Ondrej Lenárd

After studies in the class of Professor Ľudovít Rajter at the Music Academy in Bratislava, Ondrej Lenárd embarked on his artistic career in 1962, as chorusmaster and conductor with the Slovak National Theatre Opera in Bratislava, where he later, from 1984–1986, held the post of principal conductor, and from 1997–1998 that od opera director. In 1970 he became conductor of the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra in Bratislava, and from 1977–1990 was its principal conductor. In the ensuing decade (1991–2001), his career was linked with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (from 1991 as principal conductor, between 1993 and 2001 as its artistic director). From 1978 he was permanent guest conductor of Tokyo’s Japan Shinsei Symphony Orchestra, and in 1993 he was appointed principal conductor and music director of this renowned Japanese orchestra. In 2000 he was named honorary conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ondrej Lenárd works with leading international and Czech orchestras (including among others the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Symphony Orchestra, and the Brno State Philharmonic Orchestra) and soloists (Peter Dvorský, Gabriela Beňačková, Elena Obraztsova, Piero Capuccilli, Eva Urbanová, Sergej Kopčák, and others). He has directed orchestras at the Vienna State Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Teatro Liceo in Barcelona, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Budapest State Opera, National Theatre in Prague, and Prague State Opera, as well as guest appearing in Canada, Brazil, USA and Japan (recently in concert with the Tokyo Metropolitan Opera in 2006, presenting Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera with the Nikkai Opera Company in Tokyo in 2007, and in concert productions of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008.

He has to his credit over one thousand radio recordings and an extensive discography for OPUS, Naxos, and Marco Polo labels. Many of his remarkable recordings of symphonic works and operas are kept in the library of Slovak Television.

In 1974 Ondrej Lenárd became laureate of the Budapest International Conducting Competition. In 1998 he was awarded Slovakia’s Ľudovít Štúr Order, and in 2002 he was made Honorary Doctor of Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica.

Ondrej Lenárd’s collaboration with the Prague State Opera, which began in 2005, has since encompassed the conducting of Dvořák’s Rusalka, Bizet’s Carmen, and Puccini’s Tosca, the last of which he presented during the Prague State Opera’s 2006 visit to Salzburg.