Bio
Kristýna Marie Elizabeth Švihálková is a percussionist, performer, improviser, and composer from the Czech Republic. She holds a master’s degree in Instrumental Performance and a Ph.D. from the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno.
Her artistic practice focuses on contemporary music and instrumental theatre — exploring the integration of instrumental performance with voice, movement, choreography, light design, and video projection.
Kristýna has studied and worked internationally, receiving scholarships at the California Institute of the Arts (2019–2020) and the Hochschule Luzern – Musik (2023–2024). She has also participated in numerous workshops and programs, including the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, the T&M Academy of Music Theatre in Nîmes, the Darmstädter Ferienkurse percussion class, Donaueschinger Musiktage Next Generation, Akademie für zeitgenössische Musik (HSLU–Musik), and Münchener Biennale für neues Musiktheater CAMPUS.
She is a member of Hausopera, an artistic collective focused on site-specific opera, and has collaborated with a wide range of orchestras and ensembles – including the Brno Philharmonic, Brno Contemporary Orchestra, Ensemble Opera Diversa, EnsembleSpectrum (Slovakia), the National Theatre Brno, and others. As a soloist, she has performed with ensembles such as the Ostrava New Orchestra and the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava.
Her performances have been featured at numerous festivals and events, among them the Easter Festival of Sacred Music Brno Philharmonic, Ostrava Days, New Opera Days Ostrava, Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, Hybrid Sessions Prague, Jazz Goes To Town, Free Forms Vienna, and Festival Schnittpunkte der Musik (Austria).
Currently, Kristýna is a participant in CoPeCo (Contemporary Performance and Composition) – a joint international program connecting leading European music institutions. Alongside her work as a performer and improviser, she develops original instrumental theatre and transdisciplinary projects in collaboration with artists from around the world. She continues to pursue her research interests in contemporary performance practice and new forms of musical expression.
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References (in Czech)
Expozice nové hudby: Hra se zvukem v Tolkienově Morii | Opera PLUS
Spojené nádoby v brněnských vodojemech – KlasikaPlus.cz
Kterak proudy Mladé krve zaplavily brněnský Besední dům – KlasikaPlus.cz
Orgasmická sonická pulzující extáze, vyvrcholení Jazz Goes to Town jak má být – Jazz Port.cz
Převážně témbrové orchestrální večery Ostravských dnů (casopisharmonie.cz)