Bohuslav Matousek was born in Havlickuv Brod (the Czech Republic), in 1949. His musical talent as well as a profound lifelong affection towards the music of Bohuslav Martinu, was probably inherited from his mother. She often reminisced, how, when she was expecting the arrival of her son to the world, she would be taking a part in a performance of Martinu’s sang ballet "Spalicek", for the whole season, on the stage of the National Theatre in Prague.
At the age of 5, Bohuslav began to learn the violin at the class of Professor Zdenek Nemec, with whom he continued his studies until the age of 18. From the age of 13, he also travelled to Prague, where he had private lessons with Professor Jaroslav Pekelsky. On number of occasions, he took part in an nationwide, Jaroslav Kocian’s violin competition, in Usti nad Orlici, where he always triumphed; (1962 the absolute first prize winner, 1963 and 1966 the competition laureate). His further success was the first prize in 1965, in a radio broadcast competition, for an interpretation of the contemporary Czech music.
Following, the matriculation exams at the gymnasium in Havlickuv Brod, he studied at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague, with prof. Jaroslav Pekelsky, and later with prof. Vaclav Snitil.
For the first time, in 1965, he took part in a master class with Arthur Grumiaux, successful completion of which, led to an invitation for him to participate in the subseqvent eight years, this time with Nathan Milstein. In 1970, at the international violin competition of Tibor Varga in Sion, he was awarded a special adjudicators prize, as well as a scholarship, which he used for a one year study with Wolfgang Schneiderhan in Swiss Luzern.
Already, at the age of twenty one, he participated, for a first time at the prestigious festival of music "Prague Spring", where on that occasion he played the Dvorak violin concerto with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Lovro von Matacic. Two years later, in 1972, Bohuslav won the 1st prize, in an international competition of the same festival.
Although the triumph in the Prague Spring international competition brought many offers of international engagements, none of that came to a realisation, in view of the young artist stance towards the then regime. As the opportunities for playing concertos gradually dwindled, even on the home ground, this situation led to Bohuslav having to sell one master instrument. In the year of 1977, there came an invitation from a Japanese Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, which ended the forced period of stagnation, and brought many incentives for a personal as well as an artistic growth. In the subsequent two and a half years in Tokio, Bohuslav was active there as an orchestral leader and a soloist , and under the batton of prominent world-class conductors such as; Sergiu Celibidache, Kurt Mazur, Zubin Metha, Leonard Bernstein, Mstislav Rostropovic, Dimitrij Kitajenko, Genadij Rozdestvenskij etc., he interpreted a series of violin concertos.
On his return from Japan, he became a leader of The Stamic Quartet, where he remained active for the next fifteen years. The Stamic quartet has recorded at home and abroad, over 60 compact discs, and was twice awarded the prestigious prize Grand Prix du disque l’Academie Charles Cros.
Bohuslav is at present time dedicated to a path of both a soloist, and a chamber musician, and also to teaching activity. In the field of chamber music, he regularly plays with the guitarist Petr Seidl, and is a member of the Antonin Dvorak piano trio, and the Bohuslav Martinu piano quartet. He is also the artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic octet and sextet.
Already, from his student days (1963), he collaborates with his permanent piano partner Petr Adamec. Together they, among other things have, recorded the complete works, for violin and piano, by Bohuslav Martinu. This project obtained several prestigious awards in Czech republic, Europe, and in USA, outstanding among which, for instance, is an announcement by the internet magazine Classics Today ,as this being the disc of the year 2000, or the Cannes Classical Award in the category "Chamber music of the 20th century", at the music fair MIDEM 2001 in France.
A unique set of four compact discs, containing Bohuslav Martinu’s complete works for solo violin (viola) and orchestra, was given a significant international response. The individual recordings have emerged between the years of 2001-2005, where the soloist is accompanied by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Sir Christopher Hogwood. Following the completion of the whole set, it was taken over by the British company Hyperion Records, who had gradually published it between the years 2007-2008, in London. The recording has received several awards both at home and abroad.
In recent years, as already mentioned, not a small part of Bohulslav life is occupied by teaching activities. He is, currently in charge of the violin class at The Academy of Musical Arts in Prague, and at The Janacek Academy of Musical Arts in Brno. Apart from that, he is, on annual basis, teaching at summer violin courses at the cloister of Zlata Koruna, and he also has got several private students.
Bohuslav Matousek is one of the few titleholders of the coveted Bohuslav Martinu foundation silver medal. This accolade, was apart from him, gained by some of the world’s prominent artist such as; Rafael Kubelik, Christopher Hogwood, Sir Charles Mackeras or Magdalena Kozena.
