Czech Next Wave

At the age of just 39, Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša is already a major name in classical music, serving as chief conductor of the Bamberg Symphony and principal guest conductor at the Czech Philharmonic in Prague, as well as regularly wielding his baton with many of the world’s top orchestras.

Kateřina Tučková is one of the most successful young Czech novelists. Her powerful novel Gerta – focused on the cruel treatment of ethnic Germans in the immediate aftermath of the war – has just been published in English. Another of her works based on extensive historical research is The Žítková Goddesses, a best-selling novel about a group of female healers in the White Carpathians.

Jiří Mádl has been one of the Czech Republic’s most recognisable young film stars since the mid-2000s, when he shot to fame with massive teen movies. But Mádl is also an accomplished writer and director, winning plaudits for the sensitive low-budget drama To See the Sea (made when he was still in his mid 20s) and On the Roof, one of the country’s films of the year in 2019.

Based in New York since the early 2010s, Marie Tomanová is one of the most successful young Czech photographers. Her biggest impact to date has been with the portrait series Young American, focused on a new generation for whom old gender stereotypes no longer apply, and last year she brought her work to Tokyo and Berlin.

Musician, composer and producer Sára Vondrášková has been one of most distinctive voices on the Czech music scene for the best part of a decade. Recording and performing as Never Sol, she has to date released two powerful albums of atmospheric, synthesiser-based music and recently returned with the single Leon. In addition Vondrášková, who is 31, works regularly with other artists in fields such as fashion and dance and hosts a show on the radio station Vltava.

Marek Šindelka is one of the Czech Republic’s leading young authors. Known for acclaimed novels such as Aberrant and Material Fatigue, the 36-year-old has also won top domestic prizes for his poetry and short stories. His broad oeuvre also includes graphic novels, while movie scripts he has penned should reach the big screen in 2021.

Tereza Rosalie Kladošová is one of the Czech Republic’s top young fashion designers. Known for eye-catching bright colours and bold, fun cuts, she frequently uses her own materials – including from the waste products of wool manufacturing – to conjure up genuinely one-of-a-kind pieces. She also makes various other items and in her guise as a stylist co-created the look of popular Prague restaurant Eska. Last year the designer, who is in her mid 30s, took the overall prize in the prestigious Czech Grand Design awards.

Despite being only 35, Michal Šimíček heads the Blood Cancer Research Group in Ostrava, a team doing very exciting work in the field of cell therapy. This ground-breaking treatment involves using live immune system cells to target certain kinds of tumors and Šimíček’s aim is to create universal cells that could be taken from any donor, so making the treatment way more affordable than it is now.

Albert Černý found fame at a young age when his first band Charlie Straight won three Czech national Anděl music awards following the release of their debut LP. The lively singer-songwriter later formed Lake Malawi; the group’s biggest moment to date was representing the Czech Republic in last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, where they finished a very creditable 11th. In recent times Černý (31) has also been doing some modelling and TV work.

Czech Next Wave, a regular podcast produced jointly by the Czech Centres network and Radio Prague International, introduces listeners around the world to emerging, exciting and highly talented young Czechs in various areas of the arts and beyond. The first episode will be released in the second half of next week.