Jakub Rataj

Jakub Rataj (*1984) is a Czech composer of orchestral, chamber and electro-acoustic music. His work includes interactive sound installations and electroacoustic performances inspired by the human body, movement, breath, pulse and gesture. His compositions have been performed on many concerts and festivals (France, Spain, Japan, Russia, China, Iran, Sweden, Austria ao.), he was commissioned by ensembles such as Orchestr Berg, Prague Modern, Low Frequency Trio, Solaris 3 as well as by the Czech Radio, Prague Spring, Contempuls, Music Olomouc and has worked with Quatuor Tana, FamaQ, Ostravská Banda, Matteo Cesari, Pascal Gallois, Pierre Strauch, Kifu Mitsuhashi, Pamelia Kurstin, David Danel and many other outstanding musicians, various choreographers, visual artists, film and theatre directors. He worked with Jihočeská Filharmonie, Filharmonie Pardubice, Soloist NNovgorog. Jakub received various awards for his compositions (the main award Nuberg in 2014 and 2015, Musica Nova 2014 ao.) and was selected for artistic residencies (Czech Centre: 2014 - Vienna, 2015 - Madrid, 2017 - Tokyo; VICC: 2017, 2019 - Vsiby).

In 2013-2014 he studied composition and new technology with Luis Naon at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris where he also had the chance to take classes with Frédéric Durieux, Yan Maresz, Oriol Saladriguez, Tom Mays, Yan Geslin and Claude Ledoux. Jakub was selected by the professors of new technologies at CNSMDP to take part at the Journées Nationales de la Musique Electroacoustique in Chalon sur Saone in 2014. Jakub participated in the several international composition workshops (Altitude University, ISA Academy, Ostrava Days ao.) where he took classes with Raphael Cendo, Yann Robin, Jean-Philippe Wurtz, Isabel Mundry, Klaus Lang, Marc Sabat, Jennifer Walshe and Miroslav Srnka.

In Czech Republic, he studied composition with Hanuš Bartoň (2010-15) at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague where he started his Phd studies in 2015 with LubošMrkvička.

In 2015 he started to work as sound designer and musical director in the Czech Radio (Český Rozhlas). In the same year he founded Ensemble Terrible - an ensemble of young musicians based at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.