Czech conductor Vladimír Válek has died at the age of 89. Válek led the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 2011 and also conducted the Prague Symphony Orchestra. He was the Principal Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic from 2004 until 2007. Over his career, he worked with top ensembles, including the Czech Philharmonic and Japan’s Osaka Symphony Orchestra.
He was also a respected teacher. Born in 1935 in Nový Jičín, he studied trombone, viola, and conducting before founding the Dvořák Chamber Orchestra in 1970.
