BIOGRAPHY

Zuzana Šimurdová ( MgA., D.E.S.S., DAMPS ) was born in the Czech city of Ostrava ,where her great – grandfather Eduard Marhula, a pupil of Leoš Janáček  founded the first Music Institute.

Now named after him.

 She started taking composition and piano lessons at the age of 6 and 1/2 at the Music School in Ostrava-Poruba under the tutorial of L. Vrublova.

3 years later she won her first prize at the Composition Competition for young composers and having her debut in the Czech Radio. Her first compositions are published.

In the Czech Republic Zuzana graduated from the Janáček’s Conservatoire in Ostrava under Prof. M. Tugendliebová and Janáček’s Academy of Music and Performing Arts - JAMU - in Brno under Doc.V. Sláviková.

In 2001 Zuzana won a Second Prize in the International Competition in London ( playing at the Royal Festival Hall during the ACT Festival ) prior to under- going a one year study period under Prof. Renna Kellaway at the University of Leeds as a part of the Socrates / Erasmus Programme.

In the same year Zuzana won an audition and joined the LUUMS Orchestra as a soloist. Together they performed the Grieg Piano Concerto in Leeds Town Hall and in St. Judith Church in Prague.



In 2003 Zuzana won the First Janáček Prize  at the International Competition in Baden by Vienna.

In 2005 she became a Laureate of the UNESCO – Aschberg Bursaries ( Paris ) as well as a Winner of the First Prize and J. Seidler Prize in the International Anglo-Czechoslovak Trust Music Competition in London.

During the same year she was developing her piano studies in the Artist Residency in Banff, Canada and also became the only Czech pianist to be invited to participate in the Inter -national Chopin Piano Competition in Warszaw 2005.

Zuzana received many scholarships for Inter - national Summer Academies  to cooperate with professors such as:

A. Cohen ( Israel - Great Britain ), P. Jasmin,  E. Solar - Kinderman ( Canada ), E. Indjic (France),       A. Kouyoumdjian ( Austria ), G. Kalish ( USA ), G. Nador ( Hungary ), P. Toperczer (Czech Republic ).

In Canada, she obtained the Artist Diploma (D.E.S.S. Paino Performance) at the Universite de Montreal  (Jean Saulnier ) and DAMPS Advanced Performance Diploma from the Concordia University ( Gregory Chaverdian ) in Montreal as well. 

Together with her husband, Polish/ Canadian pianist Mikolaj Warszynski, Zuzana was featured in the North American premiere of Claude Vivier’s Disintegration for two pianos, at the theatre de la Gesu in Montreal in December 2007, as part of the Serie Hommage of the Societe de musique contemporaine du Quebec.

On May 2008, Zuzana became a Laureate of Vivacite Montreal programme for her 1st recently released CD “Preludes a Un Pays Vrai” by Quebecois composer, J. Chatillon.

One month later, she received an Orpheus Award from the Delian Society of composers and performers in USA.

In March 2009 Ms Simurdova performed her concert debut in Poland in March 2009 during the The Oskar Kolberg Philharmonics Music Days (Swietokrzyskie Dni Muzyki). 

In October 2009, at the Convocation Hall in Edmonton, she performed the Chopin 1st Piano Concerto with the string quartet ( a premiere) to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth.

Further engagements included concerts at the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall in Montreal,Isidor Bajic Piano Memorial in Serbia, IBLA Grand Prize in Sicily and an Alberta Chopin Tour 2010 for the autumn; organized by the Chopin comitee in Canada. www.chopin2010.ca

During the summer 2010, Zuzana won a Chopin Award at the International Music Competition IBLA Grand Prize and was chosen by the IBLA Foundation for the USA Tour 2011 and a debut performance at the Carnegie Hall in New York  ( 5th of April 2011 ).

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COMPETITIONS/SCHOLARSHIPS