Born in Prague in 2003, pianist Jan Čmejla is among the most outstanding young artists of his generation. He gained international recognition in 2025 when he won First Prize, the Audience Prize and several special prizes at the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig. He was the first Czech pianist ever to win this prestigious competition.
Since 2025, Jan Čmejla has been part of the SWR Kultur New Talent programme, which supports exceptionally gifted young musicians in their artistic development.
He began his musical education in Prague at the age of six. After studying at the Prague Conservatoire, he continued his training in 2022 at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts, where he studies with Professor Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy.
Jan Čmejla received numerous international awards from an early age, including overall winner of Concertino Praga (2019), prizewinner at the Santa Cecilia Competition (2021) and the youngest winner in the history of the International Piano Competition in Épinal (2022). He is also a prizewinner of the Olga Kern Foundation and was selected for the foundation established by cellist Gautier Capuçon in 2023.
As a soloist, he has performed with renowned orchestras including the MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig, the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles throughout Europe. His concert engagements have taken him to the United States, Spain, Canada and Hong Kong, among other destinations. In 2024, he released his debut album Revisited, featuring works by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Adam Skoumal.
Alongside his performing career, Jan Čmejla is also active as an educator. He has given masterclasses at several universities in Hong Kong and has benefited from valuable artistic guidance from musicians such as Boris Giltburg, Olga Kern and Lang Lang.
