Magdalena Kožená Presents

Emma Balunová was born on 18 October, 2001 in South Moravia. She initially focused on studying the violin, but after attending her first opera performance she fell completely in love with the world of opera. As a result, she decided to study classical singing at an arts school in Hodonín. She very quickly realised that she wished to continue with singing studies and began preparing for admission to a conservatory.  

Emma is currently in her first year of studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where she works with soprano Simona Šaturová.

source: Emma Balunová

photo © Emma Balounová

Amálie Motošická is a student at the Jan Deyl Conservatory in Prague, where she has been studying classical singing since 2022 under the guidance of Mgr. Jarmila Chaloupková. Her musical foundations were laid during many years of study at the Ratibořická primary arts school, where she also pursued piano studies.

During her studies, she earned significant achievements in competitions, including first prizes at the International Singing Competition Olomouc, Allegro Music Competition and the Pardubice Conservatory International Competition, as well as further awards at competitions including the Voice of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, Prague Singer International Singing Competition, and the Dušek International Singing Competition.

Amálie Motošická regularly takes part in prestigious masterclasses and interpretation courses, where she has worked with leading vocal artists including Kateřina Kněžíková, Simona Houda Šaturová, Adam Plachetka, Mariusz Kwiecień and the legendary vocal coach Margreet Honig. Alongside her studies, she engages in concert performances, appearing both as a soloist and at festivals and in major musical projects, such as a concert performance of Leoš Janáček’s Příhody lišky Bystroušky conducted by Jakub Hrůša.

Her artistic profile is characterised by systematic professional training, outstanding competition achievements, and a steadily developing concert and interpretative practice.

source: Amálie Motošická

photo © Barbora Linhová

Dominik Urbánek is a young Czech singer who has been studying voice at the Faculty of Music of the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts in Brno under the guidance of Miroslav Dvorský since 2024. Previously, he systematically devoted himself to solo singing at several primary arts schools in Brno.

He is a laureate of a number of prestigious vocal competitions. His most notable competition achievements a first prize at the Prague Singer International Singing Competition, and a second prize and a special award at the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary in the Opera Hope category. From an early age, he has consistently achieved top placements in regional and national rounds of primary arts school competitions and enjoyed significant success at both the national and international level.

Alongside competitions, Dominik Urbánek has gained extensive concert and stage experience. He has collaborated with the Brno Philharmonic, appeared at Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival, and performed numerous roles in opera productions at the National Theatre Brno as well as with independent ensembles. He continues to refine his performing skills through masterclasses led by distinguished artists such as Yvonne Steiner, Franz Hawlata, Ivan Choupenitch and Marcel Boone.

source: Dominik Urbánek

photo © Martina Vlasáková

Bass-baritone Theodor Šimáček, a graduate of the Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava, entered the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague  in October 2025. He is regarded as one of the most promising figures of the emerging generation of Czech opera singers. From an early age he devoted himself to piano playing and, at the age of 14, even appeared as an opening act at a concert by Ivo Kahánek. Subsequently, however, he became captivated by the world of opera. In 2024, he won the Operatic Hope category at the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition in Karlovy Vary.

source: Theodor Šimáček

photo © Richard Nowak

Ahmad Hedar is one of the most sought-after opera répétiteurs, vocal coaches and teachers in the Czech Republic. He studied piano at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague in the class of Prof. František Malý, and further broadened his musical training through masterclasses with distinguished artists such as Paul Badura-Skoda, Andrij Gavrilov and Zenon Fishbein.

As an opera répétiteur and vocal coach, he collaborates with leading singers of the contemporary Czech and international opera scene. His long-standing artistic partners include Petr Nekoranec, Roman Hoza, Ester Pavlů, Lukáš Bařák, Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir and Bella Adamova. He has also worked with legendary Czech opera singers including Gabriela Beňačková, Eva Randová, Vladimír Chmel, Simona Šaturová and Helena Kaupová. Internationally, he has collaborated with soloists such as Mariusz Kwiecień, Bryan Hymel, Xabier Anduaga, Serena Sáenz and Navasard Hakobyan.

In 2019, he was awarded a scholarship from the prestigious Bayreuth Festival. Internationally, he works primarily as a vocal coach and pianist in productions of the Czech operatic repertoire. He has been involved in productions of Rusalka (Bergen National Opera 2021, 2023), Jenůfa (Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse 2022) and Katya Kabanova (Bergen National Opera 2023). He collaborates on a regular basis with the Czech Center in New York, where he has appeared with Ester Pavlů and Kristýna Kůstková (2021, 2022); with the latter he performed in 2025 at the Czech Center in Paris. As a pianist, he presented Rusalka at the Czech and Slovak Echoes in the USA Festival (2024). In 2025, he appeared with tenor Petr Nekoranec in a song recital at the Opéra de Lille in France.

He dedicates a significant part of his artistic efforts to the ensemble RunOpeRun, where he is responsible for the musical direction of productions. Under the leadership of founder Veronika Loulová, he takes part in projects aimed at bringing opera closer to a wider audience. He has served as musical director of productions including La Traviata, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Rusalka and The Human Voice by Francis Poulenc.

Since 2017, he has regularly collaborated with the European Music Academy in Teplice, where he works alongside Eva Randová as an operatic vocal coach. He has also instructed young performers at the Jan Deyl Conservatory since 2019 and, from 2025, also at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he serves as a répétiteur and vocal coach.

source: Ahmad Hedar