Vivat Strauss

Soprano Eva Štruplová comes from Kutná Hora. After studying at the State Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, she graduated in Siena, Italy with Professor Bergonzi and participated in several international singing competitions (e.g. Grimsby, UK). Then she became a soloist of the South Bohemian Theatre Opera in České Budějovice. Here she performed, among others, the following roles: Musette (La Bohème – Puccini), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro – Mozart), Manon (Manon – Massenet), Zerlina (Don Giovanni – Mozart), Despina (Cosi fan tutte), Fox (Fox Bystroushka – Janáček), Gilda (Rigoletto – Verdi), Adéla (The Bat – Strauss). For the role of Adele she was in the wider nomination for the Thalia Award, Lady Harriet (Martha – von Flotow), Rosina (La Figaro di Seville – Rossini) and Violetta (La Traviata – Verdi). She was also shortlisted for the Thalia Award for the role of Violetta. She has also been a guest at the Estates Theatre in Prague, the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen, the F. X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec and the State Opera in Ústí nad Labem. She also performs concert singing in the Czech Republic and abroad, having given concerts in many European countries, South Africa, Namibia and Israel. She has performed, for example, with Virtuosi di Praha, with organist Prof. Václav Uhlíř and other artists. For Czech Television she performed the main role of Ariadne from the opera of the same name by B. Martinů. She participated in several CDs, for example L. Janáček – Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs, F. X. Brixi – Christmas Mass, W. A. Mozart – Requiem and others.

Jan Mikoláš was born on 6 August 1979 in Sokolov, where he also started playing the violin at the local LŠU. He continued his studies on the viola at the conservatory in Pilsen. He then studied conducting at the JAMU in Brno, the Prague Conservatory and the HAMU in Prague. He completed his education at master conducting courses in Vienna with Prof. Vladimir Kiradjiev and István Dénész. Since 2003 he has been conducting the Mariánské Lázně ZSO regularly, and in 2014-2015 he was assistant conductor-in-chief of the KSO Karlovy Vary.
In 2022, he began to collaborate as a conductor with the North Bohemian Theatre Ústí nad Labem and the North Bohemian Philharmonic Teplice. In 2023, he also began conducting the Phantom of the Opera at the GOJA music hall in Prague and this year also the performance Les Misérables.
Since 2017 he has been the chief conductor of the Františkovy Lázně Orchestra.
He is still an active viola and violin player.