Antonín Dvořák Prize nominations announced

Members of the Academy's council, who include important figures from the world of culture and classical music, have nominated opera singers Gabriela Beňačková and René Fleming, who share, among others, the role of Rusalka, which they have performed on opera stages worldwide, most notably the Metropolitan Opera. A nomination has also gone to Ivan Klánský, a pianist and educator who has influenced several generations of musicians. Another person the academicians nominated is the widely recognized musicologist and publicist Milan Kuna who has dedicated a large part of his professional life to the legacy of Antonín Dvořák and Václav Talich. The fifth nominee is Richard Novák, a legendary opera singer from Brno who remains musically active at a respectable age of 85 years. The Antonín Dvořák Prize is a prestigious award conferred on individuals who make a major contribution to promoting and popularizing Czech classical music through lifelong work or an extraordinary artistic achievement both in the Czech Republic and abroad. The laureate of the Antonín Dvořák Prize will be announced on the eve of the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival on 4 September 2016.

The Antonín Dvořák Prize was inaugurated in 2009 by the Classical Music Academy, a nonprofit society that organizes the Dvořák Prague International Music Festival. The award's purpose is to honor individuals who make a major contribution to promoting and popularizing Czech classical music through lifelong work or an extraordinary artistic achievement, both in the Czech Republic and abroad. Past awardees include Yo-Yo Ma, Jiří Bělohlávek, Josef Suk, Ivan Moravec, Jiří Kout, Ludmila Dvořáková, and Jiří Kylián.