Balaton, Bar, Braga, Madrid, Genéve, Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, and others. Ms. Polácková also pursues an active chamber music career. From 2004 through 2010 Ms. Polácková was an instructor at the Elementary Art School Habrmanova in Hradec Kralove and at the Elementary Art School in Chocen. Petra Polácková has been co-organizer of Guitar Festival Mikulov, Czech Republic, since 2010 and most recently in 2022 was appointed Honorary Professor at the Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg, Denmark.
Petra Polácková performs on a 1923 historical guitar by Domigo Esteso, an 8-string romantic guitar (a reproduction of a guitar by Nicolaus Georg Ries, Vienna 1840); and a 9-string romantic guitar. Both romantic guitars were made by Jan Tulacek.
Artist's Website: petrapolackova.com/en/