Pianist Marek Kozák Wins Jiří Bělohlávek Prize for 2025

Carrying a value of CZK 50,000, the prize celebrates a young musician who is upholding the tradition of Czech music

Established in 2019 and awarded annually by the Czech Philharmonic, the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize is given to a young Czech artist under the age of thirty who has achieved extraordinary success in their field and who is upholding the tradition of Czech music at home and abroad.

In 2025, pianist Marek Kozák was named the winner of the award. Kozák is a laureate of several prestigious international competitions – including the Géza Anda Competition in Zurich, the Busoni Competition in Bolzano, and the Prague Spring – and regularly performs with leading Czech and international orchestras.

A frequent chamber-music partner of Czech musicians, including soprano Simona Šaturová and cellists Václav Petr and Vilém Vlček, Kozák is also a champion of lesser-known repertoire. His 2024 album Forgotten Czech Piano Concertos (Supraphon) featured works by Karel Kovařovic, Vítězslava Kaprálová, and Pavel Bořkovec.

During the 2024/25 season, he has made solo appearances with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra Olomouc, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, and the Slovak Philharmonic, among others.

Kozák received a cash prize of CZK 50,000, donated by the Jiří Bělohlávek Fund as part of the Czech Philharmonic Foundation. The prize was presented on stage by Anna Fejérová, wife of the late Jiří Bělohlávek.

"I’m truly delighted to be this year’s recipient of the Jiří Bělohlávek Prize, and I deeply appreciate this honor," Kozák said.

"I’m sorry I can’t express my thanks in person this evening – right now, I’m about 250 kilometers away from Hradčanské Square, at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, where I’m performing in a concert with conductor Jakub Hrůša. He, now a world-renowned conductor, was one of Jiří Bělohlávek’s most successful students. I see it as a symbolic coincidence."

Kozák's fiancée, the bassoonist Denisa Beňovská, accepted the award on his behalf.