Ondrej Lenárd

Ondrej Lenárd studied at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava in the class of Professor Ľudovít Rajter. In the course of his studies, he obtained valuable artistic experience whilst collaborating with professional ensembles. After completing his studies in 1962, he began his artistic career as a choirmaster and conductor with the Opera of the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, where he was chief conductor in the years 1984-1986 and subsequently served as opera director (1997-1998). In 1970, he became a conductor with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra in Bratislava, where he was chief conductor from 1977 to 1990. In the following decade (1991-2001), his systematic work, as well as his original and spontaneous musical approach to the pieces performed and the results achieved, led him to collaborate with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (chief conductor from 1991 and artistic director in the years 1993-2001).

In the same period, he also became a permanent guest conductor of the Japan Shinsei Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo in 1978. He subsequently became chief conductor and musical director of this renowned Japanese orchestra in 1993. He was made an honorary conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000.

Ondrej Lenárd collaborates with leading European orchestras and soloists (P. Dvorský, G. Beňačková, E. Obraztsova, M. Freni, P. Cappuccilli, E. Urbanová, S. Kopčák among others). He has conducted at the Vienna State Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the State Opera in Budapest, as well as the National Theatre and State Opera in Prague. He has made guest appearances in Canada, Brazil, the USA and Japan.

Ondrej Lenárd had made more than a thousand radio recordings. His discography includes recordings for Opus, Naxos, Marco Polo and HNH International (for whom he has recorded 20 CDs).

In 1974, Ondrej Lenárd was a prize winner at the International Conductors’ Competition in Budapest. He is a recipient of Slovakia’s Order of Ľudovít Štúr award (1998), and he accepted an honorary doctorate from Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica in 2002.

Ondrej Lenárd heads the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra as its new Chief Conductor from the 2011/2012 season.