Prague Conservatory of Music

The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire (Czech: Pražská konzervatoř) is a music academy in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808.

The Prague Conservatory was founded in 1808 by local aristocrats and burghers. Classes started in 1811, after a delay caused by the Napoleonic Wars. Bedřich Diviš Weber was appointed the first director of the school.

In 1891, Antonín Dvořák joined the faculty as the head of the composition department. He was the school's director between 1901 and 1904. Dvořák's students included the composers Vítězslav Novák, Josef Suk (who later served as director of the Conservatory), Rudolf Friml, Oskar Nedbal, and Franz Lehár. Another director of the school was pianist Vilém Kurz.

Following the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, drama and ballet departments were established. Students in this period included Lída Baarová (dropped out), Jiří Langmajer, Tatiana Vilhelmová (dropped out), Filip Blažek, and Zuzana Vejvodová. Katya Zvelebilova began classical ballet training at the Prague Conservatory before joining the Royal Ballet School in London, where she is now a member of the artistic staff, having retired from professional ballet.

Applicants must pass stringent entrance examinations, often held in several elimination rounds, to demonstrate their talent.

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