Juraj Filas (1955-2021)
Biography
Juraj Filas was born on 5th March 1955 in Kosice, Slovak Republic and his original orientation, to become an opera singer (he is the winner of three singing competitions), reflects his sense of melody and strong emotional expression. His works stem from the European tradition in music, which is the basis of his composition, his philosophy and aesthetic. About 60 compositions - symphonies, cantatas, chamber music and a TV opera- are played worldwide by a variety of artists. He has taken part in many radio and TV shows and recordings, and his works are regularly broadcast. At the 1980 Music Colleges Competition, Juraj Filas was awarded a 1st Prize for “Fresca” for strings, brass and drums. The Competition of the MKCR (Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic) gave him a 3rd Prize for his Sonata for trumpet and piano in 1980, a 2nd Prize for the cantata ?La canzone dell’amore? in 1983 and a 1st Prize for the symphony "Vampa" in 1986. He was awarded a 1st Prize at the 1985 Generation Competition (Ostrava) for his Sonata "Helios" for violin and piano. In 1989 Juraj Filas won a 2nd Prize with"Cancer of the Will" in TV opera competition in the Salzburg (Austria). This work has been broadcast on the following TV channels: ORF Austria, MTV Hungaria, PRO 7 Germany, Japan, Bulgaria; Chanel 13 USA. As a pianist he has worked as an accompanist at the National Theatre, the Czech TV Ballet (CSTV), AUS-VN and for many musicians. As a singer he has been member of the P. Kühn mixed choir and has won competitions for soloists such as the Dvorak Competition in Karlovy Vary, the Mozart competition in Prague and a 2nd Prize in the Trnavsky competition.
