ONDREJ VESELÝ

devotes his artistic activities solely to contemporary music, Slovak compositions and collaboration in chamber music, and interdisciplinary projects.

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     Veselý performed as a soloist with Slovak State Philharmonic (Košice/SVK), Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava/SVK), and Solamente Naturali with whom he gave world premiere performances of guitar concertos dedicated to him by Joseph Kolkovich (Excerpts from the Book of Mysteries for guitar and orchestra), Oľga Kroupová
(Eo Ipso – Concerto for guitar and symphonic orchestra) and Miro Bázlik (Concerto Grosso for guitar, double bass, harpsichord and string orchestra).

 

    Veselý is also a dedicatee of dozens of new works for solo guitar. Among the composers who dedicated their compositions to him are Peter Kotík (USA), Marc Yeats (United Kingdom), Marc Sabat (Canada), James Helgeson (USA), Harri Suilamo (Finland), Oľga Kroupová (Germany), Joseph Kolkovich (Los Angeles), Angelo Gilardino (Italy), Marián Budoš (Australia) and many others.

 

     Veselý studied classical guitar performance with Carlo Marchione (Conservatorium Maastricht/The Netherland), Martin Krajčo and Jozef Zsapka (Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava/Slovakia) and Giampaolo Bandini (Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali Luigi Boccherini in Lucca/Italy). His interest in the theoretical background of music also led him to study music aesthetics and semiotics at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra (under the tutelage of Prof. Julo Fujak) where he received a PhD in 2020. Veselý is the author of the book titled Hudba v hudbe (in English: Music in music) and the writer of a series of scholarly studies and interviews published in Slovakia, Poland, and the USA.

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        His compositions and arrangements have been performed in Europe, Asia, and the USA by artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Sergio & Odair Assad, David Russel, and Palomar ensemble and gained reviews in renowned American newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune, Las Vegas Review-Journal, and Indystar.com. His arrangement of a composition by Clarice Assad entitled ‘The Last Song’ was recorded by Yo-Yo Ma on cello, guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad, and pianist Kathryn Stott (Released by SONY on the live EP Viva Brazil).