OTAKAR ANTONÍN ŠTEFAN

OTAKAR ANTONÍN ŠTEFAN

Otakar Antonín Štefan was born on October 31, 2008, in Prague. He began his musical education at the age of eight at the Elementary School of Arts, initially studying recorder and piano. At ten, he discovered his passion for the clarinet, teaching himself to play before attending various prestigious masterclasses.

He has participated in internationally renowned courses, including the International Clarinet Courses in Domažlice, led by Ludmila Peterková, Marek Švejkar, and Ecesu Sertesen, as well as the International Music Master Classes at JAMU Brno, where he studied under Milan Polák, Vít Spilka, and David Šimeček. He has also taken masterclasses with Joseph Eller.

Otakar has achieved outstanding results in both national and international competitions:

• 2022 – 3rd Prize at the 6th International Moscow Music Competition, Russia.
• 2022 & 2023 – 1st Prize at the National Woodwind Instruments Competition – Litvínov Woodwinds, Czech Republic.
• 2023 – 1st Prize at the 5th International Music Competition Opus in Kraków, Poland.
• 2023 – Honorable Mention at the International Mozartian Competition for Young Pianists "Amadeus" in Brno.
• 2024 – 1st Prize at the Euterpe Music Awards in Berlin.
• 2025 – 1st Prize at the Sava Dimitrov 3rd International Clarinet Competition in Sofia.

At just twelve years old, he performed J. A. E. Koželuh's Clarinet Concerto in E-flat Major with the Chamber Orchestra of Šluknov, marking a significant milestone in his early career.

In 2024, Otakar was accepted into the prestigious Prague Conservatoire, where he is currently studying under Prof. Milan Polák.

He has a deep passion for classical music and continues to develop his artistry through competitions, performances, and further musical studies.

Otakar currently plays on the RZ Capriccio Clarinet.