About
Jan Bartoš is one of the most distinct pianistic voices that have emerged from the Czech music scene in recent years. The BBC Music Magazine has described his playing as “gorgeous beyond words” and “quintessentially refined.” He has appeared in solo recitals and in concerts with major orchestras and his recordings from Mozart, Beethoven and Janáček to neglected composers of the last century have earned him consistently high critical praise.
Last season, Jan Bartoš debuted with the Staatskapelle Berlin under Jakub Hrůša performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, Bamberger Symphoniker with Prokofiev’s 1st Piano Concerto, also led by Hrůša, and Wiener Symphoniker under Petr Popelka performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5. He is also a popular guest at several major festivals including the Prague Spring Festival, the Rudolf Firkušný Piano Festival, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Piano Aux Jacobins in Toulouse.
In November 2025, Jan Bartoš released an album featuring a world premiere recording of Anton Reicha’s Piano Concerto, complete with newly discovered pages, accompanied by Prague Radio Symphony, and Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto recorded live with the Vienna Symphony, both conducted by Petr Popelka. Previous albums include a piano repertoire by Bedřich Smetana and Miloslav Kabeláč, awarded a 5-star review by the BBC Music Magazine and shortlisted for the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. His CD recording of Vítězslav Novák’s Piano Concerto with Jakub Hrůša and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra was awarded the Best Classical Album by the Czech Academy of Music.
In 2019, Bartoš released a recording of solo piano works by Leoš Janáček. Gramophone selected the album as Editor’s Choice, noting that it “easily stands alongside reference Janáček offerings,” and NPR Music included the recording among the 10 Best Classical Albums of the Year, saying that “Apart from the late Rudolf Firkušný, Janáček’s pupil, no pianist has interpreted his music with enough subtlety – until now.” Bartoš’s other notable CDs 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.”
Jan Bartoš studied at the Manhattan School of Music in New York and holds a doctorate from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he was the last student of the legendary pianist Ivan Moravec. Following his studies in the Czech Republic with Martin Ballý and Miroslav Langer, he continued under the guidance of Alfred Brendel, Leon Fleisher, James Tocco, and Zenon Fishbein. He is 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).
Jan Bartoš teaches piano and chamber music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He is the Founder and Director of the international festival and institute Prague Music Performance and the Artistic Director of the international festival Music is.
He records exclusively for Supraphon.