Jan Čmejla

Jan Čmejla was born in 2003. He has been playing the piano since the age of six. He received his first musical education at the I. Hurník Elementary School of Art and at the Gymnasium and Music School of the Capital City of Prague, where he studied under the guidance of prof. T. Vejvodová and prof. L. Klánský. Since 2018 he studied the piano at the Prague Conservatory under the guidance of prof. E. Boguni. Since 2022 he has been studying with the distinguished Professor W. Schmitt-Leonardy at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim.

In March 2025 he won the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition Leipzig 2025, the first ever victory of a Czech pianist in the most prestigious international Bach competition. In addition to the title of “Bachpreisträger”, he won the Audience Award and other prizes, such as the release of his own CD, and together with the other finalists he will also perform a triple concert at the Bachfest in Leipzig Gewandhaus in June under the baton of Jakub Hrůša.

In 2023, Jan became a laureate of the foundation of the world-renowned cellist Gautier Capuçon, with whom he played at Elmau Castle in Germany. He has been the youngest winner of one of the most prestigious piano competitions in Europe “Concours International de Piano d'Epinal 2022” and is a laureate of a number of international competitions including Santa Cecilia (2021), Dvořák International Piano Competition - Concertino Praga (absolute winner in 2019) and is also the holder of the Kern Foundation Prize of the outstanding Russian pianist Olga Kern. In 2015, he met Chinese pianist Lang Lang during the Allianz Junior Music Camp in Vienna, which is open to ten selected talents from all over the world. Jan also participated in a masterclass with renowned pianist Boris Giltburg.