Jiří Hanousek is one of the most prominent musical personalities of the Ostrava region and among the finest cellists in the Czech Republic. He graduated from the Ostrava Conservatory, where he studied cello in the class of PhDr. Ivan Měrka and Prof. Jan Hališka, while also studying composition with Jaromír Podešva. After completing his studies at the conservatory, he continued at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, studying under Prof. Miloš Sádlo.
He demonstrated his talent and artistry by becoming a laureate of the Prague Spring International Music Competition. His playing is characterized by a refined tone culture, technical brilliance and a compelling musical expression.
He currently performs as a soloist and concert master of the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava. During his numerous international engagements, Jiří Hanousek has performed with Czech and foreign orchestras in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, the United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. In 1994 and early 1995 he undertook successful concert tours in the United States, and he also appeared as a soloist for audiences in Australia during a tour with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava.
With the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, he recorded Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor as well as the premiere recording of the Cello Concerto by the American composer Ch. R. Berry.
For the American label Centaur, together with pianist Pavel Kašpar, he recorded Bohuslav Martinů’s Sonatas for Cello and Piano. For the Swiss label Tudor he recorded the sonatas of Josef Bohuslav Foerster, and in co-production with Bavarian Radio for the Italian label Real Sound he recorded sonatas for cello and piano by French composers of the 20th century – Claude Debussy, Francis Poulenc and Charles Koechlin. He also participated in a recording of chamber music by Jaromír Podešva.
Among the Czech premieres he performed are the Cello Concerto by Samuel Barber, Gardens of Exile by Gérard Schurmann, and Three Pieces for Cello by György Kurtág. In addition to his successful career as a soloist and orchestral musician, he teaches at the Janáček Conservatory in Ostrava and serves as Associate Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Ostrava.
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