Richard Samek was born in Třebíč, Czech Republic. He graduated from the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno, where he studied with Professor A. Barová. After completing his studies he took private lessons with N. Romanová.
He is a laureate of several international competitions, including the Antonín Dvořák International Singing Competition and the M. S. Trnavský Singing Competition.
In 2006 he made his debut on the stage of the National Theatre in Brno. He is currently a regular guest of the National Theatre in Prague, where he performs Werther (J. Massenet), Rodolfo (La Boheme), the Prince (Rusalka), Belmonte (The Abduction from the Seraglio), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) or Alfredo (La Traviata). He is also a regular guest at the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen, the National Theatre in Brno, the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre in Ostrava and the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava.
He has appeared at the Grand Théâtre de Reims, the Opéra Théâtre de Limoges, the Opéra de Rennes and the Dresden State Opera. Since the same season he has also been a guest at the Theatre Magdeburg as Don Manuel in Z. Fibich’s The Bride of Messina and since 2016 also in Gounod’s Faust. Since the 2015 / 2016 season he has sung the Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka and Rodolfo in Pucinni’s La Bohème at the Hannover State Opera. In the 2017/2018 season he made guest appearances as Jeník in Smetana’s Bartered Bride at the Aalto-Musiktheater Essen. He will sing the same role at the Semperoper Dresden in 2019.
In 2015 he took part in the live CD and DVD recording of Strauss’s opera Eine Nacht in Venedig at the Mörbisch Festival in Austria, where he sang the role of Caramello. In 2015 he participated in a live recording of Smetana’s Dalibor with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by J. Bělohlávek and in 2016 he recorded Fibich’s Bride of Messina with the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2017 he recorded Mahler’s “Song of the Earth” with Dagmar Pecková for the Suprahon label.
Richard Samek works with leading chamber and symphony orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, Orchestra Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, PKF – Prague Philharmonia, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic, Slovak State Philharmonic Košice, South Czech Philharmonic and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He has sung under such conductors as J. Bělohlávek, S. Borisov, T. Brauner, O. Dohnányi, E. Dovico, P. Ch. Feigel, P. Feranec, H. M. Förster, Ch. Garbosnik, J. Hrůša, K. Ishii, R. Jindra, J. Kyzlink, A. Markovič, Z. Müller, T. Netopil, O. Olos, A. Schüller, L. Svárovský, J. Štrunc, E. Theis, R. Válek, K. Zehnder and others.
He has performed in productions by many famous directors – K. Absenger, R. Alföldi, A. Böge, J. Burian, C. Crombholz, P. Constant, O. Fuchs, O. Havelka, J. Heřman, V. Morávek, M. Oldag, S. Ritschel, R. Schaller, V. Věžník, A. Žargas and others.
Richard Samek has taken part in many important international music festivals – the Dvořák International Music Festival in Prague, IMF Janáček May, Moravian Autumn, IMF Prague Spring, Mörbisch Lake Festival, Smetana’s Litomyšl International Opera Festival, St. Venceslav Music Festival and many others.
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