Matyáš Novák is a unique natural talent. Music flouws through his fingers effortlessly with great virtuosity but also sensitivity, elegance and intelligence. This young man has a brilliant future.
Matyáš Novák (*1998) has established himself as one of the most promising pianists of his generation, renowned for his extraordinary harmonic expression, vast repertoire, and unique touch at the keyboard. His remarkable musical talent is evident not only in his significant competition achievements, but also in his original fantasies and transcriptions inspired by the works of great composers and folk music. Despite his young age, his repertoire includes forty concertos with orchestra and hundreds of solo piano compositions.
Matyáš Novák is a graduate of the renowned Incontri col Maestro piano academy in Imola, Italy, where he studied under Prof. Boris Petrushansky, and the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Prague, where he studied with Prof. Ivan Klánský and is currently pursuing his doctoral studies.
He is a winner and laureate of numerous national and international competitions. Among others, he is the overall winner of the International Competition for Young Musicians Concertino Praga (2015) in the duo category, winner of the Grand Prix at the Evangelia Tjiarri Competition in Larnaca, Cyprus (2015), winner of the Jenö Takács Klavierwettbewerb in Austria (2016), and winner of the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in the United States (2017). In 2018, he placed second and won the Steinway Prize at the Edvard Grieg International Piano Competition in Bergen, Norway. In 2022, he was one of ten semi-finalists in the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and also received a Finalist Prize at the Paloma O’Shea Santander International Piano Competition in Santander, Spain.
Matyáš performs regularly throughout his native Czech Republic and abroad, and has appeared in many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Grieghallen in Bergen, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the National Library of China in Beijing, TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, the Rudolfinum in Prague, Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria in Santander, and the Finnish House of Nobility in Helsinki, among others.
In 2015 and 2016, he undertook two successful concert tours in China. In 2017, he released his debut CD featuring Franz Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage: Première année: Suisse and became one of three musicians to receive the CME International Performing Arts Grant, awarded by the Center for Musical Excellence in New Jersey. In May 2021, the classical record label Nimbus Alliance released his CD of Mozart’s Piano Concertos K. 413, K. 414, and K. 415, which he recorded in collaboration with the world-famous Wihan Quartet. For these concertos, he composed his own cadenzas. In 2023, he recorded Franz Schubert’s song cycle Schwanengesang in Franz Liszt’s extraordinarily challenging piano transcription. In the same year, he received the prestigious Josef Hlávka Prize for talented students.
He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Hradec Králové Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pardubice Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra da Camera di Imola, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, the North Czech Philharmonic Teplice, the South Czech Philharmonic, and the PKF – Prague Philharmonia. Matyáš also collaborates with renowned conductors, including Tomáš Brauner, Edward Gardner, Pablo González, Jiří Rožeň, Kaspar Zehnder, and others.
Matyáš regularly attends master classes with renowned artists such as V. Ashkenazy, D. Bashkirov, A. Bonatta, J. Dvarionas, L. Howard, G. Gruzman, D. Kuyken, A. Kouyoumdjian, A. Lonquich, L. Margarius, and A. Siirala. His engagements have included performances at festivals both in the Czech Republic and abroad, such as the Prague Spring, Smetana Litomyšl, Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden (Norway), Bratislava Music Festival (Slovakia), and the Bangkok International Piano Festival (Thailand), among others. Matyáš is also a sought-after chamber musician.
Press Kit
Competitions and Courses
- The 20th Santander International Piano Competition, Santander, Španělsko 2022 – Finalist Prize
- 2. Internationaler Carl Maria von Weber Klavierwettbewerb für Junge Pianisten (Dresden, Germany 2021 – 3rd prize
- The 16th International Edvard Grieg Piano Competition (Bergen, Norway, 2018) – 2nd prize
- CME International Performing Arts Grant (New Jersey, USA, 2017) – Grant winner
- Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition (New York, USA, 2017) – 1st prize + Carnegie Hall Debut
- The 20th Santander International Piano Competition, Santander, Španělsko 2022 – Finalist Prize
- 2. Internationaler Carl Maria von Weber Klavierwettbewerb für Junge Pianisten (Dresden, Germany 2021 – 3rd prize
- The 16th International Edvard Grieg Piano Competition (Bergen, Norway, 2018) – 2nd prize
- CME International Performing Arts Grant (New Jersey, USA, 2017) – Grant winner
- Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition (New York, USA, 2017) – 1st prize + Carnegie Hall Debut
- Competition show of conservatories and music schools of the Czech Republic, Pardubice 2016 – 1st prize and title of absolute winner
- 4th International Jenö Takács Piano Competition for Young Pianists (Oberschützen, Austria, 2016) – 1st prize
- 3rd Aci Bertoncelj International Piano Competition (Velenje, Slovenia, 2016) – 1st prize + Award for promising pianist
- 21st Evangelia Tjarri International Piano Competition (Larnaca, Cyprus, 2016) – Grand Prix
- International Piano Competition Pro Bohemia (Ostrava, 2007, 2015) – 1st prize
- International Radio Competition for Young Musicians Concertino Praga (Prague, 2015)– 1st prize + Helena Karásková prize for overall winner (as member of the duo)
- PIANALE International Academy & Competition (Germany, 2014) – Junior Award Winner
- National Piano Competition of Art Schools (Prague, 2008, 2011, 2014) – 1st prize
- XXI International Piano Competition Rotary Club Ramón Llull Palma de Mallorca (Spain, 2014) – 1st prize
- 31st Smetana International Piano Competition (Pilsen, 2014) – 2nd prize
- Young Piano of the Prague Conservatory (Prague 2010, 2013) – Laureate of Young Piano
- XX Ibiza International Piano Competition (Spain, 2013) – 1st prize
- Prague Junior Note (Prague, 2006, 2012, 2013) – 1st prize
- National Competition of Art Schools in Chamber Music (Jindřichův Hradec, 2010, 2013)- 1st prize
- Peter Toperczer International Piano Competition Košice (Slovakia, 2013) – 3rd prize
- International Radio Competition for Young Musicians Concertino Praga (Prague, 2013)- 1st prize (national round), Honorable Mention (international round)
- International Vítězslav Novák Piano Competition (Kamenice nad Lipou, 2012) – 1st prize
- International Radio Competition for Young Musicians Concertino Praga (Prague, 2012)– 2nd prize (as member of the trio)
- International Youth Piano Competition Broumov Key (Broumov, 2011) – 1st prize
- Show of young talents 2011 (Brno Philharmonic) – 2nd prize
- International Piano Competition Virtuosi per musica di pianoforte (Ústí nad Labem, 2009) – 1st prize
- International Piano Competition Festiwal Mlodych Pianistow Glubczyce (Poland, 2009)- 1st prize
- International Piano Competition AMADEUS (Brno, 2009) – 1st prize
- Piano Competition Piano über Grenzen/Four hands on the piano – Czech Republic, Germany, (2008) – 1st prize
D. Alexeev, V. Ashkenazy, D. Baschkirov, A. Bonatta, J. Dvarionas, G. Gruzman, X. Hranická, I. Kahánek, M. Kasík, I. Klánský, A. Kouyoumdian, D. Kuyken, M. Langer, A. Lonquich, L. Margarius, B. Petrushansky, M. Rezek, A. Siirala
