Vít Zouhar
Prof. MgA. Mgr. Vít Zouhar, Ph.D., (born 1966) read Composition at Janáček Academy of Music (JAMU) and Musicology at Masaryk University in Brno. He then continued to study composition at Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, and at Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Graz, receiving his artistic postgraduate degree and Ph.D. from JAMU. At University of Ostrava, he became Associate Professor in Music Theory and Pedagogy.
After completing his studies he joined the staff of the Brno Conservatoire and Institut für Elektronische Musik und Akustik na Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz. Since 1992, he has been a member of the Department of Music Education, PU Faculty of Education, guaranteeing musical-theoretical courses in master's and doctoral degree programmes. Vít served as a coordinator of the Erasmus programme for Austria, Germany and Great Britain, and was the investigator and a co-investigator of a number of research, developmental, and internationalization projects. From 2003 to 2006, he served as Vice-Dean for Science, Research, Arts, and International Relations, as the investigator of development projects, and participated in the creation of a joint programme of the PU Faculty of Education and Valdosta State University.
The Vice-President of the Board of the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation, Vít is also a member of the JAMU Arts Council, the classical music committee of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, and the Editorial Board of Bohuslav Martinů Complete Critical Editon. In addition, he juries composing competitions (Generace) and is a member of OSA. From 2009 to 2013, he was a member of the panel of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (aesthetics and art disciplines).
His theoretical work focuses on music of the 20th and 21 centuries. Much of his interest centres on the work of Bohuslav Martinů and the phenomenon of composing in music education. He is the author of Postmoderní hudba? Německá diskuse na sklonku 20. století and co-author of Dear Friend. Bohuslav Martinů's Letters to Zdeněk Zouhar, and is involved in the preparation of Complete Critical Edition of the Work of Bohuslav Martinů. Vít has written over sixty studies and reviews published in monographs, periodicals, and anthologies. In 2001, he stood behind the foundation of the Different Hearing programme, which is focused on composing in music education and the development of creativity.
In addition to being a composer himself, Vít has also collaborated as a dramaturge with Czech music festivals (Forfest Kroměříž, Exposition of New Music). He is the author and co-author of operas (La Dafne, Coronide, Torso, Night-Day), stage melodramas (Radúz and Mahulena, Les Bienveillantes), and over fifty orchestral and chamber works. His music is featured at major festivals (Prague Spring, Poesiefestival Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival), appears in movies (Amerika, S.S. Palo Alto Project, Kouzlo jedné flétny), ballet, and theatre productions, is broadcasted and released on CDs. His theatrical work is on the repertoire of the National Theatre in Prague (Raduz and Mahulena, Monsieur de Pourceaugnac), the National Theatre in Brno (Dafne), and Ensemble Damian (Torso, Coronide). He is a holder of the Alfred Radok and NUBERG 2010 awards, as well as a number of others.
Since 2010, he has been Vice-Rector for Study. In his previous term of office, his priority was to unify the processes of the PU study agenda and emphasize respect for the principles of equal treatment of students’ matters. He focused on support of multilingualism and sharing of capacities in programmes with Masaryk University and JAMU (consortium, the field of music). Vít also coordinated the amendment to the PU Study and Examination Code, participated in the conception of new scholarships (monetary and non-monetary), the modification of guidelines for student accommodation in dormitories (prioritizing the accommodation of first year students), fees (uniform procedures), the concept of algorithmic management of study agenda processes and the support for students with special needs. Furthermore, he initiated the establishment of centres supporting uniform procedures at PU (Department for Study, Assistance Centre for Students with Special Needs). He participated in the implementation of the Register of Artistic Performances. He investigates development projects and proposes standards and internal regulations.
In his position of Vice-Rector, Vít will aim to strengthen the excellence of education and training at the PU (internal accreditation, support of innovations in instruction and internationalization); emphasize the multilingual character of the university; highlight the continuity of the uniform, equal, and at the same time individual approach to students; unify the processes of study agenda; and simplify its administration at the PU using information systems.
