Bio
Kristýna Marie Elizabeth Švihálková is a percussionist, performer, improviser, researcher, and composer from the Czech Republic. Drawn early on to the physicality of sound and the theatrical potential of musical performance, she gradually shaped her artistic path at the intersection of music, movement, and space. This curiosity continues to guide her work, which focuses on contemporary music, particularly instrumental theatre, and explores the integration of performance with voice, choreography, light, and video.
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 international studies at institutions including the California Institute of the Arts (2019–2020) and Hochschule Luzern – Musik (2023–2024) further shaped her artistic voice, connecting her with mentors and collaborators who encouraged experimentation across disciplines. She has expanded her practice through programs such as the percussion class of the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Donaueschinger Musiktage Next Generation, Akademie für zeitgenössische Musik (HSLU – Musik), the Münchener Biennale für neues Musiktheater CAMPUS, the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra Academy, and the T&M Academy of Music Theatre in Nîmes.
Kristýna is a member of Hausopera, an artistic collective focused on site-specific opera, and has collaborated with ensembles and institutions including the Brno Philharmonic, Brno Contemporary Orchestra, Ensemble Opera Diversa, EnsembleSpectrum (Slovakia), the Slovak Philharmonic, and the National Theatre Brno. As a soloist, she has performed with the Ostrava New Orchestra and the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava.
Her performances have been featured at festivals such as Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Ostrava Days, New Opera Days Ostrava, Jazz Goes To Town, Free Forms Vienna, Festival Schnittpunkte der Musik (Austria), Easter Festival of Sacred Music Brno Philharmonic, Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, and Hybrid Sessions Prague.
Currently, alongside her work as a performer, improviser, and artistic researcher, she develops original instrumental theatre and transdisciplinary projects with artists worldwide, continuously exploring new possibilities in contemporary performance practice and 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)