Lucie
Žáková
Biography
Lucie GUERRA ŽÁKOVÁ, born in Litomyšl, is a Czech harpsichordist and organist living and working abroad (Spain).
She studied the organ at the Academy of Music Arts in Prague with Prof. Jan Hora and doc. Jaroslav Tůma. During her studies she also went for a scholarship to Hochschule für Musik und Theater – a University in Hamburg where she studied with Prof. Jan Ernst. She participated in a wide range of master classes in her homeland as well as abroad. Her continuous interest in French music brought her to Paris and Toulouse, where she studied at Universities (CNSMD in Paris and CESMD in Toulouse) as a student of world renowned organists such as Olivier Latry – the chief organist at Notre-Dame de Paris, Michel Bouvard – the chief organist at St. Sernin in Toulouse, J. W. Jansen, L. Avot, Y. Bouvard). Being in France, she also took up her interest in the instrument of harpsichord, which she devoted to more deeply later on. To improve her music knowledge she continued to study with Prof. Giedrė Lukšaitė-Mrázková at the Academy of Music Arts in Prague, where she graduated in 2014.
Lucie GUERRA ŽÁKOVÁ has devoted herself to performing in concerts for a long time. She is regularly invited to perform at prestigious festivals in the Czech Republic as well as abroad (such as the International Festival of Smetana’s Litomyšl, the Festival of Chamber Music in Český Krumlov, Arte Sacro in Madrid, VIII Festival de Músicas Contemplativas in Santiago de Compostela or Festival Internacional de Órgano de Morelia in Mexico. She has appeared on the stage at various places of Europe and Latin America (Notre-Dame de Paris, Chapelle royale à Versailles, Saint-Sernin de Toulouse etc.)
In cooperation with French organist Philippe Lécossais she prepared a series of three musical programmes for the organ and a speaker, which she toured the whole France with: «Promenade dans la Musique Populaire de la Renaissance», «Promenade de la Monarchie au Directoire» a «Le Labyrinthe du Monde et le Paradis du Cœur».
One of her long-term goals is promotion of Czech music in foreign countries. In France and Spain she premiered the work Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart by Petr Eben with texts read from the book by the same name by J. A. Komenský (Comenius). A lot of her concerts are composed exclusively of Czech music; on those occasions she comments on the authors whose pieces she is going to play.
Except for her solo performances she also plays chamber music (with the flute, oboe, percussion, piano, singing …). She has also formed a duo with her husband, Spanish organist Carlos Arturo Guerra Parra and they play together pieces for four hands and four feet. One of her other regular activities is a cooperation with Petra Žďárská in a harpsichord duo; they are currently introducing two of their original projects: FANDANGO for two harpsichords, castanets and dance in cooperation with Spanish artist Ludovica Mosca and Musical Peregrination with Charles Burney around Europe for a harpsichord for four hands and a commentary in the language of the country, where the project is performed.